Popular science
- For the film series, see Popular Science Historic Film Series.
- For the magazine, see Popular Science.
Popular science is interpretation of science intended for a general audience, rather than for other scientists or students. Popular science is presented in many formats, including television documentaries and magazine articles. The quality of popular science varies widely. The best popular science is produced by people skilled in both science and communication who approach the subject from a neutral point of view.
Some popular science can be very misleading. Some is produced by people with limited understanding of the subject they are interpreting. Some is produced by people who are extremely biased. Unfortunately, it can be hard for the non-expert to identify misleading popular science. In the case of medical research, results are often presented in the press without adequate context. Popular science may also blur the boundaries between formal science and pseudoscience.
Popular science occasionally tends to focus on more sensational topics such as fad diets, chaos theory, time travel, and cloning.
Notable popularizers of science include:
- Isaac Asimov
- David Attenborough
- Bill Bryson
- Robert Bud
- Jack Cohen
- Paul Davies
- Richard Dawkins
- Sir Arthur Eddington
- Richard Feynman
- George Gamow
- Stephen Jay Gould
- Brian Greene
- John Gribbin
- Mary Gribbin
- Heinz Haber
- Stephen Hawking
- Robert Matthews
- Sir Patrick Moore
- Steven Pinker
- Fred Pearce
- Matt Ridley
- Oliver Sacks
- Carl Sagan
- Ian Stewart
- Colin Tudge
Notable sources of popular science:
- Discovery Channel - TV network
- Exploratorium - museum
- HowStuffWorks - website
- New Scientist - magazine
- Nova - television show
- Scientific American - magazine
- Popular Science Historic Film Series - film shorts
- Popular Science - magazine
- Smithsonian - museum and magazine
- Talk of the Nation: Science Friday - US radio show
- Cosmos Magazine Australian magazine
- Mr Science Radio show from China Radio International (in English)