We have all seen comments attributed to scientists that have been outlandish, ridiculous or just wrong. We have also seen how these same statements have been latched onto by the Media and can lead to confusion in the general population. Now, many of us are likely guilty of writing a title for a presentation or poster or even a paper that we knew was a bit of a stretch, but would also likely draw an audience, that is not what I am referring too. Recently, I posted about an article on aquaculture that set my blood to boil and Richard was kind enough to share with me a previous post of his along the same vein of this topic. All of this has lead me to propose a contest.
Please submit one inflammatory headline for an article and an accompanying quote that you would generate from your own research experiences. If you would like you can e-mail it to me (cbrowell@yahoo.com) and I will re-post it without your name (so future journalists won’t actually use it). Or, if you don’t care, you can just comment below:
Here is my example:
Option 1:
Headline: Pregnant Women Should Not Take Hot Baths!
Quote: “In many reptiles and some fish species it has been demonstrated that changes in temperature during the incubation of the egg will influence the gender of the offspring. While we don’t believe this happens in people we have never run a double-blind study to determine if it is true.”
Option 2:
Find a article in the Scientific Press (does not/should not be in a field in which you already have knowledge and understanding) and write your own Headline and then pull the “supporting” quote from it (remember that context doesn’t matter).
With this option you are almost a real journalist.
Have fun!
Fun!
Headline: “You are being controlled by viruses!”
Quote: “many human genes are regulated by genetic material provided by endogenous retroviruses – viruses that inserted into our DNA millions of years ago and have evolved with us, as part of our genome, ever since. While the viruses are not infectious, there is some evidence to support the idea that they are associated with diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis. And there’s nothing you can do about it!”
Thanks Cath for the excellent entry. I have now put a second option on the game, please check it out.
Headline: “World Renowned Editor for Nature Hospitalized After Brutal Attack by Denizen of Nature!”
Qoute: In minor injuries unit after bite from Killer Guinea Pig. My Holy Grail moment.
Headline: World will end on Sunday
Quote: “in simulation studies, computer modellers estimated that the chances of an asteroid colliding with the earth are not 1 in 10\20/, as the previous best models suggested, but 1 in 10\19/.”
Maxine – Given this grave possibility you should follow Lowflyingrocks on twitter so you know when the end is coming. Have a great weekend.
these are all so good! Thanks for the welcome, Craig! Who did you work with at Duke?