Science Popularization

Acaba anlaşıp aynı anda zıplasak yer yerinden oynar mıydı? Elimizde bir şalter olsaydı ve yer çekimini şıp diye kapatsaydık ne olurdu? Sizin aklınıza da böyle sorular geliyor mu? "Olmaz öyle şey!" deyip geçmeyin. Bunları hayal etmek bile çok ilginç. Hem biliyor musunuz, birçok bilimsel keşif ilk başta hiç de mantıklı durmayan soruların açtığı maceralı yolun sonunda ortaya çıktı. Bu kitapta, Dünya, uzay, teknoloji, yaşam ve daha birçok konuyla ilgili sorular soracak, bu soruların bilimsel ama aynı zamanda son derece şaşırtıcı yanıtlarını birlikte öğreneceğiz. Genç bilimciler, hadi iş başına!

Il potenziale critico fondamentale delle scienze storiche risiede nel poter includere nella ricerca idee e punti di vista che rischierebbero altrimenti di esserne esclusi. Nell'ambito specifico che interessa questo articolo, quello dello studio della percezione della natura selvaggia e della montagna da parte delle élites europee tra età moderna e età contemporanea, si deve constatare che l'analisi del discorso alpino si è basata perlopiù su opere redatte in contesti culturali esterni a tali regioni, sulla scia dell'influenza dei grandi classici della letteratura "alpina" (da von Haller a Rousseau). Si è invece trascurato il polo "periferico" del dialogo, e cioè la reazione, l'eco interna dell'élite locale rispetto a rappresentazioni, a immagini della montagna e dei loro abitanti, diffuse in questi scritti. Per completare questa prospettiva, occorrerebbe invece considerare il discorso sulle Alpi come il risultato di un processo dialettico, nel quale anche il polo "interno" alpino poteva giocare un ruolo 2 .

"In January 2008 the world’s leading scientific journal, Nature, carried an editorial titled “Spread the Word: Evolution is a scientific fact, and every organization whose research depends on it should explain why”.  Speaking for the world of science, Nature publically established evolution as a fact, in black and white, and called on educators worldwide to teach it such.

This popular-science book will walk the reader through the evolutionary process, using plenty of real-world examples to make it crystal clear that evolution does indeed occur.

My focus is on dispelling the common conception of evolution as a sort of noun; a sort of ‘thing’ that produces finished life forms; a unified, intentional process with a kind of ‘itness’.

Rather, I show that evolution is a word we use to characterize the unintended consequences of three independent facts of the natural world; the fact that life forms come from parent generations (replication), the fact that offspring are not identical (variation), and the fact that not all offspring survive to pass their genes on to the next generation (selection).

With evolution characterized as the consequence of simple, observable natural processes, it can no longer be debated.

My previous popular-science title, "The Top Ten Myths About Evolution" (Prometheus 2006) has been endorsed by the National Center for Science Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and numerous well-regarded popular science writers including Ann Druyan, coauthor with Carl Sagan of the 'Cosmos' television series and several books. It is available in libraries and bookstores worldwide, has been translated into Italian, and is also available in a digital format.
"

Se han realizado diversos estudios sobre la percepción infantil de la ciencia y de el/la científico/a en países desarrollados, tanto en Europa como en Norteamérica. Sin embargo, aún falta conocimiento empírico sobre dicha materia en países en vías de desarrollo como es el caso de Chile. La presente experiencia aborda el análisis de la percepción de la ciencia de el/la científico/a en niños entre once y trece años con talento académico de la Región de Antofagasta, Chile. Se escogió esta zona por ser una región con alto desarrollo científico en las áreas de la astronomía, acuicultura, biotecnología y minería, entre otras. El estudio se realizó a modo de seguimiento en el marco de un curso sobre periodismo científico del Programa DELTA (Desarrollando y Liderando Talentos Académicos) de la Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN). La modalidad de seguimiento permitió constatar cambios de percepciones a medida que el curso se iba desarrollando, es decir, un contacto directo con científicos/as cambió las percepciones que los niños tenían de éstos. Asimismo un acercamiento como el que ofrece el periodismo científico produjo cambios en la percepción sobre la ciencia y una valorización hacia las potencialidades científicas de la región.

Popularyzacja wyników badań przybiera rozmaite formy, a badacze niekiedy prześcigają się w sposobach docierania z nauką do ludzi pozornie nią niezainteresowanych. Chwytliwe tytuły, ciekawa oprawa czy próba dotarcia do większej ilości odbiorców w trakcie imprez masowych mogą przynosić wymierne skutki, choć pozostaje pytanie na ile właściwa jest to grupa odbiorców?
Poster prezentuje rezultaty dwóch wakacyjnych spotkań średniowiecznych, realizowanych w Rezerwacie Archeologicznym w Kaliszu-Zawodziu, w trakcie których przeprowadzono szereg eksperymentów archeologicznych związanych z średniowieczną kuchnią, barwiarstwem, piwowarstwem, wytwórczością tekstylną, malarstwem i rzeźbą. Weekendowe spotkania rekonstruktorów z grupy Kancelaria Komesa Mikołaja Bronisza spotykały się z zainteresowaniem turystów, którzy na własną rękę starali zaspokoić swoją ciekawość metodą dyskusji i stawianych pytań.
Być może poczucie wiedzy zastrzeżonej, dostępnej jedynie grupie ludzi uczestniczących w eksperymencie archeologicznym pobudza ciekawość biernych obserwatorów i skłania do zagłębienia się w prezentowany temat?

In 1863, the French popularizer of science Louis Figuier produced a work that would become a classic of popular science and open up the new field of palaeontology to a wide audience of non-specialists. Its success derived largely from the author's capacity to deploy copious empirical information within an engaging and suggestive narrative framework. This narrative had strong ideological implications, its characteristic pattern of global progression broken by local discontinuities being compatible only with a scheme in which the course of nature was guided by providential design. However, the contemporary English translations of the work did not reproduce this outlook. While Figuier's work remained an effective tool for the popularization of the discipline, the relationship between empirical fact and divine intervention was subtly changed in translation, the English version being more pious and less hostile to evolution than the French original. This paper presents an account of how Figuier's translators achieved this shift in ideological orientation and explores their possible motivations for doing so.

This paper focuses on TED  talks, hybrid web-mediated forms of popularization disseminating knowledge about different domains (e.g. technology, science, global issues). Drawing on the theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Genre Analysis, this paper illustrates a single case study by means of a qualitative analysis of a representative sample selected from a corpus of TED talks on eco-discourse (eco-TED). Against a “dominant view” (Hilgartner 1990; Myers 2003) which regards knowledge transfer as the main communicative purpose of popularization, evidence is provided that, in the instance of discourse under investigation, the speaker’s main concern is rather (1) to build his identity as an environmentalist/problem-solver; (2) to promote specific worldviews and behaviours as solutions to problematic scenarios, and finally (3) to oppose consumerist behavior; all this happening within the frame of a “commodified” discourse (Fairclough 1992, 1993). Attention is paid to: ‘we-positions’ used by the speaker either to establish an alignment with his audience or state his membership in a group of environmentalists; evaluative discourse (e.g. the use of adjectives), rhetoric (e.g. metaphors, hyperboles and personalization of the addressee) and multimodality (e.g. the use of visuals) used to promote specific attitudes and behaviours. Special attention is also paid to a distinguishing argumentative pattern in TED talks (i.e. a ‘problem-solution’ pattern) which turns out to be instrumental to the speaker’s communicative purposes. Finally, a quantitative search is carried out which is aimed to understand to what extent the traits highlighted by the case study can also be traced at a macro level, i.e. in the whole eco-TED corpus.

The article investigates the discourse of guidebooks in terms of
popularization, that is, in terms of the ways in which specialised and
culture-specific concepts are reconceptualised and recontextualised to meet the needs, tastes and background encyclopaedia of the ideal reader. English and Italian guidebooks for adults and for children were analysed in order to compare the communicative strategies used in the two languages and in materials meant for different age groups. Whereas guidebooks for adults are a well-established genre in both lingua-cultural systems, guidebooks for children are a relatively new subgenre in the Italian market and the first popular instances were, in fact, translations of English guidebooks for young travellers. Some noticeable differences were found crosslinguistically in guidebooks for adults. Such differences are significantly levelled out in guidebooks for children, which display a tendency towards simplification and informality in both languages. However, some of the distinctive features of the genre in Italian are preserved. For this reason, the last part of the article focuses on the impact of translation on the popularization strategies identified in guidebooks for children.

Many ways of popularization exist, e. g. publications in books and journals, lectures, exhibitions and museums, science on stage, in addition pubic observatories, planetariums, star gazing, as well as new media. In Baroque time and Enlightenment women were in the center of popularization, e. g. Fontenelle’s “Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes”. Starting with Alexander von Humboldt’s (1769–1859) lectures in Berlin (1827), lectures were used to raise awareness of science and technology and they gained increasing importance in the 19th and 20th century. Cabinets of Rarities and Curiosities (wonder-rooms) of the Baroque period were a microscopic image of the macroscopic world, in which astronomical instruments, orreries and celestial globes played an important role. The Gottorf globe in the ducal castle in Schleswig (1664) and, much later, the Atwood sphere in Chicago (1913) allowed demonstration of star rising and setting for several people sitting inside. An improved version of this idea, a more sophisticated device, was the projection planetarium, invented by Zeiss of Jena and inaugurated in 1925 in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The ‘Urania’ had already opened in Berlin in 1888, showing the real sky from a public observatory, as well as theatrical performances about the origin and evolution of the universe. And, ever since 1909, visitors to Berlin’s  Archenhold Observatory have enjoyed stargazing with its impressive ‘20-m-long’ refractor. All these models and instruments were successfully used for public understanding of science, and astronomy had always a strong attraction and played a leading role.

Es gibt sehr verschiedene Arten der Popularisierung, u. a. Publikationen in Büchern und Zeitschriften, Vorträge, Ausstellungen, Museen, Theateraufführungen, Volkssternwarten und Planetarien, astronomische Beobachtungen sowie schließlich eine Vielzahl moderner Medien. In Barockzeit und Aufklärung standen Frauen im Zentrum der Popularisierung, man denke an Fontenelles „Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes“. Alexander von Humboldts (1769–1859) Vorträge in Berlin (ab 1827) und sein Werk Kosmos hatte eine große Wirkung – nicht nur auf weibliche Leser. Eine entscheidende Rolle für die Popularisierung der Astronomie spielte die Urania in Berlin (1889), bestehend aus einer Sternwarte, Experimentier- und Ausstellungssälen und dem wissenschaftlichen Theater. Die Urania-Idee verbreitete sich in der Welt (z. B. 1897 Wien, 1898 Budapest, 1907 Zürich). Die Urania wirkte als Vorbild für die spätere Gründung naturwissenschaftlich-technischer Museen wie des Deutschen
Museums in München (1903). Modelle des Kosmos zu schaffen – zu didaktischen oder ästhetischen Zwecken – war seit der Frühen Neuzeit verbreitet, man denke an Tisch-Planetarien oder an den begehbaren Gottorfer Globus (1664). Die Entwicklung des Projektionsplanetariums
ist mit der Firma Carl Zeiss Jena und dem Deutschen Museum München verbunden (1925). Ferner steht am Beginn der Volkssternwarten die Archenhold-Sternwarte in Berlin-Treptow mit dem Riesenteleskop von 1896.
Schließlich eröffnen neue Medien wie Facebook, Wissenschaftspodcasts und Blogs im Zeitalter der Kommunikationsgesellschaft neue Dimensionen von interaktivem und vernetzten Wissenserwerb.

Der Aufsatz untersucht, wie die Zeitgenossen die Angebote der mit neuen Medien und Verbreitungsformen verbundenen großstädtischen Massenkultur um 1900 wahrnahmen, wie sie sie einordneten und bewerteten. Die zentrale These lautet, dass eine Veränderung in Deutschland großes Unbehagen erzeugte: Die mit dem Übergang in die Mediengesellschaft außerordentlich erhöhte Zugänglichkeit von  Wissen, und zwar insbesondere die neuartige Sichtbarkeit von Wissen im öffentlichen Raum. Sie forderte die tradierte Ordnung der Generationen heraus, in der eine kontrollierte und regulierte Weitergabe ausgewählten Wissens an die nachwachsende Generation vorgesehen war.  Nun sahen sich viele Erwachsene einer "Disziplinlosigkeit" der Wissenstransfers gegenüber, für die sie oft die mediale Populärkultur verantwortlich machten.

„Promosaurus. Poradnik promocji nauki” to inspiracje,
wskazówki i odpowiedzi między innymi na pytania:
Dlaczego ignorancja społeczeństwa winna być wyzwaniem dla naukowców?
Czy nauka może być przyjemniejsza od seksu?
Czy i jak można „ujarzmić” kulturę popularną i wykorzystać ją w promocji nauki?
Jakie są podobieństwa między naukowcem i dyrektorem kreatywnym?
W jaki sposób popularyzowanie wiedzy może odwoływać
się do samplingu, ambientu i marketingu szeptanego?
Jak promocja nauki zmniejsza dystans między biznesem i uniwersytetami?
Jak wybuch butelki z gazowaną wodą może stać się
wstępem do ciekawych pokazów popularnonaukowych?
Jaką rolę w popularyzacji matematyki pełnią
płaszczaki oraz liczba, która po zapisaniu liczy 40 kilometrów?
Dlaczego na stronach internetowych instytucji
naukowych jest tak mało nauki i jak to zmienić?
Dlaczego nazwisko naukowca czasem trzeba traktować
jak markę i jak zbudować odpowiedni wizerunek tej marki?
Jak podczas pisania tekstu popularnonaukowego może
nam pomóc test CTOK (Co To Obchodzi Kowalskiego)?

This paper deals with the new formulae of science communication throughout comics. Based on the specific case study of the work Neurocomic (2014) by Matteo Farinella and Hana Ros, the adaptation of the format to the principles of science dissemination and popularization is evaluated, as well as a change of roles in the scientific-researchers to much more multidisciplinary profiles that require communication skills and competencies.

It is a curious coincidence that, in the early months of 1805, a series of lectures intended to define and to popularize the discipline of geology was undertaken almost simultaneously by prominent men of science in London and in Paris. From February to March of that year, Humphry Davy delivered a series of ten weekly lectures at the recently formed Royal Institution, and in May Georges Cuvier delivered two similar but briefer series in the French capital, the first intended for a general audience and the second more technical. This was a period in which the nature and direction of geology was much contested, and the various theoretical orientations and methodological stances that were proposed put different pressures on the discipline as itself-consciously tried to reform itself. Popular lectures were a new and potent weapon in the debate, and one which carried the question of the nature and scope of the reformed discipline onto a broad platform beyond the circle of specialist practitioners. Fittingly enough, neither Cuvier nor Davy were strictly speaking insiders to the field. Cuvier had distinguished himself in the new field of comparative anatomy, and had particularly applied himself to the comparison of species preserved in fossilized form and their closest living relatives. as for Davy, he was a young newcomer to the London scientific scene, beginning to make a reputation for himself as a chemist, but with no particular credentials as a geologist.

Pokud by náhodný kolemjdoucí během některého z červnových dnů zavítal do odlehlých lesů na Vysočině a v dnes již zlehka chátrajícím táborovém areálu spatřil sto padesát adolescentů v bílých tílkách a různobarevných trenkách, kterak s písní „Partyzánská“ (Skal a stepí divočinou…) na rtech vyrážejí na ranní rozcvičku, utrpěl by pravděpodobně kulturní šok. V případě, že by začal areál prohlížet detailněji, upoutaly by jeho zrak pestrobarevné nástěnky s třídními závazky a matoucím datem červen 1982, jakož i žlutá údernická hesla na rudém pozadí či nadživotní vyobrazení Karla Marxe před jídelnou...

THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT IS A BRIEF EXCERPT FORM A BOOK CHAPTER. THE FULL PUBLICATION CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?K=9781783096251
(Please do not hesitate to contact the author for further details)
During the 19th century the need to make science more accessible to the public resulted in the emergence of a new type of written genre, the popular science article (Meadows, 1987). In this study, I will contrast the structure of scientific RAs and popular science articles as well as some linguistic features such as the use of discourse markers and evaluative language in both genres. Here, I analyse a corpus of four articles: two popular science articles taken from one of the top ten websites on popular science called Science Daily and two scientific articles published in a prestigious medical journal, The Lancet. The topic in the articles is the same: arthritis. To be able to compare and contrast the articles more effectively, corpus analysis tools have been used to analyse the linguistic features above mentioned. This article aims at showing how popular science articles can be used as pedagogical material for the teaching of Medicine, as they are more easily understandable for students (Parkinson & Adendorff, 2004) and therefore bringing about a more intuitive learning process. On the other hand, scientific articles are a source of medical knowledge and should be taken into consideration accordingly. However, medical students in their first years at university who have never been exposed to academic and scientific articles may find the reading and understanding of this academic type of written genre difficult and arduous.

1999 : chap. 1 dans Beacco (dir.) : L'astronomie dans les médias, Paris : Presses de la Sorbonne nouvelle. Contributions de G. Petit, M. Brasquet-Loubeyre, S. Moirand, F. Mourlhon-Dallies, G. Petiot, F. Cusin-Berche, M.-F. Mortureux ; p. 11-23.

This Introduction to the special issue of Science in Context devoted to "Science in Film and the Deficit Model" provides a historical overview of the "deficit model" in the fields of science popularization and the public understanding of science, and examines its resilience in spite of abundant criticism.

Much of empirical research published so far on science communication analysed the problem from sociological or educational perspective, ignoring communication standpoints. Similarly, a large number of studies have overlooked the process of popularisation of science among rural people and the intricacies involved in such communication contexts. The present analysis attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of science and its evolution in historical perspective and the concept of public communication of science through various methods and channels focusing on their context and application.

Explaining the philosophy of Machiavelli on the example of street racing: power, deception, realist behaviour, realist ethics, violence. The article was first published on Drivetribe. The article is a part of the book "Introduction to Academic Driving" (Ost Neer, KPD, 2019).

ترویج علم به مثابۀ «میان‌کنش بین دانشمندان و عموم مردم» مفهومی بسیار گسترده و شامل همۀ تلاش‌ها برای ارائۀ علم و نظریات علمی به عموم افراد جامعه از جمله از طریق کتاب، مجله، سخنرانی، جشنواره، نمایشگاه، موزه، اردو، برنامه‌های تلویزیونی، فیلم و سریال است. در این میان اما نشر کتاب از پیشینه و اهمیت بیشتری برخوردار است. در این نوشتار به بررسی بایسته‌های چاپ و نشر کتاب با هدف ترویج علم پرداخته و به عنوان مطالعۀ موردی، کتاب «شگفتی‌های کیهان» اثر «برایان کاکس» و دو ترجمۀ آن را به نقد کشیده‌ایم.

Spazio e tempo sono grandezze fondamentali della fisica e anche concetti da sempre al centro di riflessioni scientifiche e filosofiche. "Cos'è il tempo? -scriveva Sant'Agostino -Se nessuno me lo chiede lo so; se voglio spiegarlo a uno che me lo chiede non lo so più". Anche il concetto di spazio appare problematico e su di esso scienziati, matematici e filosofi hanno sostenuto punti di vista diversi e talvolta contrapposti.

" To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub. " Hamlet Why do we sleep? There are various theories-and none explains it fully. We know that deprivation of sleep causes various problems including irritability, lack of focus and concentration, and interferes in our ability to learn complex tasks and also in recalling from our memories. Evidence suggests that during the deepest sleep, the body secretes useful enzymes and growth hormones in higher amounts – this may partly explain why children during their growing periods sleep most of the time. EEG studies allow us to monitor the activities of the brain during sleep. From these studies we know that there are basically two types of sleep: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and Non-REM (NREM) sleep. REM sleep is relatively active in which the eyes move rapidly under our eyelids, and most of our dreams occur during REM sleep only. Non-REM is a much deeper and restful sleep during which there are no eye movements; even if we dream during this type of sleep, we usually do not remember them upon waking. It has also been proved that we dream in real time and that the body is usually paralysed during dreaming to protect it from injuries arising from the movement of limbs that may be triggered by the dreams. Scientists have identified five types of waves in the brain: (1) the high frequency gamma waves (40-100 cycles per second), which are important for learning, memory and information processing, and are associated with higher cognitive tasks. (2) The active mental state corresponds to what is known as beta waves, vibrating at frequency of 12-40 cycles per second, which are commonly observed when we are awake and active, and engaged in logical thinking and problem solving. (3) The alpha waves with a frequency range 8-12 cycles per second help promote deep relaxation; these waves are also triggered by psychedelic drugs like marijuana or alcohol. There are believed to be the gateway to our subconscious mind lying at the base of our conscious awareness. (4) Theta waves predominate during what is known as REM sleep; these trigger experiences of intuition, relaxation and creative surges. These are present during light meditation and sleep, including the all-important REM dream state. (5) Finally, the deep sleep patterns correspond to delta waves in the brain vibrating at frequencies of 0.1 to 4 cycles per second; these are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation. The Delta frequency is the slowest of the frequencies and is experienced in deep, dreamless non-REM sleep and in very deep, transcendental meditation. It is believed to be in the realm of the unconscious. 1 The author is a senior civil servant and also a writer of popular science as also a commentator on socioeconomic issues.

This is the story of a pupil and his master on his initiation journey. In each chapter, the reader can learn about something related to science. Every chapter is also a step into a mysterious and perplexing adventure. In the end, what the reader learns about science and the journey itself converge in just one explanation of amazing consequences.
Accompany a young monk along his first pilgrimage through exotic landscapes, mysterious environments, splendid buildings, shady mountains and mortal traps. Travel with him and his master along the edge of a spiral that sinks into the enigma of the most puzzling adventure ever revealed. Walk hand-in-hand with his master and learn from his wisdom while they unveil, one by one, the folds of the most jealously guarded secret in history.

This dissertation explores the popularisation of Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory in Romania from 1859 to 1918. Placing Darwinism in the Romanian context is important in several ways, as not only gives a picture of the interconnectedness between the political and the scientific construction of knowledge, but also reveals how cultural hegemony was formed in the European periphery. The research traces the multidirectionality of scientific ideas, highlighting its top-down and bottom up character. It focuses on the social staging of Darwinism, materially and culturally (in printed texts and institutions), politically (in ideological contests and outcomes), and scientifically (in epistemological negotiations). Finally, it explores the relationship between these historical agents.

Special attention is given to science popularisation journals, pamphlets, manuals of natural history and museum artefacts in Romania, which addressed the evolutionary theory and its role for the adoption of the biological perspective in studies of ecology. To this end, the dissertation provides a detailed analysis of the social context in which scientific institutions and associations operated, exploring how Romanian naturalists acquired scientific authority, while deciding which scientific theories circulated in the public sphere. At the same time, the dissertation highlights how Darwinism was intertwined with ideas of racial, social and gender inequalities. Drawing on relevant comparisons with other countries, it reveals the development of a scientific public in
Romania at the end of the nineteenth century, and the role played by popular knowledge and counterpublics in scientific debates.

A corpus-based comparison of Italian popular science writing and Italian academic scientific writing. The two do-it-yourself corpora of roughly 50,000 tokens each are analyzed in order to single out their differences on a morphosyntactic, lexical and textual level.