How well do the media portray the scientific research? Do they say all the risk that may be associated with it? Or are they even remotely accurate?
Most tests are performed on animals before they are tested on humans. But what about tests that involve the way animals and humans perceive? What about how the animal or human thinks after a treatment? People can live perfectly happy lives without being able to distinguish between two basic colors. What would happen to these humans if they suddenly become able to distinguish between them? Scientists at Washington University Seattle have been doing research on squirrel monkeys. Not to see what may happen to them psychologically, but to develop a cure for color-blindness. Their research has proven to be quite successful, and both the media and the research agree with this. But what the media lacks to mention is the concern for human patients. The scientists couldn’t find anything psychologically wrong with the treated monkeys. They performed the test just like the normal color seeing monkeys did. But this doesn’t mean that the risk isn’t there.
The media did explain the test and how it was conducted well. The only fault I noticed was that the monkeys were “prompted by a tone. “ Nowhere in the research did they mention that the monkeys were trained to touch the dots that changed color in order to earn a reward. Instead the sound was intended to be a reward as well. As the research states, “Correct choices were rewarded with a small amount of white grape juice and a positive dinging sound. Following incorrect choices, no juice was delivered and a negative buzzer tone sounded.”
The final piece of research that the media didn’t mention was the potential risk to humans. The researchers had no problems with the injection of the “virus” but it did mention several potential physical accidents with it. Such risks as irritation or infection, as well as the potential of detachment of the retina and blindness, should be mentioned. As previously mention, there are of course the psychological issues that may arise. There is of course the simple fact that the cure will simply not work on humans as it did with monkeys. While benefits are mentioned in the research and the article, such things as humans being able to see in color and better understanding of the brain and the mechanics of the eye, the risks should not have been left out of the article.
Had to fix the links so I would understand where the fuck they went to.