My thoughts on one of the latest studies Dr. Lieberman was involved with. I also include a link to the actual paper (and also a criticism of it) in case you'd rather just go right to the source. Dr. Lieberman Strikes Again
I've read Craig Payne's blog before. He really seems uncomfortable with the results of the study, and goes into great pains to hammer that it's not a proper randomized controlled trial. That's true, but it's a fantastic pilot study!
In my specific case, n=1, the benefits of shoes are more so related to fashion, rather than biomechanical function. I run better and faster without shoes. No one possesses any scientific evidence to the contrary!