Exactly how are these stories "sensational." Is there anything in them that is not factual? I realize that more recent work on corn pollen and monarchs has led to different understandings. However, how is the report here sensationalized? I am particularly puzzled by your giving the Cal Poly work on monarchs as an example of a sensationalized report. Goodness, a scientist works with a group of undergraduate students, following up on work done by a now retired professor, to learn more about monarch populations. I suppose that is the sensational aspect, that undergraduates are working on something they find interesting, that is worth investigating, and that may lead to better conservation of western monarch populations.
Tyrone Hayes work with atrazine and frog development is given substantial credence by knowledgeable folks in the field. It seems reasonable for his university to put out a story about it, highlighting some of the findings. mcneely ---- Paul Cherubini <mona...@saber.net> wrote: > > 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. -- David McNeely
