SCIENTIFIC METHOD ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT (PART I) DUE Pick a current topic with a significant scientific basis (medical, environmental,

agricultural, or public health) t Find an informative article covering your topic of interest, it is not

recommended to pick research articles, The article has to be ~1000 words long. Do not use really short articles - they

are more difficult to analyze!!! The article should be no more than ~ two-three years old; Recommended sources for articles include the following: • New York Times -SCIENCE section (www.nytimes.com)• Scientific American - BIOLOGY section (http://www.scientificamerican.com)• Discover magazine - HEALTH & MEDICINE, MIND & BRAIN, HUMAN

ORIGINS sections (http://discovermagazine.com)• Times• Newsweek• Chicago Tribune - HEALTH SECTION in LIVING

Identify and list the first two elements of Scientific method in the article: (SEE EXAMPLES)

1. What is the main goal/question of the article? 2. What model/s are used in the article?

Example 1 (Google the title to find the article):Applying Scientific Method template to the article October 9, 2007 "DIET AND FAT: A SEVERE CASE OF MISTAKEN CONSENSUS" by JOHN TIERNEY

GOAL: To assess the role of "authorities" (medical experts and government) in shaping dietary guidelines for Americans.

MODEL: US dietary guidelines are often shaped by unsubstantiated expert opinions that "cascade" into a mistaken consensus and become government guidelines.

Example 2 (Google the title to find the article):Applying Scientific Method template to the article October 2, 2008"SKIN DEEP: BUYING FACE CREAM? GRAB A GLOSSARY" By NATASHA SINGER

QUESTION: Do skin care products actually have the effects that their manufacturers claim they have?

MODELs: 1. Skin care manufacturing companies use scientific "buzz words" as an advertising trick 2. Skin care manufacturing companies claims about their products are often exaggerated or unsubstantiated by the scientific research