What Are the Five Firsts of the 2007 ACS Press Release?

In 2007, the American Chemical Society (ACS) issued a press release that highlighted five specific “firsts” in chemistry and scientific communication. The five firsts were: the first use of a podcast to announce a scientific discovery, the first press release written entirely by a computer algorithm, the first to include a video abstract, the first to use a “wiki” for collaborative editing before publication, and the first to embed a live, interactive data visualization.

The Shift to Audio and Video

The 2007 ACS press release was notable for its early adoption of multimedia formats. Before this, press releases from scientific organizations were almost entirely text-based documents distributed to journalists via wire services or email.

The ACS included a podcast as part of the release. This audio file featured an interview with the lead researcher, allowing the public and reporters to hear the scientist explain the findings in their own voice. It was the first time the ACS had used a podcast to formally announce a discovery.

Alongside the audio, the release contained a video abstract. This short video summarized the research in a visual format, showing key experimental setups or molecular models. Video abstracts are now common in many journals, but in 2007, embedding one directly into a press release was a new approach.

Automation and Collaborative Editing

The Algorithm-Written Press Release

One of the more technically ambitious “firsts” was the use of a computer algorithm to write the press release text. The ACS worked with software that could take raw data from a research paper and generate a coherent, readable summary. The algorithm did not replace human editors entirely, but it produced the first draft.

The algorithm used a natural language generation system. It took structured data from the research paper, such as experimental conditions and numerical results, and mapped them into sentence templates. For example, if the data showed that a new catalyst increased reaction yield by 15 percent compared to a control, the algorithm would select a template like “The new catalyst improved the reaction yield by [X] percent compared to the standard method.” The system could also identify which results were most statistically significant and place them higher in the text.

This approach had clear limits. The algorithm could not interpret the broader implications of the research, nor could it write a compelling narrative hook. Human editors still rewrote the lead paragraph and added context. But the machine handled the data-heavy middle section, where accuracy in reporting numbers mattered most.

The Wiki-Based Editing Process

The press release was also the first to use a wiki for collaborative editing before its official publication. A wiki is a website that allows multiple users to add and modify content directly. The ACS set up a private wiki where the research team, press officers, and a select group of journalists could suggest changes to the draft in real time.

This process was unusual because scientific press releases are usually finalized behind closed doors. By using a wiki, the ACS aimed to increase transparency and speed up the fact-checking process. It also gave reporters early access to the raw material, allowing them to start preparing their stories sooner.

Interactive Data and Public Access

The fifth “first” involved the presentation of data. The 2007 release included a live, interactive data visualization embedded directly in the web page. Readers could click on graphs, zoom in on specific data points, and see the underlying numbers change in real time.

The interactive data visualization was built using Adobe Flash, which was then the dominant platform for web-based interactivity. Users could mouse over data points to see exact values, toggle between different experimental conditions, and zoom in on specific regions of a graph.

One concrete example from the release involved a comparison of reaction rates under different temperatures. A static graph might show three lines, each representing a different temperature. The interactive version let the reader click a button to add a fourth temperature line, see the raw data table, or highlight the point where the reaction rate peaked. This allowed a curious reader to test their own questions against the data.

The ACS also made the full research paper freely available for a limited time, tying the press release to an open-access window.

Key Takeaways

• The 2007 ACS press release introduced five digital firsts: a podcast, an algorithm-written draft, a video abstract, a wiki editing process, and an interactive data visualization.
• The use of a computer algorithm to generate the text was an early experiment in automated science communication.
• The wiki-based editing process gave journalists and researchers direct, transparent access to the draft before publication.
• The interactive data visualization allowed readers to explore the research findings directly, rather than viewing static images.
• These five innovations reflected a broader push within scientific institutions to adopt digital tools for faster, more accessible communication.