Top 5 science scandals of 2011

Then you missed his point. He could have added the word "physical" to his comment stating "Certainly physcis has supplanted philosophy in the understanding of reality." and said instead that certainly physics has supplanted philosophy in the understanding of physical reality. But that, I think, is why he added that "The understanding of existence and consciousness however... I take philosophy to be non-empirical, rational inquiry by the way."
IOW, he is quite right that science has supplanted philosophy in determining how our universe works, how it affects us, etc. There's a lot less mysticism, junk. and other philosophical issues involved than there used to be simply because we don't think (or most of us anyway) gods, leprechauns, and gremlins cause fire, weather, gravitational pull, etc.

This is exactly why ALL research must be vetted, and when it can not be, it MUST be challenged.

Unfortunately, the media is partly responsible for this problem, because it loves to trumpet "research" that may not amount to anything at all. And Universities contribute to this, with their "publish or perish" policies. Faculty MUST publish research, or they simply can not remain on the faculty and they do not gain tenure.

Who should do the vetting, and how do you think it should be challenged? Research is already vetted and challenged, this is just me challenging your vague suggestions.