ANTH 103 IUPUI Scientific Foundation for Boötes Voids Research Essay

Anthropological research routinely captivates the public consciousness with news stories and television programs on various topics ranging from the “Missing Link” of human evolution and Sasquatch (i.e., Bigfoot) to buried cities and lost tribes of the Amazon and elsewhere. This interest extends into the realm of fiction with video games, science-fiction programs, and movies. As we have seen during the first third of the semester, there is often a discrepancy between how scientific research is portrayed in the media or on television (e.g., Bones [Fox Network]) and the actual research process, which involves a research design, experimentation, analysis, peer review, and the publication of findings. These inaccurate portrayals can range from slight misunderstandings to gross misrepresentations. Unfortunately, entertaining programs and movies can have implicit messages, subliminal meanings, and unintended consequences for past and present cultures. For example, consider the portrayal of the Persian Empire in Frank Miller’s 300 (2006) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) and current socio-political and economic tensions between Iran and the West. Similarly, how many people “understand” Mayan culture based solely on Mel Gibson’s depiction in Apocalypto (2006)? For the purposes of this assignment, which is worth 10% of your final grade, I would like you to 1) review a media representation of research, 2) identify and assess any omissions or misunderstandings after reading the original research article, 3) summarize the content of both sources, and 4) compare and contrast your findings to the original research that was published on the topic. The media can be print, online, newscasts, television programs, or other common forms. I will post approximately a dozen examples of media coverage and the original research article under the Files tab on our Canvas page. Feel free to use one of these for the assignment. In addition, a short list of media sources can be found on the following page of this document. You will often find references to the original research that was published in a scientific journal (e.g., Science, Nature, Genetics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [PNAS), American Antiquity) at the end of the media source. If you have trouble identifying the research article that the news piece was referencing, please see or email me (sjpolk@iu.edu). I am happy to help you track down the reference. In some instances, such as movies or television programs, you may want to utilize two or more research articles to compare to your media source. The assignment should be approximately 1,500 words in length- two to three single-spaced pages. The assignment needs to be proofread, typed, and follow a standard citation format (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago). The research assignment is due on Monday, December 4th. Please submit an electronic copy to me via email or Canvas for grading purposes. Useful starting points in your search for media sources include the following: IFL Science: http://www.iflscience.com/ The Guardian (Science Section): https://www.theguardian.com/science Google News (Science Section): http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn New York Times Science Page: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/ MSNBC Science News: http://www.nbcnews.com/science Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/ Science News: http://www.sciencenews.org/ Science News for Students: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/ Sci-News.com: http://www.sci-news.com/ Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/ Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/ U.S. News Science: http://www.usnews.com/science Examples: https://bigthink.com/the-past/ancient-dna-history-civilizationlanguage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0LANQ5dqysbaL3WTTdbqLPnr8xI DVxxKmQ8B0JBKARyXROoWzTvAUNaz4#Echobox=1667922154 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mesopotamia-study-iraq-kurdish-university-of-glasgowb2228166.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/world/prehistoric-diets-plants-neanderthalsscn?fbclid=IwAR25xsnGMELQoV8ElmbpR-fTwluFq0txNhU9jrm_jNlsks3xECue_4YHGxI https://www.livescience.com/genetics-medieval-ashkenazi-jewsgermany?utm_medium=social&utm_content=livescience&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign= socialflow&fbclid=IwAR2OHwFjkQLGZOEO1txgpv8AuO7j1am1Tih2lOtkDaFIHqCahh4pFy6AuXA