I came across this great video today on TED:  Ideas Worth Spreading.  It is only 4 minutes, 14 seconds long, but it gives a great peak into the scientific research that can go into the making of a headline.

Rachel Pike: The science behind a climate headline

In 4 minutes, atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike provides a glimpse of the massive scientific effort behind the bold headlines on climate change, with her team -- one of thousands who contributed -- taking a risky flight over the rainforest in pursuit of data on a key molecule.

 

Today's podcast from Point of Inquiry features yesterday's blog topic (pure coincidence of course!) on the importance of science communication and the challenges the professional science communicators face. Some important points from the podcast, which features an interview with Andrew Revkin, include:

• "We face science centered risks: climate and energy crises, biological and nuclear terror threats, mega-disasters and global pandemics."
• Despite this, "If you watch 5 hours of cable news today, expect to see just 1 minute devoted to science and technology. From 1989-2005, meanwhile, the number of major newspapers featuring weekly science sections shrank from 95 to 34."  (Point of Inquiry )

To listen to the podcast click below and look for: Andrew Revkin - The Death of Science Writing, and the Future of Catastrophe

At the end of last week the buzz in the climate change media coverage was about a new study that came out in Friday's edition of Science .  Andrew Revkin breaks down the study well in his blog that day, but essentially the study states that methane gas is being released from Arctic sea beds.  Methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, is stored in Arctic permafrost, but with the melting associated with climate change this methane is being released.  Later that day, it was brought to my attention that the same edition of Science contained an article on energy effiicieny and potential solutions through the behavioral sciences.  This example is not unique, but illustrates a great learning opportunity for students and teachers following climate change through mainstream media.  Discuss with your students how they respond emotionally to a headline of "Methane leaking from Arctic at Alarming Rate", vs. "Hope for Dealing with Climate Change found in Behavioral Sciences."  Encourage students to research beyond an article they read in the local or national newspaper or magazine back to the sources the articles cite.  Ask them to find another article or study released on the same day, that may have changed the tone of climate change coverage that day.  Lessons  4 and 5 in our grades 3-6 curriculum focus on how climate change is being communicated and could be useful to to higher grade level teachers as well.

Link to New York Times Article

Link to Heat over Bubbling Arctic Methane

Link to Climate Coverage a Cheap Media Case Study blog

• "Unbelievably, spectacularly beautiful"
• "Like being in a major motion picture"
• Team line up:
  • Simon, Richard and Theo
  • Lukie, Elizabeth and Will
  • Abby and Ed
  • Sam and Stetson traveling