Scientoons, Anyone?

The Euroscience meeting in July offers an embarrassment of riches. From sessions on neural imaging, the male-female health survival paradox and bionics versus regenerative medicine to the aesthetics of the body, smart homes and how art and science interact, the emphasis is on understanding, innovation and communication. There is also an energetic public outreach component with free activities and lectures on the human brain, nutrition, ecology, matter and the universe, and discovering science. The conference title sums it up – “Science for a Better Life.” When it comes to science communication, though, something called scientoons is sure to inject an element of fun. In short, scientoons are science cartoons, which are not new, of course; The Cartoon Guide to Genetics was required reading for me for years. What is new is their use in a systematic way to entice apathetic students into learning more about science. You can review some examples at the scientoon gallery. Or maybe you would like to draw some of your own and submit them for publishing on Science Café. I encourage your creativity. And here’s a follow-up to my conversation with UCSF headache expert Peter Goadsby, MD, PhD: The BBC has posted an article on his work with new headache drugs. If you read it, you will notice that Goadsby’s former institution is named, but not UCSF. Guess they haven’t received word that he has now relocated.