There's an article in the NYT today about neuron firing in zebrafish; an intersting article, especially considering how the study was done (they finagled some fluorescent proteins such that when certain neurons fired, the baby zebrafish lit up in that particular area - cool).
However, my thoughts are more about this: what gets research into the New York Times? Sure, this article is interesting, and sure, the illustration with the zebrafish is quite cute, but...why this over anything else? I'm sure there's been other research published recently that would be equally accessible to the general public, and this particular news in developmental biology would not have stricken me as particularly exciting or relevant for the average Joe...so what made the NYT think so?
I'm certainly not complaining; I think it's great whenever I see science-related news in the media. I just wonder if there's any rhyme or reason to what is 'newsworthy.'
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