Science In, On and Around the Media

Neil Tyson of New York’s Museum of Natural History had an excellent appearance on The Daily Show where he reminds us that “Astrophysicists are a simple people”. John Stewart flipped between slack-jawed incomprehension and good jokes. Better science than most of the real news.

Speaking of the media and science, I spent Tuesday night boozing it up at the Royal Society’s annual “Scientists Meet the Media” party, sponsored by Novartis and the Daily Telegraph. Martin Rees, astrophysicist and Royal Society president, couldn’t help but dis the editor of the (famously right-wing) Telegraph for its politics in a room full of (mostly lefty) Guardian readers for its somehow managing passable science coverage despite its dodgy politics. Scientists and journalists both manage a healthy egotism, and it was amusing to see both groups hawking their wares while pouring free champagne down their throats. OK, our throats — I certainly can’t claim disinterest. If my own experience is a guide, I expect that the supposedly high-powered corridors of scientific power were a bit wobbly in the aftermath.

Update: The Telegraph has got a long article covering the party, studded with science-celebrity gossip (and not much else).