The Observatory — December 7, 2010 05:07 PM
The Right Place for Scientific Debate?
Scientists snub media as controversy over arsenic-eating microbes rolls on
By Curtis Brainard
TAGS: arsenic, extraterrestrials, microbiology, NASA
First there was the wild speculation about the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Then came widespread, sometimes misguided, coverage of the real news: discovery of a bacterium than can substitute arsenic for phosphorus, one six elements considered essential for life (which may, perhaps, expand the scope of humanity’s search for life beyond this planet).
Now comes the third installment in the commotion-filled saga: widespread criticism of the paper detailing the discovery, published last Thursday in Science, and an apparent snubbing of the media by the paper’s authors and NASA (which helped fund the research), who rebuffed journalists’ requests for a response to the criticism.
The latest round of controversy began on Saturday when University of British Columbia microbiologist Rosie Redfield penned a scathing critique of the paper, “A Bacterium That Can Grow by Using Arsenic Instead of Phosphorous,” on her personal blog. One of the key findings of the study was that the bacterium, discovered in Mono Lake and cultured in a lab, incorporated arsenic into its DNA. But Redfield argued that the paper didn’t “present ANY convincing evidence” that that actually happened (for DNA or any of the bacterium’s other biological molecules).
Redfield criticized a number of the research team’s methodologies. For instance, she argued that scientists did not correctly purify the DNA in order to remove any arsenic that might simply have been sticking to the DNA. She also said that the bacterium was grown in an environment with enough phosphorous (even at such a depleted level) to account for the observed bacterial growth, which was attributed to arsenic. The “bottom line,” Redfield wrote, was “lots of flim-flam, but very little reliable information.”
Redfield’s post immediately caught on in the blogosphere. Science reporter David Dobbs highlighted it on his Wired Science blog, Neuron Culture, observing that although he wasn’t familiar with Redfield, “her opinion was quickly seconded in the blog’s comments and on Twitter by many sharp scientists.”
Things got even more interesting when NASA rebuffed the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after it sought comment on Redfield’s critique. According to its article, published Monday evening:
When NASA spokesman Dwayne Brown was asked about public criticisms of the paper in the blogosphere, he noted that the article was peer-reviewed and published in one of the most prestigious scientific journals. He added that [Felisa] Wolfe-Simon [the paper’s lead author] will not be responding to individual criticisms, as the agency doesn’t feel it is appropriate to debate the science using the media and bloggers. Instead, it believes that should be done in scientific publications.
“Any discourse will have to be peer-reviewed in the same manner as our paper was, and go through a vetting process so that all discussion is properly moderated,” wrote Felisa Wolfe-Simon of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. “The items you are presenting do not represent the proper way to engage in a scientific discourse and we will not respond in this manner.”
...
Read more here/Leia mais aqui: Columbia Journalism Review
+++++
NOTA CAUSTICANTE DESTE BLOGGER:
Alguns cientistas quando falam em nome da Nomenklatura científica, são de uma empáfia nauseabunda, como se eles tivessem a palavra final sobre as descobertas científicas: não admitem críticas às suas descobertas. O mesmo se aplica também à Grande Mídia que, segundo Marcelo Leite, jornalista especial da Folha de São Paulo, a atitude para com os críticos deve ser: "Não damos espaço".
Gente, não admitir críticas e controvérsias em ciência é uma manifestação de ditadura epistêmica. É somente pelas críticas e controvérsias (ocorrendo publica e civilmente em todos os espaços) é que é saudável e contribui para o avanço da ciência.
As universidades brasileiras, quando a questão é sobre as teorias da origem e evolução do universo e da vida, também impede que outras ideias sejam debatidas. Mesmo as científicas. Universidade, eu aprendi, é um universo de ideias, e as ideias estão aí para serem debatidas.
O que assistismos hoje no Brasil é esta mesma empáfia zombadora dos críticos e oponentes, e daqueles que trazem novas ideias para serem debatidas academicamente: complexidade irredutível de sistemas biológicos e informação complexa especificada como no DNA, e o que isso significa em termos da robustez dos atuais paradigmas. O que nós vemos e assistimos é uma inquisição sem fogueiras no tratamento dispensado aos que não rezam pelos dogmas da cartilha da Nomenklatura científica. Infelizmente, nas universidades brasileiras, ninguém pensa diferente, e assim todos estão pensado em nada.
A atitude de empáfia eu chamo de Síndrome luciferiana: julgar-se o dono da verdade e de lançar luz sobre pontos obscuros que a natureza reluta revelar.
