I was reading the list of press releases on ScienceDaily Headlines and I thought you might be interested to learn about some of the most important discoveries in the past 24 hours. For the most part, these are press releases from universities and research institutes.
None of them are real breakthroughs. Some of them are interesting, incremental advances in our understanding of the natural world. Some of them are trivial results that have been elevated to importance by a press release and a headline. Some of them are silly. Some of them are probably wrong.
- New Breakthrough In Global Warming Plant Production
- Optimal Running Speed Associated With Evolution Of Early Human Hunting Strategies
- Fish Oils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flatulent Cows
- Food Choices Evolve Through Information Overload
- Psychiatric Disorders Are Common In Adults Who Have Had Anorexia
- Genetic Changes Outside Nuclear DNA Suspected To Trigger More Than Half Of All Cancers
- Why Parachutists Die
- Brain Building: Brain Growth Tied To Cell Division In Mouse Embryos
- New Theory On Largest Known Mass Extinction In Earth's History
- Team Approach Appears To Work Best For Insect Colonies
Why should science journalism be good when newspapers can buy "breakthroughs" off the shelf from scientists' publicity departments?
ReplyDeleteA quick rewrite, a 10-minute telephone interview with the P.I. (to make it sound like original reporting) and presto, you've filled another few inches between the adverts. You don't even have to phone around to other workers in the field to see if the "Breakthrough" is real. The P.I. is happy, the granting agency is happy, the university is happy, the news outlet is happy, and the public is none the wiser.
I expect to read about a lot of breakthroughs two days from now.
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