Education Research

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"Just a Theory": 7 Misused Science Words

scientificamerican.com

by Tia Ghose

April 2, 2013

From "significant" to "natural," here are seven scientific terms that can prove troublesome for the public and across research disciplines

Hypothesis. Theory. Law. These scientific words get bandied about regularly, yet the general public usually gets their meaning wrong. Now, one scientist is arguing that people should do away with these misunderstood words altogether and replace them with the word "model." But those aren't the only science words that cause trouble, and simply replacing the words with others will just lead to new, widely misunderstood terms, several other scientists said. "A word like 'theory' is a technical scientific term," said Michael Fayer, a chemist at Stanford University. "The fact that many people understand its scientific meaning incorrectly does not mean we should stop using it. It means we need better scientific education."

Sexually abused or neglected adolescent girls at risk of becoming moms while still teenagers

eurekalert.org

by Jim Feuer

March 27, 2013

Abused or neglected teenage girls become teen mothers at nearly five times the national rate of teen motherhood. the journal Pediatrics, shows that teen childbirth rates are more than 20 percent for abused and neglected teens.

In this first ever prospective study of teen pregnancy (one that follows a group over time), Dr. Noll studied teen girls between 14 and 17, assessing them annually through the age of 19 to track their sexual activities, possible pregnancy and motherhood. About half of the teenagers in the study were recruited from child protective service agencies for having been abused or neglected within the past 12 months. The other half consisted of "comparison" teenage girls who had not experienced abuse or neglect but were similar in terms of age, income, minority status and family constellation (one- or two-parent households).

The Shaky Science Behind Obama's Universal Pre-K

bloomberg.com

by Charles Murray

February 21, 2013

"Study after study shows that the earlier a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road," said U.S. President Barack Obama in Feb. 14 speech in Decatur, Georgia.

Obama wants to help our nation's children flourish. So do I. So does everyone who is aware of the large number of children who are not flourishing. There are just two problems with his solution: The evidence used to support the positive long-term effects of early childhood education is tenuous, even for the most intensive interventions. And for the kind of intervention that can be implemented on a national scale, the evidence is zero.

'Masked' toxins in food should be subject to safety regulations

bakeryandsnacks.com

February 19, 2013

Regulatory limits on the levels of moulds and toxins present naturally in foods produced from grain crops should be expanded to include so-called "masked mycotoxins," suggest researchers.

The warnings come from researchers based in Italy who explain that 'masked' mycotoxins - that change from harmless to potentially harmful forms of moulds when already in the body - are not currently covered by regulations. Writing in Chemical Research in Toxicology, the team note that many health experts regard mycotoxins as a serious chronic dietary risk factor; ranking them a greater risk than any potential health threats from pesticides or insecticides.

Syngenta rejects claims of pesticide bee deaths

facebook.com

February 16, 2013

Basel-based agrichemical giant Syngenta on Friday urged Brussels to withdraw plans to slap a two-year ban on so-called neonicotinoid pesticides, saying blaming them for bee deaths was wrongheaded.

Last month, the EFSA said that neonicotinoid insecticides used in maize, rapeseed, sunflower and cotton cultivation posed "disturbing" risks to with bees and other pollinating insects hugely important for food production, especially of fruit. EFSA said the insecticides attack the central nervous system of insects, causing paralysis and death.

EFSA identifies insecticides as risk factor for bee colony collapse

foodnavigator.com

by Caroline Scott-Thomas

February 16, 2013

Bayer CropScience has defended the use of neonicotinoid insecticides following a report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identifying three such substances as potentially risky to bees.

EFSA's report highlighted three neonicotinoid insecticides - clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam - saying that they should only be used 'on crops not attractive to honey bees'. The investigation into insecticides is part of broader research into potential causes of colony collapse disorder, the rapid loss of adult bees from a colony or hive.

18 heads found at airport were sent for cremation

CNS News

January 15, 2013

Authorities at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport have held up a shipment of 18 human heads sent from Rome and bound for a facility in the U.S. where they would be used in anatomical research.

A spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, Mary Paleologos (PEHL'-ee-oh-loh-gohs), says the heads were properly preserved, wrapped and tagged as human specimens and there is no suggestion of foul play. It was not immediately clear why customs officials had held up the shipment.

Supreme Court won't stop embryonic stem cell research

CNS News

January 7, 2013

The Supreme Court won't stop the government's funding of embryonic stem cell research, despite some researchers' complaints that the work relies on destroyed human embryos.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from two scientists who have been challenging the funding for the work. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia earlier this year threw out their lawsuit challenging federal funding for the research, which is used in pursuit of cures to deadly diseases. Opponents claimed the National Institutes of Health was violating the 1996 Dickey-Wicker law that prohibits taxpayer financing for work that harms an embryo.

The Day William Shatner Tweeted at an Astronaut (and the Astronaut Replied)

theatlantic.com

by Megan Garber

January 4, 2013

That day, my friends, is today.

So this just happened: William Shatner, he of Priceline and also of spoken-word poetry but mostly of Star Trek, is also William Shatner of Twitter. And this afternoon, the actor took to the service to ask a question of the Canadian Space Agency's Chris Hadfield, who is currently serving as the International Space Station's Flight Engineer for Expedition 34 -- and who has indeed been tweeting from space...

Media Ignored Expert's Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It's Med-School Material

alternet.org

by Fred Gardner

October 27, 2012

Components of marijuana smoke, although they damage cells in respiratory tissue, somehow prevent them from becoming malignant. But headlines announcing "Pot Doesn't Cause Cancer" did not ensue.

Tashkin will review his findings and discuss current research this Thursday in Santa Monica, California as part of a course for doctors accredited by the University of California San Francisco. (It is open to the public; pre-registration is $95.)

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