Scientific dissemination is the discipline that is responsible not only for transferring the latest discoveries to society, but also for awakening the passion for science and satiating any curiosity.
Scientific dissemination is the set of activities (especially written) that interpret andmake accessible the knowledge provided by science to the general society. This communicative discipline not only puts interest in the most recent discoveries, but tries to bring the population closer to basic and complex physical, mathematical and biological concepts (among other things) widely established in the scientific community.
Thus, it differs slightly from science journalism in that it also addresses theories and postulations that have already been widely accepted, not only in “novelty” and topicality. All activities of explanation and dissemination of knowledge, culture and scientific and technical thought fall within this broad (but fascinating) communicative field.
- We recommend you read: “The 7 differences between Science and Philosophy”
What types of scientific dissemination exist?
This type of public communication of science can touch on any topic you can think of related to numbers, biological theories, physical phenomena, astronomical phenomena and much more. Here are 15 examples of popular science articles. Don’t miss them.
1. Zoological disclosure: a new species has been discovered
Zoology isthe discipline of biology that deals with the study of animals. This branch shines for its interest in systematic classification and phylogeny, that is, describing new species and finding out what kind of relationships they have with other animals, whether ancestral or current.
Every year about 20,000 new animal species are discovered, which is why dissemination in the zoological environment is essential. When you enter a page and read the characteristics, description and form of reproduction of a living being that has been discovered recently, you will be in front of an informative zoological article.
2. Conservation disclosure: the death of the planet
On average, 375,000 hectares of forest and forest are burned per year in the Mediterranean region in more than 56,000 accidents. These data reflect thatclimate change is destroying ecosystems, which translates into more than 35,000 species of living beings in danger of extinction globally today.
These types of facts and figures are typically provided in informative articles as far as conservation is concerned. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) publish this type of document on a regular basis, in order to convince the population of the importance of maintaining the integrity of our planet.
3. Dissemination of biological research: translating papers
A scientific article (also known as a paper in English) is a research work published in a specialized journal. This can be revision (collection of existing data) or original, that is, it arises based on the postulation of a hypothesis and conducting experiments.
The papers are usually dense, complex and difficult to understand for the general public, in addition to being almost all in English. An important job of disseminators is to translate and interpret the information contained in scientific publications, so that the general population can understand them.
4. Disclosure for the smallest of the house
Beyond an article or a newspaper headline, scientific disseminationis a basic educational tool to bring children closer to the world of science. There are multiple literary works that explain with drawings, comedy and closeness the most complex physical and biological terms, so that children can understand them and start their path to knowledge.
5. Popular science articles in literary form
Not all informative spaces come in the form of articles. A wonderful example of this is zoologist Gerald Durrell’s Corfu trilogy. In it, this author explains his experiences as a child passionate about science and biology, adorning each zoological fact with daily anecdotes, humor and closeness. Depending on how you approach it, even an autobiographical novel like this can be considered informative.
6. Dissemination of neuroscience
Neuroscience is a field of science that studies thenervous system in all its aspects, from the physiological mechanisms that make us think as we do it to the bases of neuronal plasticity and regeneration. As this field is on the rise due to the refinement of research techniques, there are more and more informative articles that make available to the public the neurological bases of the human species.
7. Health Disclosure
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a pioneer in this field, as it makes available to the public information sheets that summarize in key points the world situation in terms of diseases and pathologies.
300 million people suffer from depression, diarrheal diseases kill 525,000 children a year or 1 in 2 people who use tobacco die from it are some of the typical figures that you will find in this type of spaces. Its purpose is to inform, prevent and make us aware of the epidemiological situation of certain pathologies in other parts of the world.
8. Disclosure of Current Events
It’s not all diseases, numbers and studies. For example, when a space probe is launched, the disseminators are also responsible for narrating the process and the physical bases of it, in a cursory way. In this sense, science communicators can also be journalists.
9. Dissemination of paleontology
Surely this debate sounds familiar: which dinosaurs had feathers? Was it a T-Rex more like a giant bird or a bipedal lizard? The world of paleontology works wonders in the informative field, becausedinosaurs are part, in one way or another, of the collective imagination of society.
In this type of space, the discoveries made about fossils are collected through different techniques, including the extraction of DNA and the comparison of ancestral beings with current taxa. The more tools there are at our disposal, the more knowledge is obtained and, therefore, the more articles of this type reach the generalist media.
10. Scientific dissemination of psychology
Communicating psychology on a social level is a basic toolso that we can all know ourselves betterand act accordingly. The bases of psychology must be known by every citizen, because this will stop stigmatizing psychological problems as something outside the norm or that cannot be discussed in public.
11. Scientific dissemination of astronomy
Astronomy, the science concerned with the study of the celestial bodies of the universe, is very difficult to understand for the non-specialized population, because it is based on realities that are impossible to observe with the naked eye. On other occasions, this branch unintentionally excludes people with functional diversity, because to observe celestial bodies requires a series of tools difficult to manipulate.
Foundations such as “Accessible Astronomy” (Astroaccessible) aim to break down these barriers and make this type of knowledge available to everyone, regardless of physical, psychological and social deficiencies.
12. Scientific dissemination of physics
Interestingly, although physics does not arouse much interest in the general population on a day-to-day basis, many of the most famous popularizers in history have explored these areas (without going any further, Stephen Hawking comes to mind).
Physics is the natural science that studies the fundamental components of the Universe, energy, matter, space-time and fundamental interactions. All these complex terms fascinate citizens, because they are phenomena so inconceivable that they arouse the curiosity of even the most skeptical.
13. Scientific dissemination of genetics
Genetics is essential to understanding life. Thanks to it, physiological mechanisms in living beings, inheritance patterns, phenotypes of different species and bases of many congenital diseases can be described.
Therefore, disclosure as far as genetics is concerned is also the order of the day. Terms such as DNA, chromosomes, phenotypes and genotypes, epigenetics and many others are summarized into general features so that the population can understand them without problems. Genetics is the answer to many problems, so thepopulation must be aware of its existence and the promising future it offers usin a medical field to the human species.
14. Scientific epidemiological dissemination
Epidemiology is the branch of medicine responsible for studying the distribution, frequency, determinants and characteristics of pathogens thatdetermine the infection patterns of current diseases in human populations.
Terms such as basic reproductive rhythm, cumulative incidence, morbidity and many more are quite complex and can lead to collective panic in the face of an outbreak if not addressed carefully. Therefore, the task of disseminators is especially important in this discipline. Communicating how a disease behaves in today’s society is one of the first steps to eradicate it.
15. Dissemination of chemistry
Chemistry, like physics, is a central science for understanding the pillars of life. We are talking about chemical elements, protons, neutrons and electrons, with all the molecular transformations that happen between them, from decaying matter to the metabolic processes of our own organism.
As with physics and astronomy, describing complex phenomena invisible to the general populationcan be a complex task. Through similes and close language, science communicators are able to convey these difficult terms in a simple and effective way.
Summary and considerations
As you may have seen, everything that has to do with science is addressed by science communicators. A good specialist in this field must be close, arouse interest and know how to write well, but above all, must stick to the facts. In today’s society, where clickbait reigns over objectivity, it is relatively common to see how information is dishonestly made up to create the most attractive or alarming headline possible. In the opinion of the writer, no visit justifies a lack of truth.
Therefore, no area of science dissemination should be tainted by this manipulation of data: science is objective and realistic, and should be treated as such. Those of us who dedicate our lives to transmitting knowledge have a great task because, in the end, we act as a bridge between two different but inseparable worlds: routine and knowledge. Undoubtedly, in honesty lies the attraction of scientific communication dedicated to dissemination.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.