Code for life

Taming inaccurate health and science news: could editors help?

Grant Jacobs • Feb 07, 2019

• accuracy,
• fake news,
• Health,
• media,
• medicine,
• news,
• newspaper,
• scicomm,
• Science,
• science communication,
• Social media

A recent study found most of the 10 most popular ‘health’ articles of 2018 were inaccurate. Similar but less skewed results were seen for the top 100 articles. I dislike pointing fingers. For these things, they tend to point at journalists and social media. Instead, I’d like to highlight something less talked about when discussing inaccurate health and science news: … Read More

The loose boobies of deathly cold, humour, entertainment, and science communication

Grant Jacobs • Feb 02, 2019

• Entertainment,
• humour,
• loose boobies,
• polar vortex,
• scicomm,
• science communication

Last night a clever tweet written by art+science fan ‘girlyratfish’ (@girlyratfish) amused me: – Her riff of the TV news image uses a clever analogy to explain why climate change has affected the polar vortex. It reminded me of an issue in science communication: how do you reach those who never watch or read science … Read More

For new parents or parents-to-be facing vaccine opinions

Grant Jacobs • Jan 29, 2019

• Anti-Vax,
• decisions,
• parents,
• parents-to-be,
• vaccines

For new parents or parents-to-be the wildly different opinions about vaccines must be very confusing. This one’s for you. It’s also for people who pass on vaccine messages to their parent or parent-to-be friends. (If you’re concerned about the apparent length of this article, the main body of the article is short.) Half of all parents with small children  … Read More

A gene drive in mice – but only for females

Grant Jacobs • Jan 24, 2019

• chinchilla,
• coat colour,
• gene drive,
• melanin,
• mice,
• tyrosinase

What if you could change a gene in a population by introducing laboratory-prepared animals then just letting nature take it’s course? A gene drive is the informal name given to a process where a genetic variation is set up so that it will be inherited more often in the offspring than it would by chance.[1] In a gene drive each generation … Read More

Strongest opponents of GM think they know best but actually know the least

Grant Jacobs • Jan 17, 2019

• Dunning-Kruger,
• GE,
• gene therapy,
• genetic engineering,
• GM,
• gmo

A study just out shows that the strongest opponents of GM (genetic modification) think they know the subject well, but in fact know the least. What does this means for science communication? Especially contentious topics. Doubly so where deliberate misinformation is being offered. Similarly are their lessons for politicians? In New Zealand politicians seem too timid to try correct … Read More

Tired of flipping USB plugs over?

Grant Jacobs • Jan 10, 2019

• flip,
• logo,
• USB,
• USB plugs

If you’re anything like me, flipping USB plugs over is irritating. It’s not as if it takes much time, just that you have to do it at all. Here’s a tip I stumbled onto a few years ago: (advertising) logos face up. When you put the cable or device in, keep the advertising logo face up. I can’t guarantee that … Read More

Blogimmuniqué 31 December 2018

Grant Jacobs • Dec 31, 2018

• 2018,
• blogimmunique,
• scicomm,
• science communication

Blogimmuniqué – one of my irregular communiqués about the Code for life blog. The end of the year is a time for gathering up stuff, and a time for reflecting. In my case I’d like to let readers have a chance share their thoughts about what directions I could take this blog. (If you haven’t time for reading this, feel … Read More

Scientific paper has a face in a turd. Who could it be?

Grant Jacobs • Dec 15, 2018

• donald trump,
• faecal genomics,
• scientific paper,
• turd

Today I read that a scientific paper has hidden a face in a turd. Who could it be? The paper is research in faecal genomics, sequencing DNA in turds.     It’s aims are fair enough. It’s easier to collect DNA from faeces than from wild animals. A catch is that faeces tend to have DNA from a … Read More

Go voyage the great beyond

Grant Jacobs • Dec 13, 2018

• Pioneer 10,
• Pioneer 11,
• Planetary Grand Tour,
• solar system,
• Voyager 1,
• Voyager 2

They charted our lives. As children we read of their plans and their laboured construction. We watched them delivered, blasted into the heavens by the Titans. From time to time we heard of their long journey. They sent us photographs as they passed the outer planets. This week the last left flew past the light of the sun … Read More

Making a list of books to share? Link to review or author sites, not that company

Grant Jacobs • Dec 08, 2018

• Amazon,
• authors,
• book list,
• booklists,
• books,
• goodreads

It’s that time of year that people share lists of books that others might like to read. Often book lists offer a link to where a reader might get the book. Please don’t link to companies. Link to review or author sites. If you’re like me, you love to see new reading ideas. Even if they make your wallet wince… … Read More