Kelly Malcom, a writer for ScienceDaily, reported on exciting research from Michigan on a protein that can mimic many of the positive effects of exercise, called Sestrin. This effort, spearheaded by professor Jun Hee Lee, examined both Drosophila flies and mice and their response to exercise with varying levels of Sestrin. In the Drosophila study, the running and flying ability of flies without the ability to make Sestrin was compared to wild type flies. The results of this study showed that while normal files’ ability to run and fly improved, flies without the ability to synthesize Sestrin did not improve. Additionally, flies with overexpressed levels of Sestrin but lacked exercise had the ability that surpasses wild-type flies that exercised. In the mice study, Lee demonstrated that Sestrin can help prevent atrophy in specific muscles that are immobilized over long periods of time. The researchers note that while Sestrin will not be commercially available in the short-term, additional research is needed to further understand this protein for the benefit of individuals that are not able to exercise. Kelly Malcom provides a concise article of the novel research surrounding Sestrin. Malcom states what is known, what is not known and explains complicated concepts in a digestible manner. Malcom uses a neutral tone to present all aspects of professor Lee’s research on Sestrin, including what research still needs to be conducted. Although the provided studies make a compelling narrative, Malcom fails to include multiple perspectives on Sestrin. This news story only including research from Lee and his colleagues and may have benefitted from adding non-affiliated research on Sestrin. Providing multiples perspectives can limit bias and give the reader a greater understanding of the current scientific literature. Overall, this article is well-written and provides the audience with an exciting discovery in exercise physiology.
ScienceDaily presents an article by Kelly Malcom, originally written for the University of Michigan, discussing the recent findings of a research team at Michigan Medicine. Researchers in the University of Michigan Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology found evidence that a protein called Sestrin could be responsible for muscle health and receiving the benefits of a workout. Malcom presents the information from the original research article in a condensed and accurate manner for the scientific reader. Malcom reports on the research design, process, and findings effectively. She briefly summarizes the research, focusing on important information and supporting claims with commentary from the researchers involved. Additionally, the diction of the text is appropriate; the terminology used is well-suited to the scientific audience. For this reason, the article is clear to read, and the information presented within it is easily understood. Malcom’s account of the research is highly accurate, and the reader is not misled. She appropriately describes the scientific process as well as the research findings without making any unjustified causal claims. The article contains several references to unknowns and potential areas of further research. Where Malcom falls short is in the lack of diverse sources. The references used in the article, Dr. Kim and Dr. Lee, are reputable as they are two of the authors of the scientific paper. However, they are the only opinions cited; the article would benefit from a more well-balanced account of the research via additional commentary from other experts in the field. The views expressed by the reviewers for this article are not endorsed or shared by SciFeye. The interpretation of the review of the news story using the SciFeye Index was done independently by two SciFeye reviewers. We encourage you to conduct your own evaluation of the accuracy and quality of the news story using the Index.
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