1. SCIENCE LITERACY Science in the media
Why is it important to understand science?

3. [Correlation ≠ Causation]
Problem #1
When people hear about a correlation, they assume that one thing is causing the other… but actually,
It’s important to look for alternative explanations why two things are correlated. Never assume one causes the other!
Playing violent video games correlates with aggression
[Correlation ≠ Causation]
Human Study (not an experiment) vs. Experiment
-What is the lurking variable (Z)?
-Define independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variables.
-In the example, what is the independent variable? Dependent variable? Controlled variables?

4. r = 0.84

5. ↑ Swimming
↑ Beach
Rescues
↑ Temperatures

6. r = 0.91
Distributions that are single-peaked and symmetric with no outliers can be modeled with a bell curve. In later lessons we will learn how using a normal model helps us connect information about a sample to information about the whole population.

7. ↑ Age
↑ Shoe size
↑ Reading Score

8. [Correlation ≠ Causation]
Sometimes, X causes Y.
Sometimes, X and Y are related but one does not cause the other.
And sometimes, a two things that are correlated are completely unrelated!
Spurious Correlations

9. Phrases that mean there is a correlation between two things:
“Shoe size is related to reading score”
“US spending on science is associated with suicides by hanging”
“Violent video games are linked to aggression”
“Ice cream could cause drowning”
↑ really bad!

10. [The Dose Makes The Poison]
Problem #2
People think that anything you consume with a harmful chemical in it is unsafe to consume… but actually,
Chemicals can have harmful effects if you have too much, but they might be safe (harmless) at lower amounts.
Too much of almost anything can be harmful.
[The Dose Makes The Poison]

11. [The Dose Makes The Poison]
Some chemicals that are harmful at a high dose are necessary for you to live!
Too much of anything can be harmful.

12. name, date, period, title = “Water”
Claim: How much water would you have to drink in a short period of time for it to kill you?
Evidence: Use at least 3 examples from stories
Reasoning: Since the stories are about different people with different ages and volumes, explain how you came to your answer.
Conversions (approximations)
1 Gallon ≈ 4 Liters cups ≈ ½ Gallon
1 Liter ≈ 1 Quart
End

13. “The dose makes the poison”

15. What does this mean?

17. Supposedly harmful chemicals are only harmful at a certain dose
Supposedly harmful chemicals are only harmful at a certain dose. Just because a chemical is present does not mean the chemical is harmful in the amount present.

18. Explain this to a 10 year old, and give an example

19. Why is this bad logic? Formaldehyde causes cancer
Vaccines have formaldehyde
Therefore, vaccines are dangerous
hint:
Water causes hyponatremia and even death
Fruits have water
Therefore, fruits are dangerous.
The first example does not address the amount of formaldehyde in vaccines. The pear example on the last slide shows that the amount of formaldehyde in vaccines is very low compared to a safe amount found in pears.

20. [The Dose Makes The Poison]
Chemical X is harmful.
Chemical X is in this food.
Is this food harmful?
What two pieces of information do you need
in order to answer this question?
How much of chemical X is in this food, and at what dose is chemical X harmful?

22. End
Continue on your science literacy notes… Answer this: What is this comparison trying to convey?
“The cereal is unnatural and has tons of different chemicals, and the organic fruit don’t so they are healthier.”

23. Problem #3
People think all “chemicals” are harmful, especially if they have big scary names! But actually…
[EVERYTHING is made of chemicals] Chemicals are not automatically bad just because they’re “chemicals”!

26. [EVERYTHING is made of chemicals]
Her definition of “chemicals” is limited to things with scary and complicated “chemical” names, which she thinks must be harmful.
What is food babe’s definition of “chemicals”?

27. Translation: If I don’t know what it is, it must be harmful.

28. What is the message they’re trying to convey about chemicals?
Scary chemical names are harmful. The more complicated the name is, the more harmful she thinks it is.
Breyer’s Commercials

29. This is NOT natural https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhhCi7nMFI
The name of the chemical doesn’t tell us anything about how good or bad it is.
This is NOT natural

31. Why is this bad logic?

32. People also don’t realize that a molecule’s properties are determined by the other molecules that they are attached to!
Sodium thrown into a pond:

33. is made of sugar (sucrose) with some chlorines attached.
Why is this bad logic?
Bleach has chlorine
Splenda (sucralose) 
is made of sugar (sucrose) with some chlorines attached.
Therefore, Splenda is dangerous.
Different molecules have different properties.
“You don’t want your kids
drinking bleach, do you?”

37. [ “Natural” ≠ Healthier]
Problem #4
People think that “natural” things are, by definition, “good” while other things are harmful just because they are “not natural”… but actually,
Whether something is natural or not has nothing to do with whether it’s healthy/safe or not.
What do you consider to be natural vs. unnatural?
[ “Natural” ≠ Healthier]

39. [ “Natural” ≠ Healthier]
Let’s make a chart! List 5 things in each of the 4 sections
“Natural”
(found in nature)
“Unnatural”
(made by humans)
Bad, Unhealthy, or Unsafe to consume
Good, Healthy, or Safe to consume

41. (note: she was a congresswoman that ran for president in 2016)
CO2 is contributing to global warming, and the fact that it’s natural has nothing to do with whether or not it’s harmful.
(note: she was a congresswoman that ran for president in 2016)

43. Summarize and comment on Dr. Hull’s quotes about Splenda(
“Splenda CAN adversely affect the body in
several ways because it IS a chemical substance
and not natural sugar.”
“Sugar is like a two-sided coin: heads – if natural, it can be useful to the body, and tails – if altered by man, it can be harmful to the body.” 
“Unnatural artificial sweeteners may affect your
health.  Why take the chance?  With this book,
  you can drink it safely.”

44. 2 stretch and check snaps break
2 minutes
This ‘sand timer’ will start on a mouse click anywhere on the slide. The ‘sand’ will drain from the top section to the lower section and when completed will show the word ‘End’.
To change the timings of this timer, you need to enter the animation settings, and change the timings for the Isosceles Triangles. There will be 2 that need changing (to the same amount) – one animates the top triangle emptying, whilst the other animates the bottom triangle filling.
When you change the timings these have to entered as a number of seconds.
End

45. (Anecdote = a story about a personal experience)
Problem #5
People think that their own experiences or stories they’ve heard count as proof when arguing about science… but actually,
[Anecdote ≠ Evidence]
(Anecdote = a story about a personal experience)

46. Argument from ignorance
People naturally try to come up with explanations for their experiences, and they are often wrong.
When people can’t figure out what happened, they jump to false conclusions.
e.g. unidentified flashing lights must be aliens!

48. Placebo Effect Confirmation Bias
People feel positive effects from a fake drug/treatment just because they believe the it works.
People pay more attention to things that agree with what they believe and less attention to what they don’t believe.
Confirmation Bias

49. [Anecdote ≠ Evidence]
People can be wrong or biased about what they think they experienced.
One person’s experience does not mean that others will have the same experience.
One person’s experience can’t invalidate the experiences of everyone else.
Controlled experiments are necessary to get evidence of cause and effect.
Example: sugar & hyperactivity:

51. Post hoc ergo propter hoc (“After this, therefore, because of this”) X happens then Y happens, so people mistakenly assume that X caused Y.

53. Summarize and comment on Dr. Mercola’s quotes about Splenda
“There are reports from all over the world
from people who report being harmed by sucralose.” ( Splenda)
“You can help us continue our Splenda
research by supplying us with your
own experience. If you or anyone
you know has had an adverse
reaction to Splenda or sucralose
containing products, please tell
us your story.”

55. Artificial Sweeteners
Start new notes for artificial sweeteners, write your title/name/date/period
Add this to your Table of Contents
Answer these questions:
What are artificial sweeteners (sugar substitutes)?
Where can they be found?
Who can benefit from using them, and why?
Who shouldn’t use them, and why?

56. Are artificial sweeteners safe?
Dr. Mercola
Dr. Carroll
Dr. Hyman
Steven Tran (Personal Trainer)
For each video, take notes and think about the following:
What is the author’s claim?
What evidence do they give you?
How do you feel about the way it was presented?
Did you notice any science literacy problems?
What makes you trust this source more or less?
What thoughts or questions do you have about the video or the information they gave you?

57. Are artificial sweeteners safe?
What are your current opinions on the safety of artificial sweeteners?
What final questions do you have about artificial sweeteners that might help you decide on how safe they are?
Group leader check for name/date/per/title and turn in all of your groups papers and yellow handouts

58. Continue on Artificial Sweetener notes
Copy this:
The “Acceptable daily intake” (ADI) is 100 times LESS than the smallest amount that might cause health concerns.
Answer these:
Based on the ADI, how many diet cokes can Mr. Warren safely drink each day?
Wister Marren left his 50 lb. child unattended. When he returned, it had eaten 15 packets of Splenda! How concerned should he be?
Why might people report health problems (due to artificial sweeteners) when they don’t even consume more than the ADI?

61. C-1: Artificial Sweeteners Essay (Evidence Based Writing) (6-9 paragraphs in total, Worth 20 points, up to 25 points including C-7)
Introduction Paragraph
Introduce the topic (artificial sweeteners) in an way that shows why it’s interesting or important.
Make your claim about the safety or healthiness of using them. (You may be as specific or as general as you want, as long as your evidence addresses everything)
Body (3-6 paragraphs, +1 extra credit for each past 3 paragraphs)
Describe one of Dr. Mercola’s major points (from the pink handout).
Explain how a science literacy concept counters that argument.
Provide your own commentary on what people should think or how people should feel about that specific issue.
Body (this body paragraph doesn’t have to go last)
Explain the ADI (provided by the Food and Drug Administration) and how it relates to your claim.
Provide examples from the chart(s)
Conclusion
Rephrase your claim, tying in practical application.
(What’s your big message for people? What should they think or do, now that you’ve convinced them of your opinions?)

62. Science Literacy Reflection (Worth 5 stamps)
(copy this ↑ quote)
What does this quote mean? (Use a dictionary if necessary.)
Explain in detail (at least 1 paragraph) how to decide who to trust when two sources provide conflicting views on a health topic.
Describe your thoughts/feelings (at least 1 paragraph) about the science literacy lesson (the way the lesson was given, how difficult it was, how interesting or valuable it was, what you learned, etc.)