Abysmal BBC science article

[leighonigar]

Look at this, LOOK AT THIS!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7909984.stm

"A fossil fish from Australia was one of the earliest known vertebrates to reproduce sexually, a study suggests."

Ok, interesting I think... interesting... though, I am wondering why I was not aware of this long early vertebrate asexual lineage... read on...

then:

"The fossil suggests sexual reproduction - the fertilisation of eggs inside the female's body - evolved sooner than previously thought."

Nightmare. That's not what sexual reproduction is at all, perhaps it's colloquially what we'd call "sex" but its not a definition of sexual reproduction. BBC editorial standards are so awful in science. I did see them call a fungus a "plant" at one point. Clearly lacking a biologist or someone with a bit of education.

Perhaps a few of us could use the feedback page http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/feedback/default.stm to get this awful atrocity of science journalism removed before too many people read it?

*minor rant over*

 

[MOFS]

Look at this, LOOK AT THIS!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7909984.stm

"A fossil fish from Australia was one of the earliest known vertebrates to reproduce sexually, a study suggests."

Ok, interesting I think... interesting... though, I am wondering why I was not aware of this long early vertebrate asexual lineage... read on...

then:

"The fossil suggests sexual reproduction - the fertilisation of eggs inside the female's body - evolved sooner than previously thought."

Nightmare. That's not what sexual reproduction is at all, perhaps it's colloquially what we'd call "sex" but its not a definition of sexual reproduction. BBC editorial standards are so awful in science. I did see them call a fungus a "plant" at one point. Clearly lacking a biologist or someone with a bit of education.

Perhaps a few of us could use the feedback page http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/feedback/default.stm to get this awful atrocity of science journalism removed before too many people read it?

*minor rant over*

I see what you mean. Perhaps it should read like this...

"A fossil fish from Australia was one of the earliest known vertebrates to reproduce through intercourse, a study suggests."

Of course i'm guessing fish before this didn't bud ...

 

[alFR]

they've edited it already, presumably in response to your outraged feedback. Or maybe they read MacRumors.