Science literacy is so much more
I’ve been taking MOOC (massive open online courses) for over a decade at least and I love them. Today, I’m taking a course about science communication and one of the assignments was to find two science news articles, one that interests me and one that has high reliability and write about why I clicked in the article and what made me think it would be a reliable article.
1.
Jacobs, P. (2023).How do cats purr? New finding challenges long-held assumptions Fibrous “pads” in the vocal cords allow cats to make low-frequency sounds, which they don’t seem to consciously control. Science.. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
I was captured, by the beautiful, fluffy, white kitty cat, licking its paw and I had to read the article. Plus, the article title plus has “purr” and “unconcious” and I just can’t believe my cat’s purring isn’t a casualty of my petting him. If the findings were valid, I felt I’d have to accept what the article’s findings were, since I found it through AAAS. As well, the author has a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree, in the field of science, and is an intern for the “Science” publication; however, I was fooled, and the debate of cats' purrs remain standing.
2.
NASA Science editorial team. (2023). Five Tips for Photographing the Annular Solar Eclipse on Oct 14. NASA Science. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/five-tips-for-photographing-the-annular-solar-eclipse-on-oct-14/
The second article I found was on the Reuter’s website, but the website was so crowded and had so many ads obstructing my view, I had to close the website. Another choice for my second article was found on a site that the publisher is highly respected in the field of science, and I assumed, the article’s authors and the content would be reliable. The solar eclipse is in a few days and I’m in an area that will experience the full eclipse, or totality, as it is called. The first tip the article highlighted was safety first. The NASA science editorial team points out a special lens is required for photographing the eclipse, just like special glasses are required to view the eclipse. The second tip is to photograph away, do not worry about the beauty of the photo, move around, up and down, and take many photos. I stopped reading at the third tip, because as a researcher, I was frustrated and disappointed with the ethical and moral implications of not discussing the danger of viewing the eclipse without protective glasses.
Neither article I viewed were in language I could not understand; however, I expected NASA’s article to be more explicit, since clarity in science news intended for the consumer must be evident. The article about cat purring was better than the NASA article, since the article discussed the history, current research, and had cat purring researchers provide input. Both articles are examples of the importance of science literacy. Oftentimes, as a learner, it is difficult to communicate what you learned previously, in exact or clear means, so the outcome is attained. The editorial science team that contributed to the NASA article, did not assume correctly, who their audience is. The article may be written in plain language; however, repeating or redundancy of how to view the eclipse without harm to a person’s eyes is essential. It appears the article was written with the assumption the audience would know how important it is they follow safety guidelines when viewing the eclipse, but the consequences of blindness and the prevalence of misinformation on the web warrants responsible science communication. The article on cat purring did assume who their audience would be, by the use of plain language, but they also included pros and cons and plain language scientific opinions that led me to trust the article. In case you’re interested, the verdict of unconscious purring is still debated, since a cat will not purr if probed with instruments. That much is true.
