Category Archives: Science Communication

UBC researcher disproves NASA scientist’s “arsenic-based life” claim

Posted on November 28, 2012 by christiewlchan | Leave a comment

To date, every living creature known to man utilizes 6 “essential” elements – carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. That’s why in December 2010, when NASA scientist Dr. Feliza Wolfe-Simon made the extraordinary claim that she had found an organism that was able to use arsenic in place of phosphorus, it quickly became a hot topic to both the scientific community and the general public.

Dr. Wolfe-Simon conducted an experiment on a microbe of the Halomonadaceae family, strain GFAJ-1, from Mono Lake, California.

Picture of Mono Lake, California, where Dr. Wolfe-Simon discovered GFAJ-1. Author: Michael Gabler. Wikimedia Commons License.

From this, she drew two contentious conclusions, that GFAJ-1 could use arsenic: 1) as a nutrient when there is no phosphate present 2) in place of phosphorus in its DNA backbone.

Such daring claims require strong evidence, so numerous scientists from a variety of backgrounds scrutinized Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s paper. A landslide of criticism of the study’s methodology and data analysis, as well as her interpretation of the data, ensued. Dr. Redfield was one of the leading voices in this; she published numerous criticisms of Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s paper (blog, twitter, technical comment, and study).

Here is a brief video interview with Dr. Redfield about her study and Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s study:

To conclusively prove Dr. Wolfe-Simon incorrect, Dr. Redfield replicated Wolfe-Simon’s study. She grew GFAJ-1 in media with varying levels of both phosphate (no phosphate – 3.5uM, abundant phosphate – 1500uM) and arsenic (no arsenic – 0mM, abundant arsenic – 40 mM). She then conducted both growth analyses to determine if GFAJ-1 used arsenic as a nutrient, and DNA analyses to determine if arsenic was incorporated into the DNA backbone, on the colonies.

For growth analyses, Dr. Redfield noted that Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s “no phosphate” condition was actually contaminated by 3.5-4 uM of phosphate, an amount which supports moderate growth in most bacteria. Additionally, Dr. Redfield determined that the growth of GFAJ-1 was entirely dependent on the level of phosphate present, and showed no relationship to the level of arsenic, meaning that arsenic is not used for GFAJ-1 growth. DNA analyses using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that there was no incorporation of arsenic into the DNA backbone of GFAJ-1. Dr. Wolfe-Simon failed to prepare specimens properly by conducting washes; free arsenate in the media is likely what Dr. Wolfe-Simon detected, instead of arsenic incorporation in DNA.

There are many additional criticisms from a variety of angles (chemistry, microbiology, etc.) that scientists, including Dr. Redfield, believed to be glaringly obvious. As the inadequacies of Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s studies were revealed to the public, questions about how Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s study could’ve passed the peer review process were posed to the scientific community. How did the scientific process, and more specifically, the peer review process, not catch the mistakes in Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s paper? Is there a problem with the scientific process, and do we need to change it?

Here’s a podcast with an overview of peer review, and Dr. Redfield’s thoughts on the role of peer review in Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s study:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

It seems that although Dr. Wolfe-Simon’s study may be “bad science,” Dr. Redfield does not believe that this is enough to conclude that the peer review process needs to be changed.

– Christie Wing Long Chan, Mandip Parmar, Ryan Song, Alice Yoo

Citations for the video and podcast: citation

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Posted on November 12, 2012 by clforbes | Leave a comment

Granny smith, gala, ambrosia… yummy. I’ve never really understood how people cannot like apples. They are so delicious, and can be eaten in such a nice variety of ways. Eat them right off the tree, put them in a salad, drown them in peanut butter, bake them in a pie, cover them in caramel… really, the list goes on and on. But besides the fact of being delicious, there are other reasons why I love this fruit.

Varieties of Apples

The saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” definitely holds some truth to it. There are many health benefits included in eating apples, and I’ll highlight a few of them. First of all, apples have been shown to be great for the heart. A recent study out of the University of Michigan found that rodents with identical diets, except for one also eating apples, had much different results with regards to blood pressure and overall heart function at the end of the study. The rodents who had apples added to their diets had lowered blood pressure, reduced cholesterol and also reduced oxidative stress.

A professor from Ohio State University briefly talking about the benefits that apples provide to the heart.

Another reason to eat apples is to help with the prevention of cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research shows that from eating one apple, we receive 10 percent of our needed daily intake of fiber and vitamin C. From these specific nutrients, we help reduce the risk of getting such colon and esophageal cancers. They also mention that apples have phytochemicals, which play a role in cancer prevention. Phytochemicals are chemicals which benefit are health, but are not ranked high enough to be considered essential.

These are only a few of the perks when including apples in our diets. Don’t enjoy eating them raw? As I said earlier, this scrumptious fruit can be served in a variety of ways, such as hot apple cider, apple sauce, or apple muffins.

Eat an apple a day– don’t delay!

Chelsea Forbes

The Role of Genetics in Athletic Ability

Posted on November 12, 2012 by mparmar | 1 comment

What exactly are genes?

A gene is a segment of DNA located on specific areas of the chromosomes that functions to control the production of proteins and directs the activities of cells. Every person has two copies of each gene; one copy comes from the father, and the other from the mother. Genes determine an individual’s characteristics such as hair color, eye color, and even ones athletic abilities. Specifically, genes have a large influence over strength, muscle size, muscle fiber composition, lung capacity, and flexibility.

Diagram of a gene. Showing a gene is a segment of DNA on a chromosome. Source: J.Craig Venter Institute

Moreover, research indicates two specific genes, ATCN-3 and the ACE gene, have a very close relationship to the athletic performance of an individual.

What is the relationship between the ATCN-3 Gene and athletic performance?

The ATCN-3 gene is responsible for producing a protein called α-actinin-3. This protein is found in fast-twitch muscle fibers. The main function of this protein to generate intense muscle contractions during high velocity movements such as sprinting and weight lifting. There are two variants of the ACTN-3 gene. One is the R variant and the other is the X variant. Power athletes usually have the R variant whereas endurance athletes have the X variant. Moreover, researchers have concluded that every Olympic level power athlete has a minimum of one copy of the ACTN-3 gene, and that it is impossible for someone to achieve top ranks in power sports without the gene. Also, another specific gene that determines an individual’s athletic potential is called the ACE gene.

This video by GeneTechPI explains in more detail the influence of ACTN-3 on physical performance:

What is the relationship between the ACE Gene and athletic performance?

The basic function of the ACE gene is to regulate the rate of blood that flows throughout your body. The way in which this is accomplished is by first activating a hormone called angiotensin. Once this hormone is activated, it regulates the constriction of the blood vessels, and hence regulates the rate of blood flow. Individuals that have this gene are better endurance athletes, and respond a lot better to endurance training due greater efficiency of blood flow regulation. Moreover, two variants exist, called the I and D variants. Rowers and long distance runners usually have the I variant, whereas power athletes like sprinters and weight lifters have the D variant.

So without the right genes, is it still possible to become a really good athlete?

With proper training and nutrition, you can get to a certain level but in the end genetics determine if you are capable of being an superstar athlete. It has been concluded by researchers that roughly 20-80% of athletic performance is related to genes. In fact, many Olympic level coaches believe that genetic testing should be an important component of the selection process in order to choose the very best athletes for their teams.

-Mandip Parmar

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged ace, actn-3, athletics, biology, genes, physiology, sports performance

Is Cholesterol Good or Bad?

Posted on November 5, 2012 by shadisaffari | 3 comments

Photo by EMSL (http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsl/4704802544/)

With the recent trends in the 21^st century, people are more concerned and becoming more knowledgeable of the risks with elevated levels of cholesterol. Many people when hear about cholesterol immediately relate it with heart problems however cholesterol has many prominent functions in the body.

Cholesterol, a waxy steroid fat, plays an important role in various systems in the human body. Cholesterol has many functions; it helps in maintaining membrane flow and permeability. It is the basis for synthesizing bile acid, which help to digest food in the intestine. Additionally cholesterol is the precursor for Vitamin D synthesis as well as steroid based hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Cholesterol is also a constituent of myelin sheath that surround nerve fibres to help speed up the rate of signal transduction between nerves. Thus it is crucial to mental function.

Liver makes approximately 85% of cholesterol and only 15% is provided through diet. Cholesterol cannot travel by itself in the body since it does not dissolve in the bloodstream therefore it is transported via lipoproteins. There are two major types of lipoproteins, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is commonly believed to be the ‘bad’ cholesterol as it takes the cholesterol that is produced by the liver to feed the tissues. High level of LDL cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis, which is a hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol build up, and thus plaque formation. HDL cholesterol reduces cholesterol by transporting excess cholesterol from tissues to the liver for elimination from the body.

How can we control our cholesterol level?

Life style changes are one of the first methods for reducing cholesterol levels. Exercising and maintaining a healthy diet can help to reduce LDL.

Photo by Cienpies Design
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/123980

An interesting food product that is commonly found in households that helps reduce cholesterol is honey! Honey has found to reduce total cholesterol level. It contain antioxidant the prevent cholesterol form coming out of the cells and into the arteries thus reducing LDL cholesterol. Increasing dietary fibres also reduce total LDL by binding to bile acid and carry them outside the body, promoting the liver to convert more cholesterol to bile acid. In addition to natural solution to lower cholesterol levels medications such as statins is recommended which is very effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Shadi Saffari

sources:

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Cell-Membrane.html

http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/bileacids.php

http://www.livestrong.com/article/22110-cholesterol-made-liver/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_lipoprotein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_lipoprotein

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001224/

http://cholesterol.about.com/od/treatments/a/tlc.htm

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-lowers-cholesterol.html

http://cholesterol.about.com/od/cholesterolnutrition101/tp/Fiber.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statin

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged Bile acid, Cholesterol, Dietary fiber, HDL, Healthy life style, LDL, liver

Time to get your flu shots!

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Alice | 4 comments

A man blowing his nose into a tissue. Picture by UBC Risk Management Services

Don’t you just hate catching the flu when exams and holidays are just around the corner? Don’t be disheartened, but flu season is back!

Flu shot advertisement. Picture by n0sylla87 on Flickr.

Annually, around this time of the year, we see advertisements for flu shots. Also, for the first time, flu clinics are offering free vaccination for children aged between six months and five years. The University of British Columbia (UBC) is offering its students with free influenza vaccinations so if you haven’t got it yet, prepare yourselves by getting vaccinated.

So to start with, how does our body react to the influenza viruses? During the fight against the flu, two types of immune cells are at work, B and T cells. B cells make the antibodies which interfere with the viruses’ entry into the cells. But if they do enter the body, the T cells recognize the infected cells and kill them. But there is flaw to our immune system; it only develops response when it encounters a particular virus. This process is time consuming; so while the antibodies are being made, the virus spreads throughout. This is where the vaccines come in. Vaccines protect people from the virus, making the antibodies in advance by having the B cells that encounter the protein on the virus. So when vaccinated people get infected, the B cells quickly release their antibodies.

The following clip simplifies how viruses enter our body.

The limitation of the current vaccines is that they only protect against the flu viruses of the matching protein, so if the virus evolves to a different shape, the antibodies do not recognize it. Therefore, we need to get our flu shots every year. Scientists predict the dominant strain of the viruses each year to create new vaccines.

Dr. Nabel, the director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other experts predicted that present vaccines will be replaced by longer lasting vaccines. They said that the goal is to get the “shots when you’re young, and then boosters later in life” and that they are not that far away from reaching it. If they are to create this universal vaccine, they would have to attack the part of the virus that changes little every year. Now, Dr. Wilson of the Scripps Research Institute discovered a new antibody that can slither onto the groove of the surface protein of the virus. It attaches to a wide range of flu viruses and they found out that the grooves cannot transform much because the viruses attach to the host cells here. So, further expanding on the Dr. Wilson’s discoveries, Dr. Nabel developed a vaccine that produces new antibodies in humans. Now the problem from developing the perfect influenza vaccine is to get the body to make lots of these antibodies, but we are getting closer!

-Minji Yoo-

4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged B cells, flu, influenza, T cells, vaccine, virus

Malicious Scientific Miscommunication

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Tony Hui | 6 comments

As you probably have seen in malls or in online ads, there have been a recent surge in products known as “energy bracelets”. Examples you may have heard include “negative ion” bracelets or “hologram bracelets”.

You have probably also heard that these bracelets can improve balance, treat disease, and perhaps even save the world. Skeptical, you might ask the salesperson why or how these bracelets would help you. They would then give you a whole lot of scientific jargon and explain why each piece of false evidence is true.

A video from Infinity Pro advertising their bracelets. Notice the extreme amounts of scientific jargon that mean absolutely nothing?

If you were to look at a typical bracelet website, such as Energy Force, you would find that they make numerous claims such as

“ENERGY FORCE…regulates your body’s frequency to an ideal level. Optimal health and peak performance occur when your body maintains ionic balance (the exchange between negative and positive charges) and free flowing energy pathways (harmony) at the optimum frequency.”

How does this bracelet maintain balance? Why does ionic balance matter for health? How does it help you stay healthy? Why is it good to have the “optimal frequency”?

In reality, you wouldn’t find any answers to these questions, because these claims are not scientifically proven.

However, there are some much more devious scams that try to trick you in much less obvious ways. They do this by manipulating scientific data in order to make it fit their claims.

Picture made by EQBandz. Source: http://www.eqbandz.com/images/banner2.png

Some examples of the claims made by EQbandz

1. “Anti-oxidising: US Dept. of Agriculture found that anions led to 52% less dust in the air and 95% less bacteria“
2. “Emotional: 25 people tested with seasonal affective depression (SAD) found that anion treatment proved to be as effective against SAD as antidepressants without the side effects of these drugs”
3. “Immune system: Norwich Union Insurance Group: Reduced incidence of sickness and headaches by 78% when exposed to 1000 anions per C/C.”
4. “Aging: Dr Nagao Katsharu, Japan found that skin cells were replaced at 2.5 times normal speed with anions by accelerating the delivery of oxygen to the cells and tissues.”

These claims sound like the band is 100% scientifically proven to work! However, if one was to track these down, they would find that these claims reference studies that were done using gigantic air-ionizer fans, which are much more powerful than a small bracelet. Interestingly a simple Google search reveals that the “doctor” in claim 4 does not seem to even exist. There are much more problems with these claims, and they can be found here.

katatrepsis has this to say:

[The companies are basically saying] “look at all this good stuff air ionisers do, here’s a bracelet that does the same thing” [which] is like saying “look how great scuba equipment is for breathing underwater, here’s a paper bag filled with air”

The conclusions that can be made from research have to be very carefully constructed. By taking legitimate research and formed their own unscientific conclusions, these companies can maliciously miscommunicate the studies to trick potential consumers.

As students in a science communication class, we have a duty to be able to identify these miscommunications and set them straight for the public, as katatrepsis does.

– Tony Hui

References:
http://trueler.com/2011/10/19/holographic-energy-bands-bracelet-watches-scam/
http://www.lifestrength.com/the-vitamin-you-wear
http://katatrepsis.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/negative-ions-and-health-a-review/
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/powerbalance.htm
http://www.health24.com/fitness/General/16-4634,60576.asp

6 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science Communicators

Tagged Communication, ethics, philosophy, research, scam, Sleep

Is Texting the Downfall of the English Language?

Posted on October 29, 2012 by rmchang | 7 comments

Text-speak or textisms, you’ve used them. Everyone is guilty of using OMG, LOL, or IDK at least once. And really, how could you even avoid it? Today, using abbreviated words in texting is quick and easy universal slang. The question is: how is this distinct text speech affecting our everyday language?

Picture source

In recent years, this question has been asked a lot with mixed results. Some studies have shown that text-speak has a negative effect on literacy skills, lowering grammar scores of middle school students. It was found that students improvised text-speak, which drops vowels, consonants, punctuation, and capitalization, in academic assignments. On the other hand, studies have actually found a positive or no relationship between using text-speak abbreviations and student’s literacy skills. They argue that to fully understand and correctly use text-speak, you need to first have a higher understanding of the language.

Picture source

Studies also debunk the media fuelled idea of preteens being responsible for creating and using confusing letter and number mash-ups in their daily communication- practically ‘speaking another language’. In actuality, it’s young adults, 18 to 24-year-olds, which are using and developing this language. One linguist adds that in texts, 90% of the words are in proper English, and further argues that abbreviations have limitations in properly conveying ideas. In fact, people will type out “please” and “thank you” three times more than “pls” and “thx”. Moreover, he brings up that textisms really aren’t a new phenomenon, but have been around for dozens of years.

Watch the SourceFed video below and follow their links for more interesting facts!

In the last decade texting and text-speak has become a major form of communication, specifically for adolescents. The fact that our language is constantly changing overtime also needs to be taken into consideration and accepted. How people spoke in the 1800s is nowhere near how we speak today just like our future generations’ language will evolve as well. Whether texting’s lasting effect will be positive or negative on the English language, conflicting studies say it can go either way.

– Rachel Chang

7 Comments

Posted in Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged Cell phones, Communication, Grades, language, Teenagers, Text-speak, Texting, Texts

Folic Acid Contributing to Healthy Prenatal Development

Posted on October 22, 2012 by clforbes | 2 comments

It can sometimes be a pain ,or easy to forget to take our vitamins. It is however very important to take vitamins in capsule form if we are not getting all the essential ones in our diet. This is especially true to all the women who are planning on having a baby, or are involved in activities which may result in becoming pregnant. Folic acid is a vitamin which is very important to consume in order to ensure healthy development of the unborn child.

What is folic acid exactly? It is a B vitamin which is produced by bacteria. A vitamin is a substance which is vital to the healthy functioning of the body but cannot be created in sufficient amounts by the body, or perhaps by the body at all. Folic acid is a vitamin which must be ingested, either through diet or through capsule. Dark coloured vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, also beans and lentils are example of foods which are rich in folic acid.

This is a short video explaining some of the benefits of folic acid, and what foods we can eat to incorporate it in our diets:
Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby: Folic Acid for Women

Okay, so now your plate is full of greens and beans… what good is this doing for the future child exactly? Folic acid contributes to development of the spine, skull and brain, which are self-explicably important to an individual’s daily function. In order to gain the maximum benefits of folic acid during pregnancy, it is a good idea to start incorporating it in the diet three months prior to the baby being conceived, and also the following three months.

What are some of the risks of becoming pregnant with a diet deficient in folic acid? As mentioned in the previous paragraph, folic acid is crucial to the development of the spine, skull and brain, so these areas specifically will suffer the consequences. Spina bifida, a condition where the spinal column doesn’t protect the spinal cord, and anencephaly, a condition where the brain does not develop, are two of the possible outcomes of a baby developing in a folic acid deficient environment.

Foods which are rich of folic acid

http://www.folicacid.ca/sites/default/files/image/greens.png

These are just a few of the benefits of consuming folic acid in our diets. There are many benefits which this vitamin provides, not related to a baby’s development. Folic acid is also linked to helping to maintain a healthy heart, and cancer prevention, among other things. So next time you hear someone bad mouthing broccoli, you can enlighten them with all the heroic qualities which these and other folic acid dense foods possess.

Chelsea Forbes

Cited Links:

http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/folic-acid.cfm

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fa-af/index-eng.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folic_acid

Video from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg2xqK0Zy5c

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged baby development, Folic acid, follates, healthy baby, healthy pregnancy, vegetable benefits

Processors for Gaming: Old vs. New

Posted on October 15, 2012 by surbinder | 2 comments

Nobody enjoys lag and poor graphics while playing games on their computers because of a slow Central Processing Unit (CPU); so when it comes to choosing the right parts to do the job, don’t rely on advertising and pushy sales people to give you an honest choice that will give give you the best bang for your buck; after all, newer technology does not always out-do the older.

Intel’s Core i5 and Core i7 are the two of the top CPU’s on the market today, and many pre-built gaming computers will boast having the newer (and more expensive) Core i7 with ‘Hyper-threading technology.’ Take a look at the following sales points for the i7:

Intel Core i7 advertisement (LandRoverz)

That all seems cool, but this processor is valued around $100 or even more compared to Core i5 processors, as shown below:

i5 price vs i7 in different models, i5 is much cheaper (bottom of table) despite similar specifications (Tomshardware)

So why are the i7’s worth so much more than the i5’s? The major difference that i7’s use what is called ‘hyper-threading.’ This basically means that the CPU can handle multitasking much more efficiently.

When looking solely at gaming capability however, the i7 is overkill price wise to the i5 and completely necessary because most games today do not utilize hyper-threading in the first place. That said, actual game benchmarks tell the rest of the story when comparing the two CPU’s and their relative performance (in frames per second) for the new game called Skyrim:

benchmarks for i5 and i7 CPU’s in game ‘Skyrim’ in frames per second (higher value means smoother video output that you see). Both are relatively equal. (notebookcheck.net)

As shown above, the top i7 model produces a maximum of only 2.2 frames more per second than the oldest i5 model. This test shows that the cheaper i5 CPU’s (without hyper-threading) are on par with the newest and most expensive generation in the i7 CPU’s. The sum of these arguments is given below,

applications of i5 and i7, which one is better for different tasks. (custompcreview)

As mentioned above, for gaming, the i5 is truly the way to go when gaming and basic applications are that majority of tasks to be done by the computer as opposed to the newer and more advanced i7 processors. This is interesting considering that in this day and age, ‘newer’ is often synonymous with ‘better’ (especially with computer science and technology advances).

Most comparison tests will render similar results to the above example, and that takes into account the fact that even the most demanding games like Skyrim do not take advantage of the hyper-threading that i7 processors boast. Thus the i5 generation of CPU’s are perfect for basic tasks and gaming and will save at least $100 if bought instead of an i7. That $100 or more that is saved by purchasing an i5 instead of i7 can go towards purchasing a nice monitor to play your games on.

-Surbinder Bolina

2 Comments

Posted in Science Communication, Science Communicators

Tagged benchmark, computers, Core i5, Core i7, CPU, Graphics Card, hyper-threading

Does the mere presence of others influence our performance?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by shadisaffari | 5 comments

As you may have noticed nowadays teaching systems have evolved to contain a social learning component which may contain elements such as presentations, group activities and/or projects. Based on my personal experiences as a student I have always questioned how the presence of others may affect my performance as an individual or in a group setting.

According to social psychologists there is a tendency for people to perform simple task in the presence of another person confidently and fast. In contrast, the performance of more challenging tasks can get hindered by the presence of another person. This phenomenon is referred to as social facilitation. When others observe us we become aroused, this arousal strengthens the most likely response. Our likely response can be the correct one for an easy task and the wrong one for a difficult task. The fear of being judged by others and the thought of it can distract our focus and interfere with our performance.

So what happens when everyone in a group is working and a task must be done as a team?

Team work

When the group is assigned to perform a task, the group members get motivated to exert less effort and instead to count on the other members; this tendency in known as social loafing. By being a part of a group you may feel less responsible and consequently think that your contribution is dispensable.

If working in groups may potentially promote people to put less effort why does the current educational system put an emphasis on group interaction and cooperative learning as the best way to learn?

Does ‘Group Work’ Work? : Is It the Best Way for Children to Learn?

It has been shown that interacting in a group can have a good and bad effect. Group interaction can strengthen a common thought or goal, a process called group polarization. In other words a discussion between like-minded people in a group will enhance their prevailing opinion. Even though it can lead to a harmony, group polarization can encourage ‘groupthink’, through which group members fail to consider an alternative solution. In addition, group members often doubt their critiques and are pressured to agree with the group only to support the group’s integrity due to their desire to create a unified conclusion. By being knowledgeable with these phenomenon instructors can direct groups to consider alternatives as well as identifying possible problems.

Shadi Saffari

References :

http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-psychology.html

http://psychcentral.com/encyclopedia/2009/social-facilitation/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arousal

http://www.co-operation.org/?page_id=65

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization

http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm

http://critical-thinkers.com/2010/12/7-ways-to-avoid-groupthink/

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/Social_Loafing

video form

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdt-b4yMp-M&feature=relmfu