Do you ever, outside of the demands of an assignment or a test, think about the inner workings of distant stars, your phone’s camera, the layout, and a number of petals of flowers? Maybe just a little, maybe not at all. Science is often seen as a niche subject, a difficult and specialized topic, carried out by people who are strange with arcane skills. It’s not for them.
Science is a part of our culture. It’s interwoven with art, music and film, as well as theater. These elements of culture help us celebrate and understand our place in the world, navigate it, and be in dialog with it and one another. Everyone should have the freedom to participate in whatever part of culture they want, whether it’s going to a concert singing a song to discussing a movie at dinner.
But science is often portrayed as being in opposition to art, intuition, and mystery. As if knowing how a flower works would somehow diminish its beauty. As a practicing physicist, I disagree. Science can help us better understand the world. Science should be an integral part of our culture and accessible to everyone. All of us have the “special talents” needed to be able to contribute to and engage in science.
How can we make a difference? I believe that integrating science into our everyday lives using tools from the culture can be an important part of the solution.
Science in popular entertainment
In addition to my role as a professor, i also serve as a science adviser for various forms of entertainment. This includes blockbuster films like “Thor Ragnarok” or the 10-hour television dramatization last spring of Albert Einstein’s life and work (“The Genius,” aired on National Geographic), up to the bestselling Blake Crouch novel “Dark Matter.” It makes sense that people spend so much time watching movies and reading books because they enjoy stories like this.
As I tell entertainment professionals whenever I can, science can help to make stories more engaging, entertaining and fun. They can potentially reach a larger audience. Science-based stories that are enhanced with good stories can also lead to valuable discussions about the topic outside of the movie theater.
Science is woven into many of our favorite stories, characters and settings. ABC Television
Nonprofit organizations are pursuing this mission. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation funds and develops films with science content – “Robot & Frank” (2015) and “Man Who Knew Infinity” (2015) are two examples. (The Sloan Foundation also is a partner with The Conversation U.S.
The Science & Entertainment Exchange was created by the National Academy of Sciences to connect the entertainment industry with scientists. It is hoped that these experts will provide Hollywood with interesting details, and that they can help to portray scientists in a more accurate manner. This can improve the stories that are told. This has been done for many popular Marvel films, including “Thor,” “Ant-Man,” and “Avengers: Infinity War. “
A recent Pew Research Center survey conducted in the U.S. revealed that people of all demographics, educational levels, and political views are interested in entertainment that contains science-related content. They also report positive opinions about the science concepts and scenarios that they have.
Nonfiction books on science
Some scientists may not enjoy this type of work. Others may prefer engagement projects, which give them greater control over the scientific content. This is not possible when working on large entertainment projects. They often work on nonfiction books that are aimed at the general public. We also need to make a change in this area.
Scientists’ monologues are great for engaging people, but they have a limited format. These books are read primarily by those who are already inclined to pick up science books or are open to hearing the authoritative voice of an academic telling them what to think. Many people can read science books but find them unappealing because they remind them of school.
In line with my belief that science should be accessible to all, I propose that publishers work with scientists to increase the types of books available, ensuring that they have an audience. This is difficult at the moment because publishers are afraid of taking risks. Something that’struly unique in its form will likely have difficulty getting past the book proposal stage.
The author’s graphic book explores the big questions of life and death in a way that sounds like an overheard discussion. “The Dialogues” by Clifford V. Johnson CC-BY-ND
But progress is still possible. Years ago, I noticed that it was difficult to find nonfiction books in the science section of bookstores that allowed readers to feel like they were part of the science conversation. So, I imagined an entire book about conversations between people. By “eavesdropping,”” readers can learn about science and are invited to engage in their discussions. The dialogue format, which was used by the ancient Greeks and Galileo to exchange ideas, is revived in a modern setting: restaurants, cafes, trains, etc.
Instead of writing about the conversations in words, it would be more engaging to show them. It was then that I realized how powerful a form of visual storytelling is: graphic novels for adults are exploding in popularity. Spiegelman’s Maus, A Survivor’s Tale, Satrapi’s Persepolis and Bechdel’s Fun House are three of the most well-known.
The storytelling tools of the comic book are rarely used to communicate nonfiction science concepts to an adult audience. Most contemporary science-themed graphic novels are marketed to younger audiences as “explainer/adventure” comics. Graphic books about science are an important genre. However, they should not be restricted to this.
While many excellent adult graphic novels feature science, the focus is usually on the lives and careers of famous scientists. The science is discussed as a second priority. Ottaviani and Myrick’s “Feynman,” Padua’s “Lovelace and Babbage’s Thrilling Adventures,” and Doxiadis & Papadimitriou’s” “Logicomix” are some excellent examples of recent graphic books that successfully balance both aspects. I thought this was a great opportunity to expand the types of nonfiction science books available to engage the general public.
Clifford Johnson, at his drawing table. Clifford V. Johnson, CC BY-ND
Over six years, I studied the language and art of graphic narratives and learned the necessary artistic and production techniques. As a proof of concept, I wrote and illustrated “Conversations about the Nature of the Universe,”” a new type of nonfiction book that could inspire people to have their discussions about science and celebrate a spirit of diversity in everyday science participation.