Overview
collect two popular news articles - one for each of two different topics
You will want to use the following criteria when selecting your popular news articles: • They should be written no earlier than 2020 • They can cover any area of biology that relates to topics covered in Modules 6-8 of this course • Each of the two articles must cover a different topic (i.e., you cannot select 2 different news articles that are both based upon the same topic)
For each topic/article, you are required use the following sections:
1. State the title of the news article and the source in which it is published (e.g., the news organization, website, popular news magazine, etc.).
2. State the main hypothesis/research finding the article is based upon (1 sentence).
3. State the scientific journal in which the research was published (1 sentence). Note: this is not the source of the popular news article you are writing about. This is the original source of the information that the popular news article is referring to.
4. Summarize the scientific findings reported in the popular news article (1 paragraph).
5. Provide a brief (1 paragraph) critique of how the scientific findings were covered in the popular news article by answering some or all of the following questions: • What is being reported and how is it being described in popular media? • What makes it relevant in today’s society/important for people to know about? • What research findings (if any?) is the article based on? • Are research facts and findings sensationalized, or blown out of proportion, or minimized/ignored in the news article? Why do you think this is?
6. State how the scientific finding relates to/builds from one of the topics we covered in Modules 6-8 of this course (1 sentence).