Miscellaneous

You don’t need to have been subscribed to these emails for long — maybe two weeks — to realize I don’t think about research communications the way other research communicators do. I think most science communications training is worthless, most science communications research is useless for science communications practice, and indeed the dominant model of “science communications” cuts off science from bigger ideas, rewards junk science and hype, and makes researchers and communicators overly dependent on either the intermediary of journalism or Twitter omnipresence for success — both of which are increasingly precarious positions to be in these days.…

It’s the latest episode of Science+Story: The Podcast — I talk with Daniël (a social psychologist at Eindhoven University of Technology) about his experience organizing and paying “red teams” (an independent team of investigators, a concept borrowed from software) to find flaws and biases in new research, a practice which would have obvious benefits for communicating new research.…

Science+Story: The Podcast is now live for your consideration. (Wasn’t that quick? It’s only been a year since I first announced it.)

The concept: The ways we talk about research and research-based expertise often aren’t working—so let’s talk about how to fix that with leading researchers, scientists, communicators and other experts.…

As Cosmo Kramer said: “I don’t argue with the body, Jerry. It’s an argument you can’t win.”

Five years ago — intrigued by studies showing fasting caused beneficial changes in mice, including decreased inflammation and obesity prevention — I began a regimen of time-restricted eating to lose weight.…

I caught up with a friend the other day — let’s call them The Old Scientist — who thinks many people are behaving too fearfully about the risks of COVID-19.

The Old Scientist doesn’t advocate not taking precautions — they wear a mask in public, and insist others near them do the same — but they also do things that a lot of people who also pay attention to science headlines wouldn’t dream of doing, such as flying frequently and dining out at indoor restaurants.…

Just announced: a prize for the best new blog. Oh my.

But wait: a $100,000 prize? With the potential for other blogs to win five later awards of comparable value?

Before you try to find your WordPress.com username, the prize is part of Tyler Cowen’s ongoing Emergent Ventures awards.…