I'm not going to touch 'that one'.  I shall say that science and religion are at odds with each other.  Gould used the expression NOMA;  no overlapping magisterium.  When I see prayers, as in the article, it seems like trying to fudge a puzzle piece where it does not belong.  What I would appreciate is positive proof of the power of prayer.  Otherwise why pray at all.  As said, we live in a dog eat dog world, big fish eats the little fish...do we give thanks to that.  We have disease, physical affliction, disasters many fold, and the god of the Jewish Bible is a cruel, vindictive, angry assassin.  All church negativity is based on the errant Original Sin.  Now that we know it is bogus, how do we account for all the human suffering.  It is not as Mother Theresa says or the church has said;  suffer now your reward is in the world to come.  That does not suffice or account for the pain and suffering...thanks we give, but ignore not the want of relieve.