This does not have to be restricted to 'hard' science, because political researchers are the worst habitual offenders. Archaeology, economics and market research are other areas where cause and effect is important, so should provide some excellent examples of how to establish cause and effect.
Fiddling while Rome burns. Meaning. To occupy oneself with unimportant matters and neglect priorities during a crisis. Origin. The source of this phrase is the story that Nero played the fiddle (violin) while Rome burned, during the great fire in AD 64. There are two major flaws with the story. Firstly, there was no such instrument as the fiddle (violin) in first century Rome.
Slave insurrections were not really new to Rome. Extreme cruelty to slaves had sparked a revolt on the island of Sicily in 135 bc. More than 70,000 slaves had taken up arms and effectively battled local militia until a Roman army triumphed over the rebels two years later.