May 20, 2010

Expert Assessment: Part 3

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Analysis of Potential Bias

1) Bias through Selection and Omission;
This article has a limited amount of data, and all of it is from one source. The data shows only the findings of a potentially bias scientist that prove the point wanted by FOX news. The supporting articles have two different views on mankind's influence on Global Climate Change. The first is from ABC, a fairly neutral news site, and the other from the same cite and author. In the author's second story he uses only the same data again, and omits the opposing side's data.

2) Bias through Placement;
The article was placed in a fairly easy to see area on google when one searches "Global Warming". It didn't get placed unfairly on fox's site, but could still be discovered easily.

3) Bias by Headline;
The headline, "Scientist Disputes EPA Findings That Carbon Dioxide Poses Threat to Humans," is not at all bias, but simply informative.

4)Bias by Photos, Captions, and Camera Angles;
The article I analyzed was not bias in photos or captions, nor in camera angles. It just presented common knowledge without any moral twists.

5)Bias through Use of Names And Titles;
The article was only a little bias with titles, giving the scientist mentioned a prestigious title that sounded a little bogus, and giving him many connections to famous institutes.

6) Bias through Statistics an Crowd Counts;
The article is extremely bias with statistics, presenting only those collected by the single scientist and those by other bias organizations. No mention was given to the statistics of how much pure Carbon Dioxide is released into the environment a year. That alone would be bad for the entire climate of the earth not just humans.

7) Bias by Source Control;
The quotes are evenly distributed between the EPA, the scientist, and other reliable un-bias sources.

8) Bias by Word Choice and Tone;
The article is very bias with tone. It clearly wants to show the world that we do not contribute to global warming, and we can go on living as we are. My guess would be that the author is funded by major corporations that will be harmed if CO2 emissions are regulated. This quote shows it clearly, "Carbon dioxide is hazardous to your health, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Oh really?"

Expert Assessment: Part 2

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Background Article Summaries:
One other article from ABC says that the supreme court ruling was a huge victory. The article is titled "Supreme Court Rejects Bush in Global Warming Debate." In the article many different groups, both political and environmental, put in their word on the decision of the supreme court. Groups like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club and the Clean Air act applauded the decision. "A well-documented rise in global temperatures has coincided with a significant increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Respected scientists believe the two trends are related," Justice Stevens wrote. The article showed that the general public agrees with the scientific evidence presented by the United Nations.

Another Article on the subject says that global warming is not having major affects on the environment, specifically the water level rise presented by advocate groups. The article is from the same site as the other article, FOX news, a well known conservative-oriented station. It uses the same references to heartland institute. The data collected by Nils-Axel Morner shows a sea level rise of 3 millimeters at the most since the beginning of climate change. He says that their is a big difference between theory and reality, and his data proves the EPA wrong.

Citations:
Article 1;
Parker, Jennifer. "Supreme Court Rejects Bush in Global Warming Debate - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories, Celebrity Interviews and More - ABC News. 2 Apr. 2007. Web. 21 May 2010. .
Article 2;
Koprowski, Gene J. "What Alarming Sea Level Rise? Observational Data Reveals No Change, Scientist Says." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 19 May 2010. Web. 21 May 2010. .

Expert Assessment: Part 1



Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to release information regarding Global Warming that says that CO2 does not harm the environment at all, contrary to the EPA findings. It is trying to change the environmental view of readers.
Key info and how biology helped me understand this article:
Dr. Patrick Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies at the CATO institute says that the EPA is wrong about CO2, and that it doesn't harm the environment at all. He says that the research done was spotty and that the scientists "added new figures to compensate. In doing so they also add errors to the final research product." he also says, "There is a systemic bias in the computer models." This means that Man's contribution to global warming is .03 degrees versus .07 degrees. The proposed error could mean that most of global warming is not caused by mankind. The US Supreme Court, however, ruled that "The scientific evidence of climate change is overwhelming, and greenhouse gasses pose a real threat to the American people. The question of the science is settled." Bio class has helped me understand the consequences of our actions and decisions as consumers, and that we have a big impact on the environment, whether it be GMO's or global warming.
Stakeholders and References Made in Article:
  • Mankind
  • EPA
  • All Governments of Earth
  • Patrick Michaels
  • CATO Institute
  • Heartland Institute
  • U.N.
  • Catherine C. Milbourne (spokeswoman for EPA)
  • FOX News
  • Oil Companies
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Greg Wiles (professor of geology at The College Of Wooster)
  • Former Virginia Governor George Allen
  • American Energy Freedom Center
  • Car Companies
  • Environmentalists
Citation For Story and Image:
Koprowski, Gene J. "Scientist Disputes EPA Finding That Carbon Dioxide Poses Threat to Humans." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Link to Story:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/18/epa-carbon-dioxide-threat-human-welfare/

Evolution and The Volcano

Boyle, Alan. "Evolution and the Volcano." Cosmic Log - Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

  • Scientists researching Mt. Saint Helens recently have found many ways and forms that new life is developing after the eruption thirty years ago.
  • One form of new life is a newt that has abandoned it's lungs for gills.
  • It now lives completely under water and thrives.
  • the blast of the mountain created 150 new lakes or ponds that new amphibians are developing in.
Reflection:
This article relates directly to our underlying current of Evolution. It shows how species can adapt to their environments or natural disasters due to helpful adaptations. The newt probably had variation in the population that helped it live completely under water, and when the blast occurred the land newts were killed. Evolution was sped up extremely fast and this hew newt was formed. If this happened to newts here it could be possible for humans to simulate natural disasters and create new species. This is a promising hope for the Gulf Oil Spill, as it shows an environment's ability to recover from disasters quickly. If we stop the spill soon enough it could make the recovery time significantly quicker. Scientists should study the area more and see if more species have adapted and diverged due to the massive selective pressure of the Eruption of Mount Saint Helens.

Link:
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/18/2321831.aspx

Citation:
Boyle, Alan. "Evolution and the Volcano." Cosmic Log - Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

St. Vincent’s Part of Promising Brain Cancer Research












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  • Scientists at Duke are looking for personalized treatments to brain cancer.
  • They have a way of taking your data and personalizing a "vaccine"
  • They do brain surgery and sample the tumor.
  • They also take samples of your white blood cells and use both samples to create a personalized treatment or"vaccine".
Reflection:
This is an interesting article because it shows that outside organizations are becoming interested in cancer. The church previously didn't help any scientific organization, but this article shows that they have become involved in biological research. The research has huge potential and could show the world that we can beat cancer for good. The idea of personalized treatment is not new, but this one portion of treatment sounds better than that of the movie we watched in class. This idea will attempt to shrink tumors after they are removed and begin re-growth.

Link:
http://jacksonville.com/news/health-and-fitness/2010-05-13/story/st-vincent’s-part-promising-brain-cancer-research

Citation:
Cox, Jeremy. "St. Vincent's Part of Promising New Brain Cancer Research." Jacksonville. The Florida Times Union, 13 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Soy Beans Negatively Affect Sperm Production

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  • Soy Beans have just been found to diminish the body's ability to create sperm.
  • They dock with receptor molecules on cells known to interact with estrogen, and slow the production of sperm.
  • Soy beans would be especially dangerous for infants, as their reproductive tract is still developing. It could cause defects in the reproductive tract of males.
  • Soy beans are now a common substitute for dairy based food!

Reflection:

I have always had the feeling that soybeans are not as good for you as they are thought to be. I mean, if they can make the hood of a car indestructable, they could harm your body a little bit. I think it is strange that it could only harm males, as females need estrogen more than males. I didn't even know that males used estrogen at all. I wonder if soybeans can harm males who haven't yet stoped developeing, not just babies? This article relates to the reproductive system and how it developes using hormones as messengers to rely messages.

Link:

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_soy-beans-negatively-affect-sperm-production_1381359

Citation:

ANI. "Soy Beans Negatively Affect Sperm Production - Dnaindia.com." India News, World News. 10 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Cell-Phone, Cancer Link Proves Inconclusive

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  • A 10 year study was recently released on whether cell phones can contribute to or cause brain tumors.
  • It concluded that it is possible.
  • When the study began ten years ago not many people used phones as frequently, but today the iphone and blackberry have revolutionized cell phone use.
  • The average American uses 22 minutes of cell phone time a day, not including texting.
  • If the study was redone today they think their would be much different results.

Reflection:

I was suprised to hear that the average american uses 22 minutes a day on their phones. I know that I hardly use the talking feature of my phone as texting is so common and helpful. I think that people my age all text more that talk, so the study should be more on hand cancer or something more relevant. The study also said that these days 91% of Americans have cell phones, and even 22% of houses use wireless phones. It worries me that we don't know about wireless tech, and we still promote it so much. Maybe the phones are radiating our DNA and causing all the cancer today. Iu remember learning this year that radiation shreds our DNA and causes mutations, so why wouldn't cell phones to the same? This topic is highly debated by all scientific groups. I now am thinking about turning my phone to airplane mode because it is safer for the body.

Link:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10760197/1/cell-phone-cancer-link-proves-inconclusive.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEFI

Citation:

Nobel, Carmen. "Cell-Phone, Cancer Link Proves Inconclusive Personal Technology Financial Articles & Investing News TheStreet.com." Stock Quotes, Financial Market & Wall Street News Personal Finance & Investing Advice TheStreet.com. 19 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. .