It’s been a busy few weeks on Mars, with the InSight Lander arriving in late November, making it the newest member of the Martian robotic ground team. The science hasn’t started yet, but the first photos of the landing area have come back, and testing of the science instruments has begun, with the first big reveal coming late last week – the first recording of Martian wind. Landed Martian robots can be found all over Mars. Note that most are no longer operational. Credit: NASA InSight provided the first landing on Mars since Curiosity in 2013. It went through the...
I am a big fan of John Oliver and his HBO show ‘Last Week Tonight.’ Last night the show covered a topic near and dear to me, the publication of science and how it is communicated to the layperson. He raises very important points about how scientists are motivated to produce exciting new research for grants and tenure, rather than replicating existing studies to prove or disprove them. He also talks about how science is portrayed in the media, and how studies are interpreted without context or fine details. We need science communicators. People who are scientifically literate and can communicate complex...
When it comes to science communication, the most important thing to keep in mind is the perspective of the layperson, what someone will see, think, or understand if they have no prior knowledge. When you have some expert knowledge in science it can be hard to put it aside, but imagining the thought-process of a beginner gives you valuable information about how you are communicating, and can make a huge difference in your effectiveness. Which is why I am always thrilled to see things that communicate real science, yet stimulate the imagination. NASA, being a publicly funded organization, has to...
