Sidebar: Shrimp on a Treadmill

Always thinking about new ways to grind fact-check data, while reviewing the Washington Post's Fact Checker feature, I came across this interesting (and amusing) commentary that just shouted out for a post. It had ruled 4 Pinnochios (sort of like PolitiFact’s Pants on Fire) on AARP for its “Medi-scare” ads where elderly were complaining about programs in the Federal Budget such as grants to study shrimp on a treadmill while “cuts” were being made to Medicare. It turns out there’s serious reasons scientists study shrimp on a treadmill, although I still have some misgivings about the significance, and wonder why those Bubba Gump Shrimp companies can’t just do (or make the grant for) the research themselves if it's so vitally important.

The Fact Checker did not take a position on whether these programs were worthwhile or not, only that they were so small that they could not help balance the budget. A number of readers, in fact, have wondered whether the research mentioned in the AARP advertisement might be beneficial and thus should receive federal funds. We received the following interesting comment from Barry Toiv, vice president for public affairs at the Association of American Universities, defending the shrimp on the treadmill (see video below [at this link]).

"A shrimp running on a treadmill is a funny sight indeed. But this is part of a serious, peer-reviewed research project supported by the National Science Foundation.

"The scientists are studying the impact on shrimp and other crustaceans of hypoxia, or reduced oxygen, caused by the responses of their immune systems to pollution associated with coastal development and pollution. This research, which is taking place at the College of Charleston, is very important not only for its environmental benefits but also for the state and local economies that depend on the multi-billion-dollar shellfish industries.

"The treadmill is actually an ingenious contraption that permits researchers to simulate shrimps’ natural movements in a laboratory setting, which is essential to the research. It is also worth noting, at a time when we are trying to encourage students to consider careers in the sciences and engineering, that undergraduates are participating fully in this research, and that part of the educational mission of this grant is to involve Upward Bound high school students, whose parents did not attend college but who have the potential to do so themselves, in communicating with the public about the research findings.

"So, funny videos aside, there is serious science and education going on here, and it’s disappointing to see the AARP make fun of it."

Postscript:  There is some "pork" I support, however.