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Sep 7, 1999

"Scientists Fear Epidemics From Frozen Viruses."
Well, I bet that caught your attention. It was supposed to grab your attention, so you would read the article. This story came out on various online news sites, some with different headings, but mostly saying the same thing: "prehistoric viruses are emerging as the Arctic ice melts."

The stories emphasize emerging human viruses that "may" have survived for centuries, ones that could threaten the global population. It uses statements from noted researchers and scientists. Here is where you need to learn to be a critical thinker and reader.

What they were actually talking about is a plant virus that they found in the ice. When the researchers were asked, "Is it possible for human viruses to be hidden in the ice and emerge in the future, the researchers said "Yes, it's a possibility." Of course, it's a possibility -- so is earth's being hit by a meteor, but it isn't going to happen tomorrow.

News stories are a great way to find information for a topic, but they shouldn't be the only source of your report or project. They are a starting point. Reporters report the news, but they are not necessarily experts in the field they are reporting on. A good reporter doesn't justreport news. They investigate the facts, they learn more about the subject, and they ask questions of experts. They look for the story inside of the story, and you can, too, with a few simple skills.

First, find a story that interests you. For this example I have selected a news story called "Naked Mole-Rats Live Like Social Insects." I chose this story, because it is interesting, and I found various topics within the article I could use. We will begin with the article from the online news source, linked above.

The article talks about the research scientists at Cornell University have been doing on the behaviors of naked mole rats. The first thing I want to know is, who wrote the original story? I find similar links at the bottom of the article. I chose the link to Paul Sherman's page , because I have a hunch he is involved in the research project.

On his page you will find that he is studying the naked mole-rat's social behavior. This would be my first source. I would make up a list of questions that I might be interested in knowing more about. I will send those, along with an introductory e-mail, to Professor Sherman.

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The copyright of the article News You Can Use in Science for Kids is owned by Debbie St. Germain. Permission to republish News You Can Use in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.