CFH and Macular Degeneration
This web page was produced as an assignment for Gen677 at UW-Madison Spring 2010.
Popular Press vs. Scientific Article
Popular press and scientific articles are two different species of writing. Popular press articles are for the general public, while the target audience of scientific articles is only other scientists in the field. Popular press articles are designed to inform the public of an event or relay information that would be important to know for all walks of life. Science articles are written to take the reader through the steps of the research performed so that the knowledge gained by the researcher can be shared with other scientists. Because of this and the fact that future research may be based on the results of the experiment, much more detail is included in science article.
The popular press article did a good job of conveying the basic information about the science discovery in a way that is accessible to the public. However, the article fails to connect the biological significance of the gene's function to the disease like the scientific article does. Although the popular press article attempts to include some statistics from the scientific paper, it does not explain them as clearly as the scientific article
The scientific article goes much deeper into the methodology and science of the experiments than the popular press article. The reader learns much more about the terminology generally used, the genetics behind the research and how the identified gene is hypothesized to contribute to the development of the disease. Such information is not included in the popular press article, which is appropriate because it would be beyond most of the public’s understanding.
1. Haines, J. L., M. A. Hauser, S. Schmidt, W. K. Scott, L. M. Olson, P. Gallins, K. L. Spencer, S. Y. Kwan, M. Noureddine, J. R. Gilbert, N. Schnetz-Boutaud, A. Agarwal, E. A. Postel, and M. A. Pericak-Vance. 2005. Complement Factor H Variant Increases the Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Science. 308:419-421.
2. Pollack, A. 2005. 3 Studies Link Variant Gene to Risk of Severe Vision Loss. The New York Times. National:.
