Sensationalism in Science

Today I was reminded about what is wrong with science:  Sensationalism.  I understand that magazines geared toward the lay person are trying to sell subscriptions and keep science interesting, but it also damages the very nature of what science should be.

The particular article that caught my eye was titled "What would Earth look like to alien astronomers?"  I thought, "well this sounds interesting."  Fortunately this particular article did not waste too much of my time because it noted in the very second sentence that pictures taken by an Earth probe show the Earth as it *might* appear to aliens who had "telescopes far more powerful than our own."

This sort of sensationalist reporting is rampant in science.  The article itself was not a bad one, but the fact that they provide a title that really has nothing to do with the underlying science is irritating and misleading.

The title, by the way, should have been "Telescopic filters could help map extrasolar planetary surfaces."

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