httpswwwucsfedunews201611405031zikafetalbraintissuerespondsp

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/11/405031/zika-fetal-brain-tissue-responds-popular-antibiotic

1. In a paragraph, evaluate the science and the accuracy of the science reporting. with the following questions

Does the science appear to be well designed and executed? Science accurate? What is the basis for the story? What is the affiliation of the scientist? What is the funding source for the study? If the hypothesis test is a correlation? Was the sample of individuals in the experiment a good cross selection of the population? Was the data collected from a relatively large number of study subjects? Were participants blind to the group they belonged to and/or the “expected outcome” of the study? Is the science reporting balanced and accurate?

2. Another paragraph with the following questions Were data collectors and/or analysts blinded to the group membership of participants in the study? Is the science reporting balanced and accurate? Did the news reporter put the study in the context of other research on the same subject? What audience is this article addressed to – who would care about this topic? Why did this topic gain media attention?

Solution

Yes the science appear to be well designed and executed but no stastistical data as its just a news.But in the original article the detail of the research along with stastical data is ellaborated.

The news appears to be accurate as its taken from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The basis of the story was 26 cases of Zika-associated birth defects and 5 pregnancy losses due bto this has been reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Affiliation of main scientists involved

Joseph L. DeRisia and Hanna Retallacka (student) affiliated to Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158

Arnold R. Kriegstein affiliated to Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143

Funding source for the original research was from  NIH, included the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bernard Osher, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, and Marc and Lynne Benioff.

Data was colleted not from large number of study but few . But medical ethics were followed. No the paricipants were not blind. It looks from the analysis and detail studyit looks that the science reporting is balanced and accurate.

This article is addressed to researchers from microbiological field and bio-medical field along with pregnant women. This topic probably gained media attention as pregnant women and unborn child were concerned.