Nothing, to sneeze at: How to create a press release from nothing

Most news reports about science and medicine come from press releases, some of which contain a colorful statement and some padding, but no actual news. This press release from Texas A&M University shows how that’s done at the highest professional level:

Can you sneeze with your eyes open?

…David Huston, MD, associate dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine Houston campus and an allergist at Houston Methodist Hospital, said it is “absolutely possible” to sneeze without closing the eyes, but most people tend to automatically close their eyes when sneezing….

That press release — a splendid specimen of its kind — contains additional text that pads the document out to more than a full page in length.

The photo you see here shows David Huston, MD, associate dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine Houston campus and an allergist at Houston Methodist Hospital, with his eyes open.

(Thanks to Tony Tweedale for bringing this to our attention.)