BlogHer - science - Comments

Gray Hair

magsmadison — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:04:52 -0500

I love that there is a good reason for my grays. However, I may dislike them even more upon discovering they are actually made by damaged stem cells. That makes me feel even older!

Hear hear!

Grey — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:47:09 -0500

As an environmental scientist I am frequently blown away by what I would call an anti-science, almost anti-intellectualism current that runs through society. There seems to be a lack of understanding regarding the basic tenants of science and a lot of disbelief and distrust of scientific principles. I'm almost afraid that people associate science with a political agenda, and therefore have a misplaced mistrust. (This is not to say that there aren't researchers without a political agenda and that there is not misinformation presented by the media, but I talking about science at its purist, I suppose.)

I wanted to add two great blogs to your list:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ I think many are familiar with the Bad Astronomer for debunking bad science in the media, but Phil discusses a number of topics outside of that.

http://sciencebasedmedicine.com/ This is an excellent blog/science resource that deals with controversial medicine issues and the misinformation about alternative medicines. They have some great information regarding the anti-vaccination movement in this county and the dangers inherent in that movement.

Thanks for tackling this topic!!!

Grey is a slightly neurotic twenty-nine year old single mother of three boys, scientist, environmentalist, feminist, and frugalista who handles life with humor and blogging at http;//2ndverse.blogspot.com/

It is a multi-layerd problem

Gena Haskett — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:47:20 -0500

I don't think the Beeb does it perfectly but they better than American broadcast media in terms of presenting information. They got the shift in technology and user participation faster than American media. The BBC continue to provide content that the world appreciates.

Even PBS is a little suspect because of corporate funding issues.

There are good reporters. But you have/had an infrastructure that prevented them from being full participants. If there is a budget crises in a school district you rarely saw an article that talked about the impact on inadequate science education for students that would impact their ability to get a job.

You rarely see science based articles about the organic foods in mainstream women's magazines. ConAgra wouldn't stand for it and the magazines couldn't afford the loss of advertisers. Question the safety of HFCS next to an ad for Karo syrup? I don't think so.

People are talking about science issues. They want to make sense of science issues and their world. The dispensers of that information do a poor job. That is why there is such an great time for the worst kind of PR, video PR and entrepreneurial opportunists to have a say.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

There Are Other Factors That Affect Science Communication

Gena Haskett — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:46:22 -0500

If a segment of population has had a history of medical exploitation then they bring that to the table in being hesitant to get vaccinated. They will distrust before verifying. If there is no easy way to evaluate the benefits and liabilities of vaccination some people are going to go with their feelings.

If someone writes a book or a pamphlet telling them they should not do it and there is no accessible resource for them to verify what are they supposed to do?

Keeping people ignorant of science issues has a monetary benefit that shouldn't be ignored. I use to drink a beverage that claimed to have extra vitamins. One day I read the label. I stopped drink it that moment and haven't touched at it again.

It was only when I was ready to know that I could learn the truth.

Thanks for reading.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Vaccination Issue

MLOKnitting — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:05:24 -0500

I think the most effective way to get across to mothers what it means to not vaccinate is to present them with the pictures of the victims of the diseases that we vaccinate against. I was a history major who actually saw those pictures. Nobody who sees those pictures - and has a lick of sense - would choose not to vaccinate.(Not vaccinating due to egg allergy is not choosing not to vaccinate!)

Images have a much greater impact on people than numbers. This is the reason that Ross Perot's pie charts and bar graphs were so effective.

MLO / Melissa

skilled science journalist?!?!?!?!

MLOKnitting — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:01:38 -0500

I believe the last skilled science journalist might have existed in the 1970s. I have to say the science reporting in any field that I have been involved in has, for lack of less colorful language, been piss poor and sensationalistic. Now, that may be because of editorial standards lessening and the refocus on silly celebrity news - as well as pandering to the most base of the population.

I have really lost all respect for US science reporters. About the only easily available general science reporting that isn't a science-only resource I can recommend to anyone is the BBC. I have found less overall misinformation there than anywhere else.

Part of the problem is the lack of knowledge around statsitics and the scientific method. Both can be manipulated. (Having worked in research arenas, I know that data is manipulated to get desired results.) Even such esteemed journals as JAMA can no longer be trusted due to the politicization and monetization of science. (That is a whole other issue.) But the lack of basic education in both statistics and science has left the general public easily manipulated. Spin the findings - while not lying - and they can say what you want them to say.

I know I have read blogs, books, journals, and articles while asking questions about who was excluded and what criteria was used and then realized that no one is going to realize a 2 times greater incidence is going to be the only thing heard without anyone realizing that incidence is only .05%! That is a very common way of manipulating the public. And that is only one issue in the lack of science communications. Until people's innumeracy and lack of science education is fixed, this problem isn't going to go away from having even more journalism and English majors or folks who couldn't do science continuing to be the main conduits of scientific information to the public.

MLO / Melissa

Totally agree

moonfever0 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:21:56 -0500

I'm an engineer and I totally eat up podcasts like NPR Technology, Scientific American's 60 Second Science and WNYC's Radio Lab. But I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to science and women. These podcasts are so well done, I think it would appeal to women if they tried it.

I also think the whole debate on vaccinations hinges on the lack of good science communications to mothers. It is easier to appeal to the emotional side of the issue as opposed to the scientific.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Queen of the lab

Daisy — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:56:51 -0500

Great idea: scientists, women in particular, attacking and proving or disproving eco-myths and greenwashing. I'd watch!

Daisy

Both my grandkids

Virginia DeBolt — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:41:53 -0500

love that show Myth Busters. Wouldn't it be great if there was a show like that featuring women scientists doing fun experiments? Or like those "king of the lab" experiments on the show Bones?

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer CE
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

Earth and Sky

Virginia DeBolt — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:05:27 -0500

I enjoy the program called Earth and Sky, particularly since it often explains what you'll be seeing in the night sky. It covers all sorts of science topics, including astronomy. It's available as a podcast. http://www.earthsky.org/

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer CE
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

Revamp the system

magyar — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:42:27 -0500

These shenanigans have been going on since time immortal but as our system of communication has become more transparent and open it is harder to hide.
The scientific community and society need to look at a whole new way of incentives and rewards- the old system must go

Much is the same

BecThomasPhotography — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:45:21 -0500

Modern communications I think have made it harder to hide when you falsify a study. I this business has always been this way and were just getting better educated on the flaws. I've always felt part of the problem is that people conducting studies often have monitary gain and a sort of fame on the line that can pressure some people to cross a line between honesty and falsehood. Also oversight isn't all that good on many studies, there needs to be more checks and balances worked in.

Softer Sciences Problematic Too

Dr. Polly — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:10:22 -0600

As a woman (and mother!) who spent more than a couple years in academic psychology I can attest to many of these same issues in the so-called softer sciences. Sure, there are more female undergrads and plenty of female grad students in psychology departments - but for the tenure-track, not that many women. And even fewer full professor with children. I left academia after the birth of my second child - for a variety of reasons. You'd think social psychologists (my specialty) would be more open to women than it really is. The same people who are studying and writing about discrimination fall prey to it when it comes to making it feasible for women (and mothers) to pursue academic positions.

BTW, as a mother with a doctorate and a former researcher, I'm committed to debunking parenting/research. It's hard sometimes being a mother who adheres to the scientific method in this age of rampant, inaccurate reports of scientific evidence - from the benefits of breastfeeding to the dangers of cold medicines. That's my pet project. And even on this website, I find a large divide between the hard-hitting research/science blogs and the parenting blogs. The same is true of many other websites and of journalism in general. You get either the technical/nuanced stuff or the personal anecdote-strewn/simplistic science. But rarely a nice balance....

http://mommadata.blogspot.com/

re: science medley

dnlee5 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:12:06 -0600

This is a great post. Thank you for providing your insight to this manner and bringing these different, yet united voices together in a single post. I hope to do as much justice when I host the blog carnival in a few days.

DNLee

I adore you, Leslie!

Isis the Scientist — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 11:55:15 -0600

I adore you, Leslie! Reading this post I feel really honored to be among so many amazing blogger women.