What does p=1.6×10⁻²² mean in plain language?

A p-value is the probability that the observed result could have occurred by chance if there were actually no real difference between groups. p=1.6×10⁻²² is an extraordinarily small number — it is 0.00000000000000000000016. In plain language, this means the probability that the separation between cancer samples (averaging 1.83× HL) and healthy samples (averaging 1.04× HL) occurred by random chance is essentially zero. For context, the conventional threshold for statistical significance in medical research is p<0.05 (5% chance of a random result). p=1.6×10⁻²² is 21 orders of magnitude more significant. This level of statistical certainty is rarely seen in biomedical studies and reflects the exceptional clarity of the cancer-vs-healthy miRNA signal that the Yenos platform detects.