Peer Review Education Resource
Sense About Science
Science in the news
“The news is full of incredible stories. How can we tell
which ones are based on fact?”
Activity:
Science stories that appeared in the press are collected below. Students read an
article and answer provided questions on how reliable the information is.
Objectives:
By carrying out this exercise, students should understand:
 how to judge whether science stories in the news are based on real research
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CURRICULUM CONNECTION
ACTIVITY
REFERENCE
ROLEPLAY EXERCISE
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
THE PROCESS AND ITS
CHALLENGES
National Curriculum
(KS4)
Pupils should be taught:
1.2d to evaluate methods of collection of data and consider their validity and reliability as
evidence
1.3c to present information, develop an argument and draw a conclusion, using scientific
language
1.4c how uncertainties in scientific knowledge and scientific ideas change over time and
about the role of the scientific community in validating these changes
GCSE Science A (AQA)
Candidates should be able to:
a) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the scientific facts, concepts,
techniques and terminology in the specification
b) show understanding of how scientific evidence is collected and its relationship with
scientific explanations and theories
c) show understanding of how scientific knowledge and ideas change over time and how
these changes are validated.
GCSE Science B (AQA)
GCSE Science (Edexcel)
GCSE Science (OCR –
Gateway)
Element 2: Report on Science in the News
A. Candidates are expected to be able to:
The ability to plan an approach to the task, including the selection of suitable sources of
data/information, which will address the issues.
 Plan to answer a scientific question (PoS 3.6ia)
 Collect data from secondary sources, including the use of ICT sources and tools
(PoS 3.6iib)
 Apply and question scientific information or ideas (PoS 3.6iiia).
B. The ability to analyse the data/information and interpret it to show trends or patterns.
Candidates are expected to be able to:
 Interpret data, using creative thought, to provide evidence for testing ideas (PoS
3.6ib)
 Analyse scientific information or ideas (PoS 3.6iiia).
C. The ability to evaluate the data/information to reach judgments about its reliability
and validity. Candidates are expected to be able to:
 Consider the validity and reliability of data as evidence (PoS 3.6id)
 Interpret and question scientific information or ideas (PoS 3.6iiia).
D. The ability to relate the data/information to social, economic and environmental issues
and understand how science can contribute to decision making. Candidates are expected
to be able to:
 Know why decisions about science and technology are made, including those
that raise ethical issues, and know about the social, economic and
environmental effects of such decisions (PoS3.6ivb)
 Know that uncertainty in scientific knowledge and ideas changes over time and know the
role of the scientific community in validating these changes (PoS 3.6ivc).
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ACTIVITY
REFERENCE
GCSE Science (OCR –
Twenty First Century
Science)
International
Baccalaureate Diploma
Programme
ROLEPLAY EXERCISE
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
THE PROCESS AND ITS
CHALLENGES
IaS4.2 Students can:
IaS4.1 Students can:
IaS4.3 Students can:

identify absence of
replication as a reason
for questioning a
scientific claim;



explain why scientists
regard it as important
that a scientific claim
can be replicated by
other scientists.

describe in broad
outline the ‘peer
review’ process, in
which new scientific
claims are evaluated
by other scientists;
recognise that new
scientific claims which
have not yet been
evaluated by the
scientific community
are less reliable than
well-established ones.
suggest plausible
reasons why scientists
involved in a scientific
event or issue
disagree(d).
IaS4.4 Students can

suggest reasons for
scientists’ reluctance to
give up an accepted
explanation when new
data appear to conflict
with it.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme requires students to research and
prepare a 4000 word write-up or mini-thesis on a subject topic of their choice. This is
called the Extended essay. It enables the students to get introduced to the concept of
independent and fruitful research work, which should involve reproducible
experimental results and plausible theoretical back-up.
If the student chooses to write an extended essay in a science subject, such as
Chemistry, he or she would need to be made aware of the importance of peer review in
evaluating new scientific ideas, how science is reported in the news, and the risks
associated with plagiarism and improper representation of facts.
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Teacher’s notes
Introduction
This exercise is aimed to help students understand that peer review can be used to make a
distinction between what is scientific and what is speculation or opinion.
It features real news stories published in recent years about scientific issues, such as the
possible link between mobile phones and cancer, the Human Papillomavirus vaccine, cloning
and climate change.
Materials and Preparation
You will need one worksheet per student / group.
Suggested Activity Outlines
1. Divide the class into individuals or groups and give each a copy of one of the articles
below. Have them answer the questions attached and discuss these with the class.
2. Finish by concluding that not all research claims in newspapers, on the internet or
TV are published in peer reviewed journals. Therefore there is no way to assess the
quality of the research or to know if it is flawed or incomplete. Many reported
‘wonder cures’ or ‘new dangers’ may never come to anything.
Peer review is a quality control system used by scientists. If something has been
published it means it has passed the scrutiny of other scientists.
3. Advanced: Students can use the peer review check list when listening to claims
made about scientific advances to help them judge which research claims are valid.
Provide newspaper articles or journal articles for students to read and assess using
the peer review checklist (see 'Peer Review Basic Materials').
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Further notes on news articles
Mobile phones may damage blood cells:
This article is from 1998, which was the height of the mobile phone and health
debate. This article is not a good resource as the research has not been peer
reviewed so there is no way to know whether the study is of a good quality.
The researcher, Roger Coghill, published these claims himself and released them to
the media, rather than submitting them first for peer review. Many other studies
have failed to detect damage specifically of the body's immune system as a result of
mobile phone usage. Despite the lack of corroboration, Coghill’s claims were widely
reported, and fuelled discussion about mobile phone safety. Between 1998 and
2003, he was cited in 119 printed news publications in the UK, most of which made
no reference to the lack of peer review of the research or to the fact that other,
peer-reviewed research did not corroborate the hypothesis.
Sheep cloning raises alarm over humans:
This research was published in the journal Nature in 1997. At the time it was very
exciting research but quite controversial due to concerns about human cloning.
However, by being published other scientists knew it had been conducted to a
specific standard and that it was valid, significant and original. The significance of
Dolly was that she was the first clone to be made from adult stem cells (rather than
stem cells taken from embryos). This method has now become an accepted scientific
method that has been used to clone many other animals.
Breakthrough in cervical cancer battle:
This research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. At the
time it was considered breakthrough research. By being published in a journal other
scientists knew it had been conducted to a certain standard and that it was valid,
significant and original.
There are currently two vaccines for Human Papillomavirus on the market and a
nationwide vaccination program for young women is in progress.
Proof of our exploding universe:
This research published by the journal Science in 2003 added a great deal of weight
to the expanding universe model, although many questions have yet to be
answered. Although a few scientists propose different ideas of how the universe is
constructed, this is the most widely accepted theory. In 2008, the completion of the
billion-dollar Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator will help to improve our
understanding of the universe.
Water supply at risk:
This article was published in 2006, and melting glaciers continue to be a cause for
concern across the globe. Portage glacier, a popular tourist attraction in Alaska, has
now receded so far that it cannot be seen from the visitors centre. As well as
threatening water supplies, scientists reported that melting glaciers were having a
negative impact on plant life and increasing the risk of flooding.
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Climate fear as carbon levels soar:
This research was published in 2004 during a period of huge interest in climate
change and human activities which continues to this day. Carbon dioxide levels in
the atmosphere continue to be monitored by observatories across the globe.
Currently levels continue to rise and are predicted to do so for many decades. The
scientific consensus is that man-made increases in atmospheric carbon are having an
effect on the world’s climate, although alternative viewpoints are often featured on
news and media.
Flower power:
Homeopathy is the practice of diluting a remedy, often until no active ingredient
remains.
This research appeared in newspapers in 2007 but was not published in a peerreviewed journal nor has the result been collaborated by any other scientific studies.
The use of self-reporting in patients is known to give biased results, and because
there was no control group or blinding (where it is not revealed who is receiving
genuine remedy and who is receiving a placebo), this study can be said to have very
poor scientific rigour. No homeopathic treatment has ever been shown to be
effective under scientific conditions.
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“Mobiles may damage blood cells”
A biologist, who says he has proved
mobile phones can damage the immune
system, defended his claims yesterday
and warned people to switch off their
handsets. Even a mobile phone left on
standby can damage the white blood
cells which form an essential part of the
body's defences against infection,
according to Roger Coghill, a scientific
consultant who runs his own laboratory
in Wales.
Mr Coghill carried out experiments in
which white blood cells taken from the
blood of a volunteer were exposed to
radiation from a mobile phone on
standby situated about 3cm away. After
seven and a half hours only 13% of the
cells, kept alive with nutrients, were
still intact and able to function.
Another group of white blood cells,
exposed to the natural electromagnetic
fields produced by the human body,
stayed 70% viable. Half of a third group
not exposed to these fields but also
kept away from mobile phone radiation
remained undamaged. Mr Coghill argues
that this shows microwave radiation
from mobile phones and other devices
can seriously harm the immune system
by interfering with the body's own
electromagnetic fields.
However, Tom Wills-Sandford, director
of the Federation of the Electronics
Industry, which represents mobile
phone makers, said: "None of the proper
scientific protocol has been followed.
One wonders if these results will ever
be published properly."
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What was the aim of the research?
What does the article state is the health risk from using a mobile phone?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
What have other scientists said about the work - have they suggested it is
an important contribution or have they suggested it is flawed?
Look at Roger Coghill's experiment plan.
a) Did he have a control?
b) In your opinion, was the sample size large enough?
c) Are there any repeats?
Tom Wills-Sandford says: “None of the proper scientific protocol has been
followed” Why do you think he says this?
Do you agree with Tom Wills-Sandford’s statements?
Is Tom Wills-Sandford’s opinion a reliable source? Explain your answer.
Do you think people reading this article will be concerned about using a
mobile phone?
Do you think it was important this work was covered by the media? Explain
your answer.
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SHEEP CLONE RAISES ALARM OVER HUMANS
BRITISH scientists have created the
first clone of an adult animal by
producing a lamb from a cell from a
sheep's udder. Previous clonings have
been
from
embryo
cells.
The
breakthrough brings the possibility of
human cloning, which is illegal under
present laws governing research, one
step closer. It also has far-reaching
implications for genetics, medicine and
ageing.
The researchers from the Roslin
Institute, near Edinburgh, have found a
relatively simple way of producing clones
of sheep and possibly other mammals,
which would potentially allow the
production of clones on an industrial
scale.
A team of scientists, led by Dr Ian
Wilmut, took a cell from the udder of a
sheep,
extracted
the
genetic
information (DNA) and placed it in an
unfertilised egg. The egg was then
implanted into a surrogate mother,
which gave birth to a lamb called Dolly.
It has exactly the same genetic
information as the sheep from which
the udder cell was taken.
The research, due to be published in
Nature magazine this week, follows the
team's success in cloning sheep
embryos. Last year they produced two
identical sheep, which were clones of an
original embryo. Early embryo cells are
easier to clone as they have not
specialised into muscle or heart cells.
The ability to use an adult animal's cells
to create new identical life could
provide fresh insights into ageing.
At present, through a complex
procedure, sheep can be genetically
engineered to produce human medicines.
Now the simple cloning will enable
scientists to create hundreds of
medicine-producing sheep. "What this
will mostly be used for is to produce
more healthcare products," said Wilmut.
Cloning in the laboratory could also
enable unlimited numbers of identical
clones to be produced, allowing
scientists to introduce genetic changes
into some cells and observe how that
alters the animal which is eventually
produced.
Farmers could use the new technique to
produce copies of animals, although the
number on each farm would have to be
limited to prevent inbreeding. Cloning
from adults may be more useful than
cloning from embryos, as particularly
productive and disease-resistant animals
could be copied.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why is the lamb called Dolly unusual?
Why was this cloning attempt different from the others?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
What are the implications of the research?
If this research had not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, how
would this affect your opinion of the article?
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6. Do you think it was important this work was covered by the media? Explain
your answer.
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BREAKTHROUGH IN CERVICAL CANCER BATTLE
Initial tests on an experimental vaccine
to combat a virus that causes most
cervical cancers show that it is 100%
effective, scientists said yesterday.
The apparent breakthrough could lead
to a vaccine in as little as five years to
combat the cancer that claims more
than 1,300 women's lives a year in the
UK.
The study, published in today's New
England Journal of Medicine, could
herald one of the biggest medical
advances in the battle against cancer.
Researchers were trying to find a way
of blocking infection by the human
papillomavirus (HPV), type 16, which is
spread through sexual intercourse and
causes up to 70% of all cancers in the
cervix.
The
vaccine,
made
by
the
pharmaceutical giant Merck and Co, is
given in three doses. Of 1,194 sexually
active American women given the doses,
none developed an infection, but nearly
4% of the 1,198 women given placebo
injections did develop an infection, the
researchers say.
Christopher Crum, of Brigham and
Women's
Hospital
in
Boston,
Massachusetts, said the vaccine could
reduce the risk of cervical cancer by as
Questions
much as 95%. "The vaccine not only
prevents the disease from developing,
but also prevents its causative agent
from surviving in the genital tract
where it can infect new sexual
partners."
Dr Anne Szarewski, a clinical consultant
at Cancer Research UK, said: "There are
several papilloma vaccines, but this is
the only one that seems to have really
got anywhere. Given that this has done
so well in its phase two trials, it's
looking pretty positive ... this could be
on the market within five years."
More tests will now be carried out on
the vaccine, involving 250 women in
Britain. Laura Koutsky, a disease
specialist
at
the
University
of
Washington, expressed some caution:
"We really only know about the shortterm duration of the antibodies.
Whether the antibodies persist for five
years or more is not known at this
point."
But Kevin Ault of the University of
Iowa, a co-author of the study, said
that the vaccine, which still has to be
approved by the US food and drug
administration, would probably protect
against several types of HPV.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What was the aim of the study?
What does the article state is the importance of the vaccine?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
Look at the experiment plan.
a. Is there a control?
b. In your opinion was the sample size large enough?
5. What have other scientists said about the work - have they suggested it is
an important contribution or have they suggested it is flawed?
6. Are these opinions a reliable source? Explain your answer.
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7. Do you think it was important this work was covered by the media? Explain
your answer.
8. Compare this article to your neighbour's. Do you think they are equally
reliable stories?
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SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR:
PROOF OF OUR EXPLODING UNIVERSE
Welcome to the dark side. Around 73%
of the universe is made not of matter or
radiation but of a mysterious force
called dark energy, a kind of gravity in
reverse. Dark energy is listed as the
breakthrough of the year in the US
journal Science today.
The discovery paints an even more
puzzling
picture
of
an
already
mysterious universe. Around 200 billion
galaxies, each containing 200 billion
stars, are detectable by telescopes. But
these add up to only 4% of the whole
cosmos. Now, on the evidence of a
recent space-based probe and a
meticulous survey of a million galaxies,
astronomers have filled in at least some
of the picture.
Around 23% of the universe is made up
of another substance, called "dark
matter". The remaining 73% is the new
discovery: dark energy. This bizarre
force seems to be pushing the universe
apart at an accelerating rate, when
gravitational pull should be making it
slow down or contract.
"The implications for these discoveries
about the universe are truly stunning,"
said Don Kennedy, the editor of Science.
"Cosmologists have been trying for
years to confirm the hypothesis of a
dark universe." Sir Martin Rees,
Britain's astronomer royal, called it a
"discovery of the first magnitude".
The findings were made by an orbiting
observatory
called
the
Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
This measured tiny fluctuations in the
cosmic microwave background. These
painstaking measurements were then
backed up by the telescopes of the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Both
confirmed that dark energy must exist.
The dark energy story began in 1998
when astronomers reported that the
most distant galaxies seemed to be
receding far faster than calculations
predicted. A study of a certain kind of
supernova confirmed that they had not
been misled: the universe was indeed
expanding ever faster, rather than
decelerating. "But WMAP, with superbly
precise data beamed back from a little
spacecraft a million miles away, has
made the evidence more precise," said
Sir Martin, of the Institute of
Astronomy at Cambridge.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What was the major discovery?
How was this discovery made?
What are the implications of this discovery?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
What have other scientists said about the work – have they suggested it is
an important contribution or have they suggested it is flawed?
6. Are these opinions a reliable source? Explain your answer.
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7. Do you think it was important this work was covered by the media? Explain
your answer.
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WATER SUPPLY AT RISK
The world's glaciers and ice caps are in
terminal decline because of global
warming, scientists have discovered. A
survey has revealed that the rate of
melting across the world has sharply
accelerated in recent years, placing
even previously stable glaciers in
danger. Loss of land-based ice is one of
the
clearest
signals
of
global
temperature
rise.
Emissions
of
greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere,
warming the surface.
Last year New Scientist magazine
published a letter from the British
television botanist David Bellamy, a
renowned climate change skeptic, which
claimed that 555 of 625 glaciers have
been growing since 1980. His claim was
quickly discredited.
Dr Kaser said that "99.99% of all
glaciers" were shrinking. His team
combined
different
sets
of
measurements that used stakes and
holes drilled into the ice to record the
change in mass of more than 300
glaciers since the 1940s.
The results revealed that the world's
glaciers and ice caps grew steadily until
about 1940, when they began to shrink.
The rate of shrinking increased
significantly in 2001. On average the
world's glaciers and ice caps lost enough
water between 1961 and 1990 to raise
global sea levels by 0.35-0.4mm each
year. For 2001-4 the figure rose to 0.81mm each year.
Writing in the journal Geophysical
Research Letters, the scientists say:
"Late 20th-century glacier wastage is
essentially a response to post-1970
global warming." Dr Kaser added: "There
is very, very strong evidence that this is
down to human-caused changes in the
atmosphere."
One of the first impacts of glacier
melting is likely to be in South America.
In August a report from 20 UK-based
environment and development groups
warned that Andean glaciers are melting
so fast that some are expected to
disappear within 15-25 years. This would
deny many cities water supplies in
Colombia,
Peru,
Chile,
Venezuela,
Ecuador, Argentina and Bolivia. Studies
show snow and ice cover in the eastern
Himalayas has shrunk by about 30%
since the 1970s. Melting glaciers have
created lakes in the mountains that
could burst and cause widespread
flooding.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
What does Dr Kaser say is happening to the glaciers?
Are Dr Kaser’s methods and results explained?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
What have other scientists said about the work-have they suggested it is an
important contribution or have they suggested it is flawed?
5. What will be the impact on South America and South-East Asia if the
glaciers continue to melt?
6. How did David Bellamy’s letter compare to Dr. Kaser’s opinions?
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7. Do you think David Bellamy could have published his work?
8. Do you think it was important that this work was covered by the media?
Explain your answer.
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CLIMATE FEAR AS CARBON LEVELS SOAR
An unexplained and unexpected rise in
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere two
years running has raised fears that the
world may be on the brink of runaway
global warming.
contain. As the icecaps melt, less
sunlight is reflected back into space
from ice and snow, and bare rocks begin
to absorb more heat. This is already
happening.
Measurements of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere have been continuous for
almost 50 years at Mauna Loa
Observatory, 12,000ft up a mountain in
Hawaii, which is as far enough away
from any carbon dioxide source to be a
reliable measuring point. In recent
decades, carbon dioxide increased on
average by 1.5 parts per million (ppm) a
year because of the amount of oil, coal
and gas burnt. It has now jumped to an
increase of more than 2 ppm per year in
2002 and 2003.
One of the predictions made by climate
scientists in the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change is that as the
Earth warms, the absorption of carbon
dioxide by vegetation - known as
"carbon sink" - is reduced. Dr Keeling
said since there was no sign of a
dramatic increase in the amount of
fossil fuels being burnt in 2002 and
2003, the rise "could be a weakening of
the Earth's carbon sinks, associated
with the world warming, as part of a
climate change feedback mechanism. It
is a cause for concern'.'
Charles Keeling, the man who began the
observations in 1958 as a young climate
scientist, is now 74 and still working in
the field. He said yesterday: "The rise
in the yearly rate to above two parts
per million for two consecutive years is
a real phenomenon. It is possible that
this is a reflection of natural events like
previous peaks in the rate, but it is also
possible that it is the beginning of a
natural process unprecedented in the
record."
The figures could be the first sign of
the breakdown in the Earth's natural
systems for absorbing the gas. That
would herald the "runaway greenhouse
effect", where the planet's soaring
temperature becomes impossible to
Dr Piers Forster, senior research fellow
of the University of Reading's
Department of Meteorology, said: "It
will be of enormous concern, because it
will imply that all our global warming
predictions for the next hundred years
or so will have to be redone."
David J Hofmann, US National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration centre,
was more cautious. "I don't think an
increase of 2 ppm for two years in a row
is highly significant," he said. "Based on
those two years alone I would say it was
too soon to say that a new trend has
been established, but it warrants close
scrutiny."
Questions
1. What change is occurring in the atmosphere that is worrying the scientists?
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2. Where is Mauna Loa Observatory? Why is it regarded as a reliable
measuring point?
3. What is causing the increase in carbon dioxide levels? Use information from
the article and from your own knowledge.
4. What will be the impact of the increased carbon dioxide levels on Earth?
5. What have other scientists said about the work-have they suggested it is an
important contribution or have they suggested it is flawed?
6. Are the scientists reliable sources of information? Explain your answer.
7. Do the scientists agree with each other’s opinions?
8. Do you think it was important that this work was covered by the media?
Explain your answer.
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FLOWER POWER
A cure for toddler tantrums could
be on the way after a study found
that flower essences help calm
children.
Psychologists
from
Plymouth University say the
homeopathic treatments, made by
putting petals into water, helped
three-quarters of parents control
tantrums in children aged two to
five. The team tested 38 families
with toddlers, using essences from
alder, magnolia, sweet chestnut
and orange. Parents reported 42
per cent fewer tantrums.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What are the homeopathic treatments made from?
What does the article say the effect is of flower essences on toddlers?
Has this work been checked by other scientists and published in a journal?
Have other scientists commented on this research and findings?
What do you know about the experiment plan?
Do you think there is enough evidence to suggest parents should give flower
essences to their children?
7. Do you think it was important this work was covered by the media? Explain
your answer.
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