This week I’m looking at items from the science blogs that I hope demonstrate some strong relevance to everyday life for non-scientists. I’ll get right to it…
Don’t believe the hype from some in the media. Over at Big Think’s Age of Engagement, science communications specialist Matt Nisbet looks at some work from David Ropeik, a consumer affairs reporter I used to watch on TV growing up in Boston. Ropeik looks at the real bias of the media and its impact. To me, the media doesn’t have a liberal or conservative bias, it has a negative bias – or has he put it, “if it scares, it airs.” The moral of the story – next time you see the media report that something is bad for you, remember that the media is always looking for stories like that.
That said, don’t believe the hype from some companies, either. Melinda Wenner Moyer at PLoS Blog’s Body Politic writes about how she was doing research for a story and learned that some of those “green” products you see in the stores aren’t always more “green” than regular products – in fact, sometimes they’re worse.
Imagine your way to a thinner you. Science-blogging superhero Ed Yong looks at research that suggests you might eat less if you simply imagine yourself overeating before chow time. Seriously. The scientific process is called “habituation” and it has me thinking of steak right now.
Bad font, good memory? This story has raised a small amount of controversy in the science blogosphere, but it’s worth a look. Virginia Hughes at The Last Word on Nothing looks at emerging research that suggests people retain more of the information they read when that information is in an ugly font like italicized Comic Sans. Read it and then print it out in a bad font and see which version you remember better.