Euroscience

December 17 2014

The Big Boob Persuasion: does it work for science, too?

seriogaBlog, Selected articles boobs for science, Euroscience, science communication, science writing, strategic communication

Using naked boobs to disseminate science? The Tumblr blog Boobs for Science has just proved it’s no joke. The blog requires volunteers to send photos of themselves naked or wearing underwear, together with a sign featuring a scientific statement of their choice. Some pictures are then published with a concise scientific explanation on the chosen topic.

The initiative was born in Italy, where the parent blog Tette per la Scienza has already made a splash and the Facebook page has gathered more than 20,000 fans since late October 2014. Following a few complaints of sexism, the blog has also started to welcome photos of male models.

It’s easy to get attention with naked bodies on the internet, but the blog is not just another click bait: its goal is actually to foster discussion about scientific topics. Does it actually work to engage people in science?

I spoke on the phone with Lara Tait, a 30-years old web marketer with a background in paleoanthropology. She created the blog together with her boyfriend from Milan, Italy. Below is an edited version of our interview:

Read on for my full written review and, yes, other spicy photos.

(Originally published on Euroscience)

Photo courtesy of Boobs for Science

September 25 2014

Italian scientists protest against budget cuts, crocodile tears included

seriogaBlog, Selected articles Euroscience, science communication, science policy, science writing, university

Sergio Pistoi for The Euroscientist

In the successful Italian comedy, Smetto quando voglio (I can quit whenever I want), a group of young and talented scholars with no career perspective turns into a successful drug-dealing mob. The story is imaginary—a surreal rendition of Breaking Bad—but it is also the portrait of Italian academia.There, the shortage of funds, baronies, and scant meritocracy hamper the careers of many endowed scientists. This fiction is not that far from reality.

Now, as an attempt to change their working conditions, Italian researchers are planning a protest movement in October, to take a stand against budget cuts and political apathy. There is no doubt that such movement is justified, but there is also a need for academics to run their universities better.

Read the full story here:

http://www.euroscientist.com/blog/2014/09/25/italian-scientist-protest-budget-cuts-crocodile-tears-included/