Nobel Intent: Bringing the latest scientific discoveries to a broad readership
With so many exciting scientific discoveries being published all the time, wouldn’t it be nice to have them filtered and delivered to you in cogent, understandable prose? The writers for the website Nobel Intent (http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars) are doing just that. The site’s authors are scientists in fields ranging from laser optics to developmental biology and pharmacology, which allows them to identify important developments that don’t appear in the wider media. And, when covering stories that do appear in the popular press, their research backgrounds and the flexible format of Nobel Intent helps to ensure that the articles provide details on the experimental approaches and scientific reasoning behind the news.
One goal of Nobel Intent is to present important discoveries to the public in a way that can be easily digested without overstating the data or oversimplifying the message. The website features an area for discussion, which reveals an audience made up of both scientists and non-scientists interested in science, technology and health. The site acts as a conduit between researchers and the public, not by removing necessary technical jargon or avoiding complex issues, but by explaining them.
Nobel Intent is the ‘science-centric’ subsection of a larger website, Ars Technica. Content on the parent site ranges from detailed descriptions of electronic gadgets to international news. Catering to an intellectually curious readership, Ars Technica provides a great environment for encouraging stimulating and timely scientific discussions. Its staff hope that Nobel Intent can help to educate the public in ways that are not provided by mass media and, in the process, make scientists aware of work beyond their own field of study.