Tales of the expected
A recent claim of water on an extrasolar planet raises broader questions about how science news is reported, says Philip Ball
'Scientists discover just what they expected' is not, for obvious reasons, a headline you see very often. But it could serve for probably a good half of the stories reported in the public media, and would certainly have been apt for the recent reports of water on a planet outside our Solar System.
Comments
Good article. It is also a reminder that we must be reasonably skeptical of reports, and not get swept away with our imaginations.
One point I would add is that science journalists should be careful not to overstate the implications of science research. As an example, let's say a science experiment reports :
"We see an excess in our data that is consistent with a statistical fluctuation, but if the excess continues with more data it could indicate that our current model is incomplete. This level of disagreement between our data and model would be expected to occur 1 out of 50 times that the experiment was conducted. "
This should not get interpreted as "Science experiment believes current model is incomplete."
Although it is useful in media to shorten statements to get to the point, it is sometimes incorrect. It also makes scientists skeptical about sharing information with the media for fear of it being misinterpreted, which can causing them pain from their colleagues who believe they have misled the media to overstate the case of their research.
Responsible reporting is the key to communication between the scientists and the scientifically curious public.
Posted by: Ben | April 18, 2007 08:19 PM
Why is the universe not absolutely symetrical? As the chemical actions take place shouldn't the particles move in all directions at the same speed without distortion from friction or anyother outside influence?
Posted by: R A VARGA | April 29, 2007 11:42 PM
I propose that the Higgs particle will not be found, at least not as what gives "particles" their mass. For I found that gravitation can (?) be explained quantitively and logically as being due to the (carrier of the) electric field being accelerated by (to keep up with) the general expansion. So, like magnetisme, it is (?) an effect of electricity. So there is really no (gravitational) mass! Likewise, other mass is not quite what it is thought to be. With reservation of my human fallibility of course! (Explained in Dutch in my book "Glimpjes in het Donker")
Posted by: Percy N. Kruythoff | April 30, 2007 09:11 PM