This group-based, interrupted case study challenges students' perceptions of "useful" scientific research. We present student groups with the methods used in two scientific studies that have been heavily scrutinized in the popular media. Both research programs gained notoriety for their seemingly ridiculous methods that each included running animals on treadmills. Students are first asked to develop potential scientific questions and hypotheses that may have been addressed by the studies. Next, we share the real hypotheses tested, and ask students to interpret data presented in the resulting publications. Finally, students are led through a discussion that challenges their initial perceptions of the research, considers whether the science was presented in an unbiased manner by the media, and cultivates mindfulness about how critical thinking can change one's initial perceptions. We developed this case study for a lower-division biology undergraduate course in ecology. However, it can be adapted for introductory-biology or upper-division biology major courses, and/or undergraduate students majoring outside of the sciences.