Ch 1 Case Study

Filthy Coffee Machine? Skip to question Filthy Coffee Machine? A Huffington Post article titled, "Your Keurig Machine May Be Covered in Bacteria and Mold," reported that half of all tested Keurig machines had millions of bacteria in or on them. The article also indicated that E. coli had been found in one of the machines. Other popular media articles have also been published warning Keurig owners of the risks of contaminated machines. Complete the following activities to critically read the article and explore the validity of these claims. Exploring E. coli In the Huffington Post article on contaminated Keurig machines, the author does not explain what E. coli is and the actual dangers involved with this organism. This is important to know when determining the seriousness of this article's report. Visit the CDC website on E. coli ( 1. Where is E. coli commonly found in the human body? Scientific Literacy Skip to question One of the most important skills for science students, but also for the general public, is scientific literacy. Scientific literacy means you understand scientific concepts and can use that knowledge to make educated decisions for both your own life and your contribution to society as a whole. Scientific literacy includes the ability to ask good questions, find answers to those questions using the scientific method, and communicating those findings in an accurate and responsible manner. It also means that you can evaluate other scientific information based on its source and how it was obtained. Complete the following activities to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to apply the scientific method. Communicating Science As a student, you should be able to locate and evaluate various sources of scientific information in order to determine what is valid science and what is "pseudoscience" that may not be reliable. Many students today start their research on a topic at the computer. In many cases, the search begins with putting the topic or phrase into a search engine. The first "hits" that populate in this search often come from websites that may not be the best choices for the students to select, but they are at the top so many think they must be the best! Not true, as these websites may contain information that has not been gathered using the scientific method or even worse present information that anyone anywhere can edit at anytime. So how do you avoid this pitfall when trying to research a topic? Here are some suggestions: -If you are starting with a search engine, make sure to avoid websites that are selling a product or presenting information that is not backed up by credible references. -If using factsheets for information, focus on state health department websites and the pages hosted by The Centers for Disease Control, The World Health Organization, or The National Institutes of Health. -If using published news articles, make sure the publishing information is listed and that it is from a reputable news outlet such as the Associated Press (and that is it not merely someone's blog or college term paper, another pitfall for many students!). Your individual instructors will provide you with detailed guidelines for improving your information literacy skills, but in general, you must remember that in science, only journal articles are considered primary sources of information, and in many cases, these articles are the only sources of information you may be able to use on an assignment. Finding journal articles may be as easy as walking across the quad to the stacks at your school's library, but for many students this is not the case as many college libraries cannot afford the costs of these holdings. Even so, most institutions have an online database available to students for finding these articles in an electronic format. There is also another database to utilize called PubMed. PubMed is a repository for peer-reviewed journal articles published in various fields of the life sciences, including microbiology. It will provide you with what is called an abstract, or a short summary of the research article, along with the reference information needed to locate the article online or through your library system. This has been a brief session on scientific literacy, but it is important that you realize this is a critical skill to master in this course. You will be addressing many timely topics throughout your study of microbiology. You should now feel empowered as you locate the information needed to help make valid decisions and informed opinions regarding this information. 1. The websites ("hits") that populate at the top of an internet search are always the most reliable sources of information.