Welcome to our April 2013 newsletter: Sharing science

This month we’re sharing some of the places we go to find out about science.

Where do you get your science news and information from? And where do you share yours?

Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or email us.

Regards from the @EconnectTeam:

What’s blue and white and read all over? 

By Tom Dixon

ScienceAlert is one of my favourite places to keep up with science information.

Featuring snippets of science news packaged into tweets and Facebook-sized portions, it is one of the world’s most successful science news services.

And best of all, it’s dedicated to us down here in Australia and New Zealand!

Last week’s top Australian stories included:

• the genetics of giant squid (they’re all one species, apparently)
• instantly-appearing gold (from earthquakes)
• cicada wings with antibacterial properties
• nerve-protecting cells that play a role in Alzheimer’s

ScienceAlert also sources some of the best science stories and images from around the world. In the last few days, posts included:

• images of a meteorite storm around Jupiter
• a new species of woodlizard discovered in Peru
• a microscopic blood cell complete with malarial parasite

ScienceAlert was founded by prominent Australian science communicator Julian Cribb and ex-Microsoft programmer and erstwhile neuroscientist-turned-science-communicator Chris Cassella.

Give it a whirl if you like your science served up in expertly-assembled bite-sized chunks. It’s available via the usual social-media suspects (Facebook, Twitter, email alert and the like).

Science on Facebook – trash or treasure?

By Sarah Cole

Here’s why I love finding snippets of science in my Facebook feed:

• My ‘sciencey’ friends share the best of the best from anywhere on the web (or their own science)—so I get personalised and filtered blog posts and news such as 10 simple postures that boost performance.
• My ‘non-sciencey’ friends share hilarious, wacky and jaw-dropping science news and posts.
• By commenting on posts about issues such as taxing carbon, I get to debate with my friends rather than with anonymous bloggers and tweeters.
• People check Facebook frequently—what better way to have science in our everyday lives?
• Although they’re a captive audience, I get to be excited with my friends about science that blows my mind.

I’d love to know how social media gives you useful tip-offs for interesting science news.

This story about a one-eyed albino shark foetus was shared on Facebook. 

Making space for newcomers

By Alison Binney

These days there is limited scope for budding science journalists to get a foothold in mainstream media.

Science news that does get coverage is produced by the few surviving general reporters, or political reporters, especially if the topic has become politicised – for example, reports on coal seam gas, climate change and genetically modified foods.

Scientists themselves are becoming more communication savvy, publishing their own news-style articles in blogs and collaborative online networks.

Newcomers to science reporting need a space to hone their skills, especially so that fundamental journalistic skills  – ethics, news judgment, and the ability to investigate and verify information – do not go by the wayside.

The New Science Journalism (NSJ) project is that space.

I founded and launched the online science news site in 2009 so that budding science writers worldwide can get published in a space that pretty well does what it says ‘on the can’ – publishes new science journalism.

The target contributors to the site are students of media or science courses. The target audience is everyone.

The 185 registered contributors are from more than 100 countries. 149 articles have been published.

Some of the latest articles are by students of The University of Queensland’s science and medical journalism course.

Danielle Sisson’s feature-length article is about how mulesing is a woolly issue for sheep farmers and Nick Kilvert investigates suicide headaches.