Science Blog Review

There's something about the insular world of scientific research that is antithetical to the idea of blogging. Scientists talk to each other, but there is very little reward in academia for scientists to talk to the public. Those who are most successful at communicating their work to the public, such as the late Carl Sagan, tend to be derided by other researchers as not being serious scientists, but merely enjoying a little celebrity spotlight. A few, however, have bravely stepped into the blogosphere, but notably they tend to tread in groups rather than alone. Some of the most popular science blogs are written by multiple author/editors, including RealClimate, written by a group of climate scientists, and Cosmic Variance, written by a group of physicists and astrophysicists. A new, quirky science news blog started in October, called Inkycircus, is written by three young, female, budding science journalists from London (pictured right) and is very likely the only all female, multi-author science publication around. Interestingly, the further academic scientists get from blogging on pure science, the more likely they are to remain anonymous. More opinionated blogs include Bitch Ph.D., written by an anonymous feminist professor and mother, and Fafblog, a funny, offbeat humor site that regularly incorporates science themes. Paloverdesblog, written by retired physicist and former professor Bill Lama, freely crosses the line from science to politics, but then its author, being retired, is free to write what he wants without worrying about how it might affect his career. The idea of academics needing protection to speak their minds isn't all that new - that's what tenure is for.