March 13, 2007
Images as Scientific Evidence
Rebecca Perry spoke yesterday not only about the use of images in science journalism, but also the use of images in science, as data.
Understanding the purpose of an image is important because if this is misunderstood, the image itself can seem to convey different meanings.
Researchers these days produce much of their data as images. Molecular biologists look at fluorescent microscope images of cells to determine how a protein’s concentration, location or expression is changed in response to manipulations. Similarly, astronomers and physicists peer into the universe with techniques that have become increasingly complicated.
The images produced by these methods are much different than something we can see with our own eyes, even with the aid of a microscope or telescope. Scientists use complicated processing and modification to produce representations of something that was previously invisible.
As science journalists, it’s important to understand how these images are generated, what one is looking at, what it means and whether the evidence is likely to be reliable. This involves the same fact checking, reporting and research that science journalists have always done.
By Katherine Leitzell, 03/13/07 at 12:06 pm
Posted in News
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