(English intro to Spanish lang post) Similar to when theoretical physicist said it’d have been more exciting not to find the Higgs boson, it’d have been a real surprise if Curiosity hadn’t identified any carbon, phosphorous, oxygen or sulfur in Martian’s soil. NASA’s announcement...
Pere Estupinya's Tracker
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Similar to when theoretical physicist said it’d have been more exciting not to find the Higgs boson, it’d have been a real surprise if Curiosity hadn’t identified any carbon, phosphorous, oxygen or sulfur in Martian’s soil. NASA’s announcement of the existence of the chemical components required for life is big news, because they are necessary condition to keep the expectations of finding real cues of preexistence life in the planet. But it’s not such a shocking discovery as some reporters expressed.
¿Os acordáis cuando algunos físicos teóricos decían que lo más excitante sería que el Higgs no existiera, porque resultaría más inesperado e implicaría que sus asunciones eran incorrectas? Algo parecido se podría decir sobre el hallazgo de compuestos químicos proclives para la vida en Marte. En este estadio, la gran...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Chilean authorities and international scientific representatives will inaugurate tomorrow the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) of 66 radio telescopes at 5000 meters altitude in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. There will be lots of coverage in...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Chilean authorities and international scientific representatives will inaugurate tomorrow the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) of 66 radio telescopes at 5000 meters altitude in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. There will be lots of coverage in the news, but we highlight two stories that have already presented exceptional written and graphic information about ALMA’s functioning and the research it is going to accomplish. In a funny coincidence, news in Spain explains that the government hasn’t confirmed yet its 40M contribution to the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) that the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will build also in Chile. Journalists are talking about it because Spanish astronomers are collecting signatures to defend the country’s participation in the E-ELT. We’ve read the stories, and reporters have simply spread the voice of the scientists. We think...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Two medical doctors from Spain announced that they did an study proving that 90% of the cases of migraine are caused by a deficiency of Diaminoxidase (DAO), which generates high blood levels of histamines, and that ingesting a pill containing the enzyme DAO reverts the...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Two medical doctors from Spain announced that they did an study proving that 90% of the cases of migraine are caused by a deficiency of Diaminoxidase (DAO), which generates high blood levels of histamines, and that ingesting a pill containing the enzyme DAO reverts the migraine. The announcement was made during a pharma industry meeting, and the news spread through nearly all Spanish televisions and newspapers. There’s one significant problem: The doctors have not published any scientific paper providing details of the study. All journalists have ignored this so important detail, except one from the news agency Materia, who was the only reporting showing some skepticism about these findings, which if true, they should have deserved worldwide recognition. Materia’s reporter asked the opinions of real researchers on headache and migraine, and representatives of the Spanish Society of Neurology, and all...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Last Sunday medical doctors announced that a baby had been functionally cured of an HIV infection, by starting a treatment with antiretroviral...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Last Sunday medical doctors announced that a baby had been functionally cured of an HIV infection, by starting a treatment with antiretroviral drugs 30 hours after the baby was born. The story appeared in all health sections of Spanish speaking newspapers. The coverage has been extensive and accurate, balancing optimism and several uncertainties surrounding the case. The HIV specialists that reporters interviewed showed different degree of skepticism. In fact it’s fair to say that most of them seem to suspect that there’s been a mistake or misinterpretation of the results.
We comment also three stories coming from Latin America. In the first one Brazilian researchers were able to create a brain-interface of two rats and to make one to mimic the decisions of the other. In Mexico we...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Are rare diseases so rare? Official organizations say that 6-8% of the population has a rare disease, and yesterday (rare disease day) we read that they affect -as instance- 4 million Colombians, 3.2 million Argentineans and 30 million Europeans. These numbers don’t...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Are rare diseases so rare? Official organizations say that 6-8% of the population has a rare disease, and yesterday (rare disease day) we read that they affect -as instance- 4 million Colombians, 3.2 million Argentineans and 30 million Europeans. These numbers don’t fit with the idea that most people have of a rare disease: a life threatening condition with an extremely low prevalence, very strange symptoms, and poorly understood etiology. In fact, when reporters choose examples of rare disease for their stories we usually pick the “rarest” cases possible. But this might lead to confusion. When we see organizations establishing that a rare disease is the one that affects less than 1 of 2000 people (not so infrecuent), and they include in their lists cystic fibrosis, down syndrome, or even dengue, we wonder if the numbers that we are giving fit with the concept that we are transmitting of a rare...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Spanish researchers have publiched in NEJM a randomized trial with 7447 people at high risk of cardiovascular disease showing that Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts reduces 30% of strokes and heart attacks, when compared with people...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Spanish researchers have publiched in NEJM a randomized trial with 7447 people at high risk of cardiovascular disease showing that Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts reduces 30% of strokes and heart attacks, when compared with people consuming a conventional low-fat diet. The landmark study published is the most solid scientific evidence of the protective heart effect from the Mediterranean diet, but it also suggests that eating fat from olive oil or nuts is better than reducing the total intake of fat. The study has received huge coverage in Spain. All stories explain great things about it. Few reporters discusses possible limitations of the study, or talk to other researchers that might have similar or different views.
A menudo nos quejamos del batiburrillo existente en las noticias sobre nutrición, donde a menudo se promulgan propiedades de los alimentos sin tener en cuenta la...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The World Health Organization has published a report concluding that endocrine disruptors are “a global threat that needs to be resolved”. The document states that “trends indicate an...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The World Health Organization has published a report concluding that endocrine disruptors are “a global threat that needs to be resolved”. The document states that “trends indicate an increasing burden of certain endocrine diseases across the globe in which EDCs are likely playing an important role, and future generations may also be affected”, along a series of recommendations including the need of more studies, better testing, reducing exposure, and so on. We’ve analyzed the different levels of concern shown by Spanish speaking reporters. We comment also on a very good story in Ecuador about the risks of excessive consumption of medical plants, and another odd one about secondary effects of homeopathic products.
El orégano puede causar abortos. No lo digo yo, sino una médica especialista en acupuntura...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Several reporters from Latin America have attended the AAAS meeting in Boston. We’ve read already a few stories in their newspapers, like a very interesting one about 3D images of whale fossils from Chile, or a set of 5 stories in La Nación (Costa...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Several reporters from Latin America have attended the AAAS meeting in Boston. We’ve read already a few stories in their newspapers, like a very interesting one about 3D images of whale fossils from Chile, or a set of 5 stories in La Nación (Costa Rica) about the evolution of skin pigmentation, brain rehabilitation, the application of scientific methods in cooking, science policy, or new images from Mercury. We’ll update this post with new stories when published. The Spanish tracker was already in Boston, discussing goals and challenges of science journalism in the region with reporters from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Perú and Brazil. But the most insightful thought came from a short conversation with Erik Vance, a science writer from US who moved to Mexico City a few months ago. Erik told me something like “I’m overwhelmed in Mexico with so many interesting stories to explain. I...
(English intro to a Spanish lang post) Mexican researchers are working to optimize a non-invasive method of prenatal diagnosis that according to them it would be cheaper, safer and more accurate than amniocentesis. It’s based on the analysis of fetal cells found in the mother’s cervix. A reporter...
(English intro to a Spanish lang post) Mexican researchers are working to optimize a non-invasive method of prenatal diagnosis that according to them it would be cheaper, safer and more accurate than amniocentesis. It’s based on the analysis of fetal cells found in the mother’s cervix. A reporter has prepared an extensive story with beautiful infographics, but we miss basic information about the real innovation of the technique. Great reporting in Paraguay about the development of solar plants in the country. The story balances very well its pros and cons and concludes that solar power would be cheaper and more efficient than other options in rural areas of the countryside. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass close to the Earth next Friday. In the Spanish press we’ve read already 2 very detailed stories about it. One narrates its initial discovery last November 2012 by an observatory located in the south of Spain. On a funny side, a news agency sent a note naming it...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) NEJM has just published an interesting and provocative review of the myths, presumptions and facts about obesity. We’ve found many brief stories about it, but we want to...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) NEJM has just published an interesting and provocative review of the myths, presumptions and facts about obesity. We’ve found many brief stories about it, but we want to highlight a great reporting in the print and online edition of the Argentinean La Nacion, which includes opinions from several local nutritionists and medical doctors. They discuss the findings, and admit that the information people are receiving about nutrition is often exaggerated and not scientific-based. On another note, a lecturer of the University of the Basc Country in Spain has published a book defending geocentrism. He pretends to build a theory about it, but of course his work is nonsense. The sad thing is that EuropaPress agency distributed a note about it, and several online science sections are spreading it.
Gran texto de ...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The South of Spain was thought to be one of the last sites where Neanderthals lived less than 30.000 years ago. It’s quiet accepted that the appearance of modern humans contributed to their extinction. But a new research published in...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The South of Spain was thought to be one of the last sites where Neanderthals lived less than 30.000 years ago. It’s quiet accepted that the appearance of modern humans contributed to their extinction. But a new research published in PNAS used improved radiocarbon methods to conclude that Neanderthal fossils from two caves in the south of Spain are 10.000 years older than previous studies found. This would suggest that they didn’t coexist with modern humans in the region, and that theories about their extinction should be reconsidered. It’s an important paper, which challenge the views often expressed by many Spanish paleontologists. We are disappointed to see that only one science reporter in El País asks these paleontologists for an independent opinion about the research. The rest of reporters simply interviewed the one Spanish scientist involved...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The Spanish news agency SINC celebrates its 5th Anniversary this week. They have invited nice science journalists and communicators to explain how the agency is contributing to their work, and to express their opinions on the state of science journalism in Spain. Although it...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) The Spanish news agency SINC celebrates its 5th Anniversary this week. They have invited nice science journalists and communicators to explain how the agency is contributing to their work, and to express their opinions on the state of science journalism in Spain. Although it’s impossible to skip the context of the economic and social crisis affecting the country, everyone shows optimism about the constant improvement of scientific coverage in Spanish media. SINC receives public funding and publishes under creative common licensing. It is acknowledged to create a great amount of original content, and to stretch the distance between Spanish scientists and the media. There are also a couple of references to Latin America. This tracker thinks that SINC could inspire similar projects in the region.
SINC es una agencia de noticias científicas financiada por el gobierno de España por medio de la...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Spanish and Catalan Associations of science journalist have sent a letter to the editor of La Vanguardia asking for more scientific accuracy in the information of the newspaper. The reason is the periodic appearance of pseudoscientific interviews, like one to...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Spanish and Catalan Associations of science journalist have sent a letter to the editor of La Vanguardia asking for more scientific accuracy in the information of the newspaper. The reason is the periodic appearance of pseudoscientific interviews, like one to Masaru Emoto, to esoteric healers, or to a kid who says he was in heaven seeing God. In general, scientific reporters of La Vanguardia write excellent stories about science. This week, by instance, we can find a set of reports about the work of several Spanish research groups working in graphene, stem cells, genomics, climate change, applied physics, HIV research and sociology. But it’s true that in other sections of the newspaper, especially in “La Contra” (the backpage), pseudoscientific contents are more common than one would desire. This tracker has also signed the petition to ask for more scientific rigor in the pages of La Vanguardia....
(English intro to Spanish lang post) A fungal outbreak is devastating coffee plantations in Central America. Hemileia vastatrix is present in the region since late 70’s, but this is the worst situation ever. Governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua are trying...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) A fungal outbreak is devastating coffee plantations in Central America. Hemileia vastatrix is present in the region since late 70’s, but this is the worst situation ever. Governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua are trying to combat the pest, which could require $300M. Some have declared State of Emergency. “Coffee rust” doesn’t kill the plants, but causes the leaves to fall and radically diminish the coffee production. Losses can be huge. On the scientific angle of the story, researchers are discussing the reasons why this season the outbreak is so extremely severe, and what’s the best strategy to handle it. Since the fungus is very sensitive to changes in temperature and rain patterns, many people point out at climate change. Others say that fumigation and protective measures have been less strict in the last few years. Some experts are discussing the need to...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Nice stories from Latin America: a) A Brazilian reporter discusses a study where researchers modified the gut microbiota of an obese patient, and he lost 51 Kg in 23 weeks. Microbiologists said that a particular kind of bacteria releases endotoxins that...
(English intro to Spanish lang post) Nice stories from Latin America: a) A Brazilian reporter discusses a study where researchers modified the gut microbiota of an obese patient, and he lost 51 Kg in 23 weeks. Microbiologists said that a particular kind of bacteria releases endotoxins that activate a gene that helps generate fat. They inoculated mice with the bacteria, and all of them gained weight. b) From Ecuador we read a really interesting story about health disparities in LGBT communities of the country. c) Bolivian government has approved the construction of a road that will cross the country's Amazonian rainforest. In a extensive story, a reporter argues that the process of asking local communities have been manipulated and that the fragmentation and colonization will generate huge damages to the ecosystem. d) Chilean La Tercera has compiled data from different sources to create a very original report about economic expenses of men and women in Chile. e...
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