The coal miner tragedy is horrible. I cannot fathom how the family members must feel--who saw the mistaken reports that one was lost and 12 were alive, only to have it all reversed.

Late on this, but scientists in the lab have made these 3x size mice by altering a single gene (to do with growth hormones, I think) so it probably would require only a single mutation to do the same in the wild. Not much in the way of evolution, though, just a single gene.

Did they make 3X size mice or 1/3 size mice, or both, in different experiments? I just saw something on the Methusalah Project, and 1/3 size mice (which seem to live longer).

How awful for the families. What a shock. I can't imagine the emotional rollercoaster.

I was still awake at 1 a.m. last night (this morning, really) when the initial news broke that 12 miners had survived. And I went to bed thinking what a miracle that was. My alarm clock is set to the NPR station, and by chance, when it woke me up, it was a clip of one of the miners' family members just wailing about the situation and how the miscommunication made it that much worse. It's just heartbreaking.

And I can't help wondering if the original miscommunication got so widely spread so quickly because every media outlet wants to be the one to break the story. Hell, as media consumers, we contribute to that attitude -- "Where'd you read that? MSNBC doesn't have it." "I'm reading CNN; they just updated." We want the news, and we want it NOW.

If *ever* there were a situation in which fact-verifying was required before going live with the story, this would be the one. Just heartbreaking.

t /pre-coffee rambles from an erstwhile journalism major

The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Year: [link]

Be sure to check out mugshot #8.

If *ever* there were a situation in which fact-verifying was required before going live with the story, this would be the one. Just heartbreaking.

I second your rambles, Teppy.

In grade news, I finally got one. ONE.

Be sure to check out mugshot #8.

Yay Key West!

I can't blame the media as much as I usually would in this situation. The mine crews yelling joyous news and the family reactions would have been impossible to ignore. How very sad for everyone involved.

And I can't help wondering if the original miscommunication got so widely spread so quickly because every media outlet wants to be the one to break the story

I also think the insta-updatability of the web contributes to this -- who cares if you report it wrong, as long as you report it first. You can always change it in ten minutes if you need to.

(Wasn't that a movie with Glenn Close? She played an evil newspaper head, and I think Tom Hanks was the reporter with strong morals who challenged her? And I think she dies in the end?)

You can always change it in ten minutes if you need to.

Sucks to be the New York Times: [link]

I can't blame the media as much as I usually would in this situation. The mine crews yelling joyous news and the family reactions would have been impossible to ignore. How very sad for everyone involved

Yeah, and it doesn't really matter for us that they were wrong the first time -- whether they run with the story or not the family members have their hearts broken.