Meeting Abstract
Throughout its modern history, biology has attracted public controversy–whether at the Scopes Monkey Trial or in protests against stem cell research. But in 2018 biologists are facing an especially hostile environment. Whether they investigate the impact of climate change on biodiversity, make predictions about extinctions, document the value of intact ecosystems, or explore the evolution of life, they can encounter hostility both in the media and in halls of government. Even basic biological research itself has come under fire as a waste of money. In this talk, I will discuss my experiences reporting on biology since the early 1990s and the lessons I’ve learned about how to tell scientific stories to an increasingly polarized audience.
