11:45 AM - 12:00 PM
[MIS07-09] Astrobiology & Media: Communicating Discoveries of Potential Life Detection Results
Keywords:Astrobiology, Detection of Life, Science Communication
In September of 2023, some signals in the data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope from the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b’s were announced as possible signs of dimethyl sulfide, a biomarker on Earth. Although the detection of the potential biosignature had a low statistical significance, speculations about it made the headlines. The BBC News homepage read, “Tantalising sign of possible life on the faraway world”. At the same time, on Twitter (X), the author of the story was less cautious, mentioning “new tantalising evidence of life”. These types of results, laden with uncertainties and tentative interpretations of complex data, have often entered the public arena framed as major steps towards discovering life beyond Earth. How can we avoid hyping up astrobiology in the current media landscape? How is the search for life elsewhere being portrayed in the mass media?
It is essential for scientists, science journal editors, science communicators, and science journalists to work together towards an ecosystem that effectively prepares to deal with the complex and uncertain nature of research results related to possible biosignature detection and interpretation. This research focuses on understanding the quality of mass media coverage and identifying points of distortion of information about astrobiology in the public discourse. The research looks into the retrospective quantitative and qualitative content analysis of news stories about the search for life elsewhere, the corresponding press releases and their respective scientific papers. The initial corpus will be constituted of stories published in English in major news outlets. The assessment is cross-checked with the NASA Confidence of Life Detection (CoLD) Scale is a seven-level framework designed to help scientists evaluate and communicate the progress made in life detection research, both among themselves and with the public. The CoLD Scale is based on NASA’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, which is used to characterize the maturation of instruments from concept to implementation in missions. The CoLD Scale aims to provide a standardized method for assessing claims about extraterrestrial life and to facilitate clear communication of findings to the public.
It is essential for scientists, science journal editors, science communicators, and science journalists to work together towards an ecosystem that effectively prepares to deal with the complex and uncertain nature of research results related to possible biosignature detection and interpretation. This research focuses on understanding the quality of mass media coverage and identifying points of distortion of information about astrobiology in the public discourse. The research looks into the retrospective quantitative and qualitative content analysis of news stories about the search for life elsewhere, the corresponding press releases and their respective scientific papers. The initial corpus will be constituted of stories published in English in major news outlets. The assessment is cross-checked with the NASA Confidence of Life Detection (CoLD) Scale is a seven-level framework designed to help scientists evaluate and communicate the progress made in life detection research, both among themselves and with the public. The CoLD Scale is based on NASA’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, which is used to characterize the maturation of instruments from concept to implementation in missions. The CoLD Scale aims to provide a standardized method for assessing claims about extraterrestrial life and to facilitate clear communication of findings to the public.