More Fun Than Fun: Scientists Must Write for the People

Joan S. Reed

French entomologist and belletrist Jean-Henri Fabre (1820-1910), whom Charles Darwin called the ‘Homer of entomology’. Photo: Public domain My former student Anindita Bhadra recently invited me to speak to the participants (MSc and PhD students) of a workshop on science communication that she had organised under the auspices of Cogito […]

Could Newsom’s fun and games backfire?

Joan S. Reed

The images coming out of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent public events have been, to say the least, surreal — and could pose a political liability for the governor, who must balance buoying Californians’ spirits with acknowledging the ongoing harm of the pandemic as he fends off an almost-certain recall election. […]

Summer books of 2021: Science fiction

Joan S. Reed

The Stranger Times by CK McDonnell, Bantam Press £14.99 If The X-Files was a weekly tabloid, it would be The Stranger Times. The Manchester-based periodical gains a new assistant editor, Hannah, who swiftly learns that the paranormal is real, and can be deadly. McDonnell exploits this premise for laughs, and […]