Cathleen O'Grady
@cathleenogrady.bsky.social
4.9K followers 870 following 43 posts
Science journo at @science.org, writing about science & society, research integrity, and other places where the scientific rubber hits the road. 🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇷🇸 Tip? Find me on Signal at cathleen_ogrady.14
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Reposted by Cathleen O'Grady
edhawkins.org
Are you a journalist writing about a current heatwave?

The images you choose are critical to the story.

The @climateoutreach.bsky.social team have shown some ideas here which help stress the risks rather than the typical ice creams: www.climatevisuals.org/how-do-you-p...
How do you photograph heat? - Climate Outreach
www.climatevisuals.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Last week, a preprint reporting expert consensus on smartphones and teen mental health sparked a kerfuffle.

Critics are saying the evidence in the field is too thin to support consensus, and that the findings of the paper have been communicated badly: www.science.org/content/arti...
Social media consensus paper causes social media uproar
Preprint reporting common ground among researchers on smartphones and teen mental health is premature and flawed, critics say
www.science.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Thom, this is brutal reading. To say that the system is short-sighted and unfair is a massive understatement. I remember during my MSc someone telling me that you were a rockstar but struggling to find your next position—appalling that this never changed!
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
A massive health dataset has spawned a wealth of cookie-cutter "research Mad Libs" papers that don't tell us anything useful, but flood the literature with noise. Possibly AI-generated, possibly paper mill origin.

www.science.org/content/arti...
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI
Paper mills are also likely contributing to “false discoveries”
www.science.org
Reposted by Cathleen O'Grady
kakape.bsky.social
“The lived experience of a scientist right now is terrifying”

My colleague Warren Cornwall spoke to @gregggonsalves.bsky.social, @rebekahtromble.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social
and others about “the fear and self-censorship coursing through the nation’s scientific establishment today”.
🧪
Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate
Many worry about retribution. But for others, speaking out is worth the risk
www.science.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Smart and important story from @rebekahwhite.bsky.social. Some geoengineering experiments have brought nearby communities on board; others have failed to get support. What should scientists do to genuinely engage with people about their concerns?

www.science.org/content/arti...
Geoengineering could fight climate change—if the public can be convinced
Researchers’ failures to communicate are jeopardizing even basic tests, but new projects may point the way forward
www.science.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
This is awesome: "As we incorporated [ASL vocab] into the course, we found that students who relied solely on an interpreter started to outperform hearing students ... Deaf students also began to seek out research opportunities more often than they did previously."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘A beautiful way of saying a lot’: sign language brings benefits to the organic chemistry classroom
Christina Goudreau Collison works with Deaf students to develop clear signs for organic chemistry terms — which could also help students with non-conventional learning needs.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Cathleen O'Grady
bittelmethis.bsky.social
I couldn't do what I do w/out the generosity of scientists, many of whom have taken calls while on vacation, while ill, or while dealing with personal tragedies. They communicate complex ideas, oftentimes in a second language. They have made me laugh, cry, and buckle beneath the wonder of it all. 🧪
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
Scientists do not get paid for getting quoted in the newspaper about science.

People know this, right?

Last year I was quoted in about 30 media articles, and I received a grand total of $0 for this.

We do it because it’s important, not because we get paid.
Reposted by Cathleen O'Grady
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education.

So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it?

Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language
Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices
www.science.org
Reposted by Cathleen O'Grady
jfbeacom.bsky.social
This is the article of my dreams. Finally, finally delving into the ways in which cochlear implants can fail deaf kids, and the importance of early sign language - all upside, no downside. Amazing work, @cathleenogrady.bsky.social !
Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language
Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices
www.science.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Thank you! That means a lot. The thrust of this piece will obviously not be new to deaf people & allies, but I hope it'll be helpful in communicating the ideas more broadly!
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Immensely grateful to all the researchers and families who gave up their time to share their stories with me for this piece. And stories like these always have a huge, invisible team behind the scenes – check out the amazing graphics, illustration and visualization of sound through an implant!
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Many researchers and advocates say the answer is bilingualism. Sure, give deaf kids access to spoken language – but also make sure that they have a foundation for language acquisition in a language that's fully accessible to them: a sign language like ASL.
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Kids who can't hear well, even though they have assistive technology, can be deprived of language access during the critical years when their brains should be soaking in language. That can have lifelong cognitive, social, educational and health consequences.
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
The sound from cochlear implants can be like a bad phone line. For some deaf children, that sound is not enough for them to acquire spoken language.

But around half of the professionals advising parents of deaf kids steer them away from sign language.
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education.

So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it?

Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language
Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices
www.science.org
cathleenogrady.bsky.social
Great thread from @jbakcoleman.bsky.social on my story about ecologists reaching different conclusions from the same data. Should we be worried? Maybe about analytical ability – but maybe not so much about science's ability to reach a clear answer. 🧪