There’s a recurring problem here. Valuable research is done. Research is disseminated. Information is reported. Articles are read. Findings are spread. What starts in a lab ends up in a Facebook status. What starts as truth ends up as mistruth in something like a child’s game of telephone. Along the way, piece by piece, truth fades away in favor of headlines and pageviews and gossip.
Here is the Double X Double Take, i.e. heuristics for interpreting popularly reported science.
1) Skip the headline
2) What is the basis for the article: original research, opinion, review of previous work?
3) What words does the article use? Link, correlation, risk, association don't mean "biological cause".
4) Look at the original source of the information. Is it from a journal, a conference presentation, a marketing tool?
5) Remember that everyone involved in what you're reading has some return they're seeking.
6) Ask a scientist for clarification. Don't be afraid. We like to talk about science.
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