HOW TO READ OR LISTEN TO SCIENCE NEWS The news you read and watch is reported in a very short form becauseof time and space limitations. A news segment on television lasts no more than a minute or two. There is more information in a newspaper or magazine article, but still much of the science behind "science news" is left out. In addition, reporters often sensationalize or hype conclusions by making their story headline promise more than the original scientific study delivers. Keep in mind that science is a slow, step-by-step process for gaining information by asking questions and designing experiments to test for possible answers. Science is never absolute. Conclusions are always subject to change and theories subject to revision if a new experiment produces results that disprove old ones. Just think of how many old theories were overturned by new evidence obtained through better instruments and procedures. For centuries, people believed the world was flat, that Earth was the center of the universe, that disease caused germs rather than the other way around. Through the process of science, knowledge continually builds on the work of others and remains open to challenge and change. Read and watch science news with a questioning mind. Here are a few questions you can ask to get to the science behind the news item. 1. What is the original source of the reporter's story? Usually this will be an article from one of the reputable scientific journals, such as Nature, Science, Scientific American, Lancet, or one of the professional journals such as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The New York Times Science section, which comes out every Tuesday, is a reliable source of science news written for the popular audience. Reuters Health is a reliable internet source for science news (http://www.Reutershealth.com) 2. Where was the research done? What is the reputation of this institution? 3. Who were the principal researchers? What are their reputations? Do they have any affiliation, such as consultant to a drug company, that might bias their results? 4. Was the study laboratory research or a clinical trial involving people? 5. Did the study involve a large enough number of people or tissue samples to be significant? 6. If the experiment only involved laboratory animals, was the reporter careful to say so? Thanks to breastlink.org Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.