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 STATS/Harris Interactive Survey: Climate Scientists Agree on Warming, Disagree on Dangers, and Don’t Trust the Media’s Coverage of Climate Change.
Eighty-four percent say they personally believe human-induced warming is occurring, and 74% agree that “currently available scientific evidence” substantiates its occurrence... more
Can We Trust Climate Models?
To perform the experiments they’d like, climate scientists would need a few million Earths, billions of years, and omnipotence. Then they could pump extra greenhouse gases into the atmosphere of one Earth, prod volcanoes into mad eruptions on another, summon up sunspots to stream extra radiation to the third. They could stop the oceans from circulating, cover the sky with clouds, melt the polar ice. Then they’d sit back and watch what happened, deducing from the consequences how climate works... instead, they have to try and build models accounting for all these factors. How reliable can they be?
Cuddle chemical' could treat mental illness
There is growing interest in Oxytocin's potential as a therapy for mental illnesses characterised by "people problems" - autism, personality disorders, depression, social phobia, psychosis and even impotence. STATS Maia Szalavitz reports in New Scientist (sub req'd).
Bringing Back the Overdose Dead
OD has become a major killer, but prevention and even reversal are possible. Maia Szalavitz investigates on MSN Health and Fitness.
Polls to Assess Drunk Driving Have Blind Spot
STATS' Trevor Butterworth cited on bad survey methodology in Wall Street Journal's "Numbers Guy" column.
Managing fear while weighing risks
"Uncertainty unbalances us, pitching us into anxiety and producing an array of cognitive distortions. Even minor dilemmas like deciding whether to get a cellphone (brain cancer vs. dying on the road because you can't call for help?) can be intolerable for some people..." - Maia Szalavitz in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"Torture"
The GAO reports that for many kids incarcerated in "tough love" programs, conditions are worse than Guantanamo. STATS' Maia Szalavitz writes in Mother Jones about how congress is waking up to the fact that hooding and noosing and beating children isn't "therapy."
Prozac Wars: Slate versus “The Infinite Mind”
A vicious spat over sourcing and disclosure on an NPR- aired show reveals two news organizations at fault.
Why Journalism is Failing the Public on the Risk from Plastics
In the media's rush to report a health scare over bisphenol a (BPA), crucial facts and scientific consensus have gone missing.
Drugs, Dollars and Diagnosis
Does diagnosing controversial conditions help patients—or are drug companies the only beneficiaries?
STATS Maia Szalavitz investigates on MSNBC.
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Award-winning journalist, technology writer, and journalism educator Steve Ross boils down the essential principles journalists should follow when reporting on science, polling and statistics.
Every day, it seems there's a new study in the media telling you what to be afraid of. Don't panic! Read our guide before you rush to change your life.
"Our brains are terrible at assessing modern risks," says STATS' Maia Szalavitz in Psychology Today. "Here's how to think straight about dangers in your midst."
 And just what are your odds of getting injured or dying from everyday activities such as grilling, lawn mowing, and watching TV? Can Pyrex dishes spontaneously explode? We analyze the statistics and the science.
We also examine the latest health scares on mattresses, the iPhone, Avandia, Teflon, new car smell, nail polish, saran wrap, and phthalates.
When a newspaper compared cigarette smoking to using infant formula,we suspected that there's got to
be something screwy with the science, which is, in fact, the case.
We also look at the connection between diabetes and nursing, and whether using formula increases an infant's risk of developing leukemia. Will an epidural make breast feeding more difficult? Is it better for HIV mothers to breastfeed or not breastfeed – and does it depend on where they live?
What are the risks of light to moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy - what does the reasearch really say? And just how much coffee can you drink when you are pregnant? And is there a link between coffee and miscarriage?
Should You Be Worried About Toxic Baby Bottles?
Lots of scare stories, but independent European scientific assessments and new studies argue research showing risk is flawed. This news isn't making the media coverage.
Did you know that at least 50 percent of people with these addictions have an additional mental illness? So why do many states not even require addiction counselors to have a high school diploma? STATS' Maia Szalavitz investigates all on on MSN Health and Fitness.
Underage drinking is a serious problem for our society.  From reports in the media, one gets the impression that it is getting worse ever year and that even casual teenage drinking carries with it devastating implications for our youth, including increasing the alcoholism rate of those who drink early and even death. Do the statistics support these stories? Find out the facts at STATS alcoholnews.org.
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