> Why should scientists be trusted any more than a > government or business spokesperson not to spin > a story the way you like it?
Yes, just look at the sensationalized stories the universities themselves put out. Three real life examples: 1) Popular weed killer demasculinizes frogs, disrupts their sexual development, UC Berkeley study shows http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2002/04/15_frogs.html "Because the herbicide has been in use for 40 years in some 80 countries, its effect on sexual development in male frogs could be one of many factors in the global decline of amphibians" 2) Toxic pollen from widely planted, genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies, Cornell study shows http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/May99/Butterflies.bpf.html "Pollen from Bt-corn could represent a serious risk to populations of monarchs and other butterflies," 3) Butterflies on the Brink http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/magazine/Spring-11/Butterflies.html "Studies since the early 1990s indicate Western U.S. populations of the monarch butterfly are headed for extinction. Launched in 2001 and now under the direction of biology professor Francis Villablanca, Monarch Alert helps generate data needed to determine just how experts can bring about a monarch resurgence. The ultimate goal of the program is to help shape conservation management techniques that will stem the population decline or even boost the number of monarchs." Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif.
