OT: Duh! Research that states the obvious

Every day I read announcements about new research results that appear to state the obvious. Of course we need to question our assumptions when we do science, but do we really need to spend time and money to "prove" some of this stuff? Here are three recent examples.

When people make irrational decisions, emotions are involved. DUH
Irrational decisions driven by emotions. By definition, they aren't based on rational thoughts. Are they made by aliens controlling our minds?

Apes are more intelligent than monkeys. DUH.
Apes, not monkeys, ace IQ tests. A co-author was quoted as saying the conclusions were "reassuring." Reassuring? Like there was any doubt? I don't know any primatologist or biological anthropologist who has ever claimed this wasn't true. Given that the results were drawn from reviewing hundreds of previously published papers, what else could be expected? Methods haven't been improved or changed. There were no new hypotheses or predictions being tested. Of course the outcome is going to be the same.

People who can't read well have a hard time understanding medical consent forms. DUH. Low literacy increases...misunderstanding of medical consent. People who are strong readers and well educated don't understand them either. If you can't read Dick and Jane, are you going to understand all the legalese in the forms?

It's even worse when it comes to animal experiments. You get total crap like "diet and exercise affect body weight" (Stop the presses! Someone notify Jenny Craig!) and "some individuals are more active than others." DUH. Double DUH. Did anyone actually think that all individuals of *any* species had the same activity level? Does anyone actually think that meaningful activity is possible in such a highly confined environment? A monkey might be able to pace or spin, but that's behavioral pathology, not an individual preference for a higher-than-average activity level.

DUH! experiments are wasteful and tarnish the public's perception of science. When DUH! experiments also involve animal cruelty, they tarnish the reputation of humanity.