http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill Separating the wheat from the chaff of media reporting on brain science Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:05:00 GMT en-us http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/index.htm The Neuro-Journalism Mill is closing, its millstone to be repurposed into a decorative fountain and placed in an urban dog park. Thank you to the readers and fellow neurocurmudgeons that have been with us since the Bad Neuro-Journalism postings began in 1998. But do not despair. Coming soon is a new JSMF discussion site, Clothing the Emperor. We invite you to visit to contribute your comments when the site goes live. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:33:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/index.htm http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn83 The NeuroMill is quite sure what to do with this particular piece of grist -- as it is neither wheat nor chaff -- but nevertheless appeals to neurocurmudgeons. All right - let's call it wheat for its sheer chutzpah. Who can resist the dead fish, social cognitive neuroscience, and functional imaging triad? Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:05:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn83 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn82 The neurocurmudgeons take a summer break and NPR tries to put us out of a job! We suspect some idle googling by an intern found The Mill. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:54:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn82 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn81 Well, the neurocurmudgeons are grudgingly calling this 'wheat" - although at best it qualifies as gleanings. We like it because it acknowledges the difficulties of inferring intentions from observing behaviors. It also should give pause to those who are quick to impose on animals all kinds of human traits. Or those who like to infer mountains of meaning from molehills of fMRI data. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:59:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn81 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/index.htm Thanks go out to a neurocurmudgeonly colleague who drew our attention to this story. Otherwise it was very likely that it would not have made it on the radar. What can we say? So neuroscience is to soldiering as physics is to projectiles? Really? Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:52:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn80 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn79 We neurocurmudgeons were rendered squeakless... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:53:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn79 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/index.htm The neurocurmudgeons think the front page of the Wednesday April 8 WSJ Personal Journal scored an eagle. Although the journalists responsible for the 2 stories did not explicitly emphasize the usefulness of behavioral interventions over reductionist approaches to cognitive problems – they could have, and we neurocurmudgeons are willing to fill in between the lines. Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:15:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn78 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn77 The April 6, 2009 NYT piece by Benedict Carey "Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory" – takes schlock-y science stories to a new low. First, one of the neurocurmudgeons actually hails from the outer-boroughs and was a bit miffed that Downstate was depicted as if it were somewhere out in the boondocks (Brooklyn? They did important science in Brooklyn?). Thu, 9 Apr 2009 20:37:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn77 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn76 Ouch - the neurojournalists almost caught we neurocurmudgeons tooling around! Lulled by the surprising quiet of the usual Valentine's day neuro-madness we almost missed this one. Thankfully a bad neurojournalism spotter gearing up for Mardi Gras was alert! Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:40:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn76 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn75 The Neuromill's newest neuro-heroes. Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:04:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn75 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn74 The neurocurmudgeons had our morning joe and turned to the Friday WSJ with the sense we were about to receive an embarrassment of riches – turns we are just embarrassed by the apparent lack of any real news or progress in the neurosciences that forces neurojournalists to funnel old wine into new bottles. Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:42:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn74 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn73 Wow - this one almost caught the neurocurmudgeons napping (perhaps someone squirted some melatonin up our noses?). We tend to be on the alert for stories of this ilk around the Valentine's Day silly season. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:11:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn73 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn72 OK - the neurocurmudgeons were hesitant to pick on a dog story - especially as everyone is misty-eyed over photos of their beloved pooch dressed as Santa - but the bad neurojournalism spotters called us on it - and so, the neurocurmudgeons will tread where angels fear. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:16:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn72 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn71 We neurocurmudgeons are always saddened when our neuro-colleagues offer grist for the mill and it yields much chaff and little wheat. Even curmudgeons require some sustenance to keep going. Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:33:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn71 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn70 Today's posting hits a home run when it comes to the criteria for Chaff - particularly when it comes to the criteria of reporting on findings of dubious value. We know the author can always invoke the journalistic defense of "balance" -- stringing together the advocates and the naysayers. But it would be nice if every now and then the urge to hook scientific findings to current events was resisted. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:42:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn70 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn68 The neurocurmudgeons have tried to make you aware of the steady emergence of a literary genre. Charles McGrath's mega-review is a big help in the cause since he has gathered several books into one pot. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:57:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn68 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn68 'Bypass Brain': How surgery may affect mental activity, the Tuesday, June 10, 2008, WSJ Health Journal column by Melinda Beck passes muster as a rare germs of wheat according to the neurocurmudgeons hanging around the Mill. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:00:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn68 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn67 Now that the neurojournalists have discovered... Tue, 3 Jun 2008 20:17:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn67 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn66 Well...more chaff from the genre of use 'brain' to market whatever it is you've got to sell... Thu, 1 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn66 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn65 We thank a fellow neurocurmudgeon for bringing this piece to the attention of the Mill. With the price of grain being what it is we appreciate all sources of grist... Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:52:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn65 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn64 The neurocurmudgeons are out "scanning" in earnest! We apologize to those who think the Mill is biased towards chaff over wheat. (Neuro-imagers, pay attention - when you do this study remember to credit us!). We'd like to claim we just call 'em as we see 'em. (Hey, another potential study!) Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:52:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn64 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn63 One of our favorite neurocurmudgeons sent us this link with a plea "please, make it stop"! If only we could... Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:31:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn63 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn62 Did you think the neurocurmudgeons had gone into hibernation? Well to be honest, we were storing up some energy in anticipation of the Valentine's Day silly season soon to be upon us with all the expected, if increasingly tired "this is your brain on love" stories. In fact, why haven't our neuro-imaging colleagues asked us to participate in studies of "anticipation" or more trendily "dread". Hmmm... will it be our anterior cingulate or our amygdala that lights up when we are shown the date February 14 or the dates of the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting? Anyway, back to today's posting... Fri, 1 Feb 2008 15:39:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn62 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn61 Well, well, well - the neurocurmudgeons are not feeling quite so all alone in the world... Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:39:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn61 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn60 For today's posting the neurocurmudgeons ask that you cut us a little slack (and yes, we know this is something we rarely are willing to do for others) because the story is not technically "neurojournalism" although it does contain a passing reference to Parkinson's Disease. However - the "package" from teaser to headline to story serves as a good model of how the way most basic science studies are reported misleads rather than informs the public... Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn60 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn59 The neurocurmudgeons had heard about Proust was a Neuroscientist, the new book by wunderkind Jonah Lehrer and thought to ourselves - another opportunistic repackaging of what are essentially behavioral observations as neuroscience. We are stuck living in a time when for various reasons - the brain sells. Most of the greatest novelists and artists are great observers and raconteurs of human behavior... Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn59 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn58 The neurocurmudgeons thought long and hard before deciding to draw attention to this particular kind of chaff. Anorexia nervosa is a serious illness with devastating effects on those who suffer from it as well as the impacts it has on an individual's family and friends. What disturbed us was the following observation... Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn58 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn57 This story fulfills one basic criteria for chaff... Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn57 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn56 Sensitive to the criticism that the Mill seems to turn out more chaff than wheat (although we don't see this as our fault...) we neurocurmudgeons are looking harder for good things to highlight. So, although we are put off by the style of this Salon piece brought to our attention and we could find much to quibble with regarding the science, we're going to call it "wheat". Why? Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/wheat.htm#bn56 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn55 Just when the neurocurmudgeons were wondering if we could simply award the New York Times a Lifetime Achievement Award for consistently bad coverage of imaging studies of brain/mind science and save ourselves the trouble of having to explain again and again the basic traps its reporters fall into, we were alerted to their latest “neuro-imaging as parlor trick” shtick. This is your brain on politics. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn55 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn54 The neurocurmudgeons were quite stung recently to read a blog posting that we are indeed curmudgeonly and that we tend to suck the fun out of all the excitement about reporting on the brain. SO, in an effort to soften our image and let some of the "fun and excitement" of misrepresenting neuroscience to the public go by unremarked, we were not going to post anything, regardless of how silly, on the news stories about UCLA study of conservative versus liberal brains. But... Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:20:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn54 http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn53 Birds do it Bees do it Even sleeping little baby brains do it... The neurocurmudgeons came across this little gem and, dare we say it, we are just abuzz! Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:30:00 GMT neurocurmudgeons@jsmf.org (Neurocurmudgeons) http://www.jsmf.org/neuromill/chaff.htm#bn53