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alex
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Joined: Jun 14, 2004
Age: 23
Posts: 6492
Location: DC Metro Area (No. VA)
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 Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject: Autism Gene Findings Raise Questions, Hype (wired) |
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Wired science blog has a good explanation of the hype about the new autism chromosome mutation study that has been discussed elsewhere on Wrong Planet:
| Quote: | Despite the news coverage the discovery has received, The mutations, described yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, are present in just 1 percent of all kids with autism. At least 31 different stories appear in Google News, with all the usual heavy hitters -- the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, New York Times et al. -- weighing in.
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http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/01/autism-gene-fin.html
The press really does run some misleading stories about scientific studies. |
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Odin
Supreme Genius
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Age: 23
Posts: 2076
Location: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject: Re: Autism Gene Findings Raise Questions, Hype (wired) |
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| alex wrote: |
The press really does run some misleading stories about scientific studies. |
Most "science" journalists are ignorant fools when it come to science.
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jrknothead
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Joined: Aug 04, 2007
Age: 43
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Location: Tampa Bay, Florida USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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this is from the second paragraph of the original story:
| Quote: | Thus far, only about 10 percent of autism cases have a known genetic cause. Boston-area researchers estimate the gene glitch they've identified accounts for another 1 percent of cases.
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so it's only misleading if you only bother to read the headlines... |
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alex
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Age: 23
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Location: DC Metro Area (No. VA)
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| jrknothead wrote: | this is from the second paragraph of the original story:
| Quote: | Thus far, only about 10 percent of autism cases have a known genetic cause. Boston-area researchers estimate the gene glitch they've identified accounts for another 1 percent of cases.
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so it's only misleading if you only bother to read the headlines... |
the misleading part is that they spin the story so it seems like some big breakthrough when it isn't. |
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Rynessa
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Posts: 330
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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It isn't the science of this story, but the terminology used that raised my eyebrows.
On my local news, the story they read described a genetic "variation" and "mutation".
After the story was read, however, the anchors chit-chatted about the findings, using the terms "missing link" and "glitch". |
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WurdBendur
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Joined: Dec 03, 2007
Age: 24
Posts: 731
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: Autism Gene Findings Raise Questions, Hype (wired) |
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| Odin wrote: | | Most "science" journalists are ignorant fools when it come to science. |
Most people who say things like that are ignorant fools whet it comes to science.
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