Lately, In Science

Highlights from Bauer Media’s science-related reporting

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Apr 02, 2020

• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• journalism,
• media,
• science reporting

Today has felt surreal. I was all set to touch base online with my science communication students when a colleague shared the news that Bauer Media would be shutting down its publications immediately. The first link I saw implied it was Woman’s Weekly affected, and even that shocked me. But when I realised it was everything – The Listener, North … Read More

1

News coverage drove Zika interest

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Mar 14, 2020

• CDC,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• epidemic,
• media,
• outbreak,
• Rio Olympics,
• WHO,
• Wikipedia,
• zika

At a time when our news headlines are saturated with COVID-19, it could be helpful to look back at a previous disease outbreak for hints of what’s happening now. Back in 2016, the infectious disease of the hour was Zika. Remember the Rio Olympics and fears that Olympians would be infected (there wound up being no cases linked … Read More

When jargon makes you feel like you don’t belong

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Mar 06, 2020

• jargon,
• science communication,
• science writing

It’s the cruellest Catch-22 in science: you spend years learning intricate jargon about your specific area, then this jargon makes it nearly impossible for ‘outsiders’ to understand what you’re on about. Anyone who has submitted a blog to Sciblogs in the past few years has probably received an email back from me pleading for them to remove or explain jargon. Read More

9

What’s in a name? Why the coronavirus needed its own

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Feb 12, 2020

• 2019-nCov,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• WHO

As of today, the novel coronavirus spreading in China is called COVID-19. Why does it matter? Around the office, we’ve had several conversations over the past few weeks about how 2019-nCoV needed its own name. First, it was getting annoying calling it by the above designation, and ‘novel coronavirus’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either. And it was … Read More

Grammar for scientists

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Feb 05, 2020

• grammar,
• passive voice,
• science communication,
• science writing,
• verbs

I’m about to start teaching science communication to tertiary students, which is equally hilarious and terrifying to me. (Hi to my students who have Googled me and found this post.) I loved English at high school, but we spent most of our time reading The Outsiders, discussing the differences between metaphors and similes, and pondering the thematic meaning of King Lear. But … Read More

7

Coronavirus ‘infodemic’

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Feb 03, 2020

• 2019-nCov,
• coronavirus,
• journalism,
• open access,
• preprint,
• research

Lately, my morning routine includes opening up our work email and checking the latest World Health Organization coronavirus situation report. It’s sobering to see the numbers increasing so rapidly – about 2,500 new confirmed cases every day and about 45 reported deaths. But I’m also reminded of the stark contrast between this outbreak and previous situations in terms of how … Read More

Yes, koalas are cute – but should we bring them to NZ? Errm, no

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Jan 14, 2020

• Australian bushfires,
• bushfires,
• conservation,
• koala,
• relocation

It’s been hard to miss the extreme fires raging across Australia and the tragic plight of the animals – human and otherwise – affected by the fires’ insatiable spread. I know I’ve been captivated and concerned by the tales of how Australia’s famous wildlife has been coping. Koalas approaching cyclists to beg a drink of water, kangaroos seeking … Read More

In science communication, words matter

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Jun 21, 2019

• 1080,
• aerial 1080,
• Environmental Protection Agency,
• EPA,
• grammar,
• science communication

Being a grammar nerd isn’t always the best way to win friends and influence people, but today I’m yet again reminded why it’s important to get our words right. Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Authority released its annual HSNO Monitoring report, which includes data on hazardous substances and new organisms managed under the HSNO Act. This year, they’ve expanded their … Read More

6

A new pre-print server and media access to research

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Jun 06, 2019

• Plan S,
• Plan U,
• pre-print,
• research publications,
• Science journalism

A few years ago I was talking to a physicist at a work function when he told me about arXiv (I made him spell it out for me so I could look it up the next day). You mean, people put their research papers up online for free, for people to read them before they’re peer reviewed and you don’t … Read More

2

Tracking CFC emissions: a scientific mystery story

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • May 23, 2019

• CFC-11,
• CFCs,
• China,
• Montreal Protocol,
• ozone damage,
• ozone hole,
• trichlorofluoromethane

Thirty years ago, in May 1989, global leaders gathered in Helsinki to sign into force the Montreal Protocol. You might not be familiar with it by name, but you certainly know its effects: the Montreal Protocol phased out the use of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, and other ozone-depleting substances in an effort to reverse the damage to the ozone layer. It’s … Read More