Genetics News from EurekAlert!
Color me clueless. I’ve been reading press releases from EurekAlert! for a few years now and only until today did I realize that it is operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, pronounced triple A. S.). It’s a great one-stop source of official information from universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations, and other organizations that have to do with science, medicine, and technology. My main problem with many of the pieces is that they’re much too general with not enough detail.
For example, today’s press release from the University of Iowa mentions genetic testing for panic disorders. People with panic disorders apparently exhibit a different pattern of gene expression than those without. But although genes were mentioned, they didn’t specify which ones and no link to the original study published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics was given.
This isn’t EurekAlert!’s fault, of course, since press releases are written by the various organizations’ public affairs offices. I’ve also grown to realize that many writers who don’t have science backgrounds skim over the surface without giving any really meaty information. Simplification is a good thing if it helps people get the gist of a study or mechanism, but not so good if important and relevant facts get lost. It’s a hard balance to achieve and I try to get it right every day.
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Genetics and Health readers might be interested in the following subject pages of latest news:
There’s also a multimedia gallery of images that generally don’t have any usage restrictions. And a portal just for kids. Happy reading! There’s plenty to keep you busy.
Tags: science, aaas, eurekalert, genetics, genes, genome, dna, diseases, illness, health, medicine, websites
Yeah, I’m pretty sure the press releases posted by EurekAlert! are unvetted. I once picked one up with a headline that read something like “Chocolate chip cookies lower blood cholesterol,” and it turned out to be, basically, a thinly veiled advertising piece for some (probably yucky) cookies containing some kind of allegedly cholesterol-lowering dietary supplement. There was a suggestion of research presented, which looked none too solid, but no way to find out more.
And you’re right, I think the PR groups that write those things are hoping that writers will crib from them without much scrutiny.
Hey Emily,
I’m sorry I missed responding to your comment although you can bet I read it. A lot has happened between me and EurekAlert! since this post, eh?