We live in an era of information. The internet, the
introduction of social networking, and the rise of the twenty-four hour news
cycle have led to an unprecedented level of access for the layman, and yet this
access has led to almost as much misinformation being spread as valuable
content. Whether it be the vaccine-related autism “debate,” XMRV’s false
association with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or even the return of creationism to
our schools, science has never before been under such close public scrutiny or been
responsible for such dramatic public debate. We, as researchers, have a responsibility
to improve this flow of communication, both for the public’s benefit as well as
our own. Inspired in part by the work of Dr. Vincent Racaniello and his This
Week in Virology podcast, I intend to do what I can in a small way to work
toward this goal by reporting on current trends and stories in the field of
microbiology. I hope you’ll choose to join me for future posts.
Comments
Post a Comment