LAURAN NEERGAARD

Lauran Neengaard is an Associated Press writer who covers health and medical issues from Washington. She has won several awards for her reporting on topics ranging from genetic testing to mental health. She joined the AP in 2013 after working as a freelance reporter covering Congress, politics and other subjects for various news outlets. Neengaard is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she also earned her bachelor's degree in biology. She lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington area.

Biography:  https://apnews.com/article/health-medication-government-and-politics-e4c49674dc12d6e42374eefc5288035c

68%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermines the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
Analysis.OverallConflictOfInterestScore * 0.3F + Analysis.OverallBiasScore * 0.3F + Analysis.DeceptivenessScore * 0.3F + Analysis.ReadabilityScore * 0.1F

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Daily's Verdict

This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.

Bias

100%

Examples:

  • The article does not show any clear bias in favor of or against any group or topic.

Conflicts of Interest

50%

Examples:

  • The article mentions that the Yamnaya carried gene variants that today increase people's risk of multiple sclerosis. However, it is not clear what caused these variations or how they were passed down through generations.

Contradictions

100%

Examples:

  • The article does not present any contradictions or inconsistencies with the available evidence.

Deceptions

50%

Examples:

  • The article states a causal relationship between the gene variants and multiple sclerosis that is not supported by sufficient evidence. This could mislead readers into thinking that there is a direct link between the two.

Recent Articles

The Genetic Link Between Northern Europeans and Multiple Sclerosis: A Study in Nature Reveals the Complex History of Human Migration and Disease

The Genetic Link Between Northern Europeans and Multiple Sclerosis: A Study in Nature Reveals the Complex History of Human Migration and Disease

Broke On: Wednesday, 10 January 2024 A study published in Nature reveals that northern Europeans have a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) due to genetic factors passed down from horseback-riding cattle herders who migrated into the region about 5,000 years ago. The Yamnaya people, who moved from Ukraine and Russia into northwestern Europe around the same time, also carried gene variants that increase people's risk of developing MS. These genetic factors may have provided an advantage to these nomadic herders in terms of resistance to certain diseases or parasites but put them at a higher risk for MS later on.