why the bbc is going down the pan

[Pickman's model]

Apparently you can get DNA from people if you're next to them when they snore:

"Around 1-4% of modern human DNA comes from our ancestors sleeping with Neanderthals and this inheritance affects our ability to respond to diseases including Covid. "

It's not Newsround or an entertainment article but a science one:

Black Death 700 years ago affects your health now

Mutations that saved lives from the plague are causing auto-immune diseases today.

www.bbc.co.uk

euphemisms fly high over your head

 

[platinumsage]

euphemisms fly high over your head

No, apparently they fly into a BBC health and science correspondent’s head when penning an article about molecular biology.

 

[NoXion]

No, apparently they fly into a BBC health and science correspondent’s head when penning an article about molecular biology.

So?

 

[platinumsage]

So?

It's shit reporting. Science articles don't talk about humans sleeping with Neanderthals, they talk about inter-breeding or mating. "Sleeping with" is not scientific language and this sort of reluctance to address subjects directly is why some people think you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet seat.

 

[NoXion]

It's shit reporting. Science articles don't talk about humans sleeping with Neanderthals, they talk about inter-breeding or mating. "Sleeping with" is not scientific language and this sort of reluctance to address subjects directly is why some people think you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet seat.

No it's not. That's the fault of a lack of decent sexual education for the individuals concerned, not of non-science writers using euphemisms outside of peer-reviewed publications.

 

[platinumsage]

No it's not. That's the fault of a lack of decent sexual education for the individuals concerned, not of non-science writers using euphemisms outside of peer-reviewed publications.

The guy is a science correspondent ffs. I've never ever seen "sleeping with" used in the context of Neanderthal-human interbreeding in any sort of article whatsoever, not even in kiddy books where "mating" seems to be perfectly acceptable.

 

[platinumsage]

Well they have just now responded to my complaint and changed the article:

"Around 1-4% of modern human DNA comes from our ancestors mating with Neanderthals and this inheritance affects our ability to respond to diseases including Covid."

Black Death 700 years ago affects your health now

Mutations that saved lives from the plague are causing auto-immune diseases today.

www.bbc.co.uk

Isn't that better?

 

[Pickman's model]

It's shit reporting. Science articles don't talk about humans sleeping with Neanderthals, they talk about inter-breeding or mating. "Sleeping with" is not scientific language and this sort of reluctance to address subjects directly is why some people think you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet seat.

You'll never get those seconds back

 

[NoXion]

The guy is a science correspondent ffs. I've never ever seen "sleeping with" used in the context of Neanderthal-human interbreeding in any sort of article whatsoever, not even in kiddy books where "mating" seems to be perfectly acceptable.

I really don't see the problem here. Neanderthals were people just like we are. Describing such relations to a general audience in terms of "mating" just sounds like weird incel shit to me.

 

[platinumsage]

I really don't see the problem here. Neanderthals were people just like we are. Describing such relations to a general audience in terms of "mating" just sounds like weird incel shit to me.

Well, you're wrong because mating and interbreeding are common usage in science articles, and in general-audience articles about science e.g.

Signs of Neanderthals Mating With Humans
Skull research sheds light on human-Neanderthal interbreeding
Humans mated with Neanderthals much earlier and more frequently than thought

Following your logic we'd have Inquiry into passing away of three babies in Lanarkshire and Teenagers sentenced after homeless man sent to meet his maker in Liverpool

 

[bellaozzydog]

It's shit reporting. Science articles don't talk about humans sleeping with Neanderthals, they talk about inter-breeding or mating. "Sleeping with" is not scientific language and this sort of reluctance to address subjects directly is why some people think you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet seat.

Did you even read it?

The term mating was used once right at the end of the article

There is plenty of stuff in society to get bloviated about without just making it up

 

[Pickman's model]

I really don't see the problem here. Neanderthals were people just like we are. Describing such relations to a general audience in terms of "mating" just sounds like weird incel shit to me.

Yeh it's really weird to be so exercised about 'sleeping together' v mating.

 

[platinumsage]

Did you even read it?

The term mating was used once right at the end of the article

Not this morning, it was as I quoted up thread, the word mating was inserted following my complaint.

 

[platinumsage]

Yeh it's really weird to be so exercised about 'sleeping together' v mating.

I'm exercised about declining standards of language in science reporting, and on this occasion the BBC seem to have agreed with me, sorry about that.

 

[NoXion]

Well, you're wrong because mating and interbreeding are common usage in science articles, and in general-audience articles about science e.g.

Signs of Neanderthals Mating With Humans
Skull research sheds light on human-Neanderthal interbreeding
Humans mated with Neanderthals much earlier and more frequently than thought

Following your logic we'd have Inquiry into passing away of three babies in Lanarkshire and Teenagers sentenced after homeless man sent to meet his maker in Liverpool

I'm not the one prescribing specific terminology, that's you.

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm exercised about declining standards of language in science reporting, and on this occasion the BBC seem to have agreed with me, sorry about that.

Their thought process was let's just get this cunt off our back

 

[platinumsage]

I'm not the one prescribing specific terminology, that's you.

Erm I'm suggesting topic-appropriate terminology in science article, you're suggesting obfuscating euphemisms.

 

[two sheds]

And what's wrong with a good anglo saxon word like "fucking"? Woke nonsense this "mating" rubbish.

 

[platinumsage]

Their thought process was let's just get this cunt off our back

So any cunt can easily get the BBC to change articles? Seems like they'd be going down the pan if that were the case.

 

[NoXion]

Erm I'm suggesting topic-appropriate terminology in science article, you're suggesting obfuscating euphemisms.

It's a common term that's far from obfuscating,

 

[Louis MacNeice]

Erm I'm suggesting topic-appropriate terminology in science article, you're suggesting obfuscating euphemisms.

How is 'sleeping with' obfuscation; who do you think reads it and doesn't understand it to mean having sex with?

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[NoXion]

How is 'sleeping with' obfuscation; who do you think reads it and doesn't understand it to mean having sex with?

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

It's all those five year olds reading BBC news, a key demographic.

 

[platinumsage]

And people whose first langauge is not English.

But more importantly it's about tone and authority. Same reason they didn't use "shagged" or "made love".

 

[DaveCinzano]

It's shit reporting. Science articles don't talk about humans sleeping with Neanderthals, they talk about inter-breeding or mating. "Sleeping with" is not scientific language and this sort of reluctance to address subjects directly is why some people think you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet seat.

Wait - so I could find myself visited by Mama Stork in the pee-pee room?!

 

[andysays]

When a mummy human and a daddy neanderthal love each other very much...

 

[Cerv]

George Canning, our first zombie prime minister.

 

[bluescreen]

View attachment 347986
George Canning, our first zombie prime minister.

So that's where the expression 'propping up the government' comes from

 

[DaveCinzano]

So that's where the expression 'propping up the government' comes from

Weekend At Brady's

 

[platinumsage]

How many news organisations have a front page headline about the widespread acclaim the recent Dr Who episode received?

The BBC have such a headline on their news homepage so I assume it must be an important story.

 

[planetgeli]

How many news organisations have a front page headline about the widespread acclaim the recent Dr Who episode received?

The BBC have such a headline on their news homepage so I assume it must be an important story.

Um to entertain is in their mission statement. A few million probably watched and might be interested. I think I'd put that there if I was a BBC editor.

You sound like you'd be crap at it. Better stick to getting worked up here over nothing.