While we post lengthy discussions here on Science of Blogging, there are many research updates, news stories, videos, etc. related to science communication that we come across on a daily basis that never grace the pages of the blog. Most of these mini-stories we share with our followers on Twitter, and we encourage those of you with active Twitter accounts to communicate with us there to get real-time updates of all the stuff we are discussing (Follow Peter and/or Follow Travis). For those of you who shy away from Twitter, enjoy below the best mini-stories that we came across during the prior week along with links to the original source so that you can follow the full story.

  • The effects of churnalism on healthcare news and the public (PLoS Guest Blog)
  • At a recent conference Rebecca Watson was propositioned in an elevator. She told people, and all hell broke loose. John Rennie examines the inhuman treatment Rebecca Watson has received this week, and makes the obvious but excellent point that it is wrong to make people pointlessly uncomfortable (Gleaming Retort)
  • Researchers at Johns Hopkins claim they can track public health trends using twitter (Johns Hopkins University)
  • Is it beneficial for obesity researchers to build trust with industry? (Obesity Panacea)
  • Scientific American has unveiled their new blog network, which has an absolutely amazing lineup (including the only lineup of the major science blogging networks that is more than 50% female). Congrats to former Scibling and Plogster Bora Zivkovic for assembling such a terrific crew, and to all of the bloggers who have joined the network! (Scientific American)
Those are the posts that caught our eye this week. Have a great weekend!
Travis