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The importance of accurate online medical information and what you can do about it
It is common for people to search for health information online. Indeed over 60% do so per year, and only 2% of them will use sites requiring payment. Searches range from specific questions about drugs and procedures, to how to interpret test results. More than half state that the information they found influenced a medical decision, and over a third don’t follow up their internet searches by consulting a doctor. The accuracy of free online medical information is therefore pretty important for public health. Of the competing free sources online, traffic to Wikipedia’s heath content is the highest (with only the American NIH coming close). And it’s not only the general public. Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia’s medical pages are used by 95% of medical students, but also over by half of practicing clinicians. Read more [...]
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Barcelona attacks: Twelve of our own kind
Many public statements condemning the recent attacks in Barcelona—which saw a van trample over people in La Ramblas on a crowded summer evening—aim to disregard the terrorists by classifying them as “mere murderers”, “crude criminals” or other similar insults. The following analogy may sound harsh, however it seems to me that this strategy is as mistaken. And it is equally dangerous to one that brands a man who murders his wife as someone mentally disturbed. In both cases the goal is to reduce the perpetrator to a condition of irrationality. And in doing so refusing to comprehend the complex structure of radicalisation. Read more [...]
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Summer time: reflect, recharge and reconnect
2017, so far, has been an amazing year at EuroScientist as we are getting even more connected to our community of readers every day. For now, we hope that you will have time to reflect on your own life and recharge your batteries, during the summer. This could also be an opportunity to reconnect with the rest of our community by continuing to share and exchange through EuroScientist's comments boxes and social media networks or via the Homo scientificus europaeus community blog. We look forward to engaging with you again in September. Read more [...]
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Spain, the European exception: ‘economic miracle’ & scientific suicide
Six years ago, the Spanish parliament approved Law 14/2011, known as the Science Law, aiming to modernise and harmonise different aspects of scientific activity in Spain, by a virtually unanimous vote. Today, Spanish scientists are still waiting for the law to be fully implemented; more than three and half years after the deadline for implementation has passed.In this article, the 5s6s Platform, a grassroots movement of Spanish scientists, including about 400 tenured scientists working in OPIs, supported by another >1300 scientists working in different Spanish Universities and other research institutions, denounces this untenable situation and requests that the Government finally implements the law. Read more [...]
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Scientific Evidence about vaccines and the EU Court
A controversial European Union court decision about vaccines raises two interesting scientific questions: How do scientists decide whether vaccines can cause conditions such as autism or multiple sclerosis? And how certain can they be when they make their conclusions? Recently news outlets ran headlines saying that the highest court of the European Union ruled, “Vaccines can be blamed for illnesses without proof” or “without scientific evidence.” But the EU court decision is a bit more complex than the headlines claim. In this piece of investigative journalism, Vanessa Schipani examines the case. Read more [...]
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ECSJ2017: Science Communication 5.0
EuroScientist is delighted to be able to share some of the discussions which took part during the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists in Copenhagen between 26th and 30th June 2017. They touched upon the evolving nature of science communication, how scientists are engaging with the public and issues related to evidence-based policy making. We would like to invite you to comment on individual articles using the dialogue box below each of the articles to continue the conversation. Read more [...]
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Scientific advice for politics: The European way
Politics is not an exact science: moral choices, traditions, communication and many other aspects play important roles. But working on politics without caring for scientific evidence is almost certainly a recipe for failure. In the last few years, the European Union has struggled to find its own, formal model for conveying scholarly knowledge in its policies. After a tangledattempt to concentrate this task into a single Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), the Commission opted in 2015 for a much more complex Scientific Advisory Mechanism (SAM). The High Level Group at the top of the mechanism was appointed in November 2015. The seven prominent scholars that form the committee discuss their first year and a half of work in a debate at the European Conference for Science Journalists, taking place in June in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more [...]
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Can more positive climate change reporting boost young readers’ interest?
Human activity is threatening our climate at an unprecedented rate, yet the media is failing to engage young people in this crucial topic. Participants of the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017) will discuss solutions to this problem during a session on 'Climate: facts, figures and future'. Read more [...]
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Combating fake news in science
“Dandelion root benefits can boost your immune system and cure cancer,” “Lead developer of HPV vaccines comes clean, warns parents & young girls it’s all a giant deadly scam,” "Asteroid Warning: Govt Preps Underground Bases" — These are just three of a multitude of fake science headlines circulating on social media recently. They may all be debunked, but will they have a lasting effect on society? The impacts of fake news and the post-truth era are the subject of discussions at the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017) on 26–30 June in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more [...]
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Citizen journalism: A phenomenon that is here to stay
As the catastrophic fire blazed in Grenfell Tower, London in June 2017, everyone knew they would find photos or videos online, posted by citizens, on the scene before the professional journalists. Citizen journalists are now a common presence in the event of disasters, natural and man-made, but they represent a remarkably new phenomenon. This and other new media topics are the subject of discussions in Copenhagen at the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists. Read more [...]
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Science can rival football or music for a fun night out – an interview with Jácome Armas
Science can be as fun as a music concert or a game of football, according to Jácome Armas, the Portuguese physicist who founded the Science & Cocktails (S&C) series of public lectures in Denmark. This initiative, which combines scientific knowledge with music, art and dry ice-filled drinks, offer new ways to communicate science. It has arned Armas a Genius Prize from the Danish Science Journalists Association. Read more [...]
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Climate change goes pop
At the 2017 European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ), a panel of communicators, journalists and artists who portray climate change in their artwork discussed the role of popular culture in communicating this hot topic. Read more [...]
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