Warriors against claptrap: Are myth busters the new generation of scientist-citizens?

Julia Wilson, Tracey Brown, Sergio Della Sala, Clive Cookson, Ana Godinho, Daniella Muallem

There is a growing focus on the responsibility of scientists and engineers to communicate the implications of their work with the public and take a public participation in science policy. This has led to the new generation of researchers experimenting with different ways of raising the quality of science in public debates, and correcting issues that capture public imagination. For two years running , US researchers published articles in the British Medical Journal critically examining the evidence for common medicine myths such as drinking 8 litres of water a day. In 2007 Voice of Young Science, a UK network of early career scientists, launched a campaign hunting for the evidence behind pseudoscientific claims, and published their findings in a dossier, "There Goes the Science Bit…". This was picked up by media worldwide and had over 40,000 copies disseminated. These campaigns have led to similar investigations springing up in other countries and a growing network of researchers tackling pseudoscientific myths. Looking at the impact of these campaigns, this session will discuss the impact of scientists taking on the responsibility of debunking common scientific misconceptions that have captured public imagination and whether myth busting is creating a new generation of civic minded scientists. The session will also discuss what the impact of these campaigns on public debates about science and science policy is and what effect it will have on the public perception of scientists.