Neurobonkers discusses in a new blog post this image:

I’ve also seen this picture also popping up quite a lot lately. But while it’s clear what the picture suggests, it’s not clear at all what it actually shows. Do read the blog post to learn what the difficulties with this kind of image as Neurobollocks concludes:

“The essential point here is that when images like this are presented in academic papers or presentations, they come packaged with a whole host of caveats, qualifications, and additional information. Of course, scientists often try to make visually arresting images in order to present their results with maximum impact and clarity, and (as long as they don’t cheat in some way) that’s entirely appropriate, and indeed useful. The problem comes when someone else takes those images, strips them of this essential contextual information and presents them uncritically, often in order to further their own agenda or aims. Without the context, these images become pretty much meaningless.”