Welcome to Plain Language Science, or PLS, where you don’t have to be a scientist to understand the value of understanding.

I have always felt that my training and experience in biology has granted me a unique perspective on the world around me, providing figurative science-tinted glasses. PLS exists to provide this perspective to those who seek it.  PLS will be focused on biology for the time being, but down the road, who knows?  Maybe I can talk some of my other talented scientist friends to come by and drop some niche knowledge of their own.  They have been bought with pizza and beer before, I am sure they would be down to help me out again.  

My name is Nate.  This is where I would list the achievements that qualify me to be your sherpa on this expedition.  My ivy-league pedigree, my prestigious publication history and my high-impact biotech job.  

I have none of these things.

I am a newly laid-off, current full time dad that has finally had the chance to confront the things in his career that he has always wanted to do but never had the chance to do.  

My obsession with science fuels my desire to share it.  

A dream of mine is to teach an upper-division interdisciplinary course on introductory biology.  A class of non-scientists that were curious about biology but had no idea where to start.  This course would start with the basics, the central dogma of molecular biology.  With this foundation, we would spend a session holding an open forum and make a custom curriculum based on what they wanted to know.  You can only imagine the types of questions you would get.

What is cancer?

If I am 60% identical to a banana, what does DNA even do?  

What is the COVID vaccine, my mom says it’s bad?

Why am I so hung over right now?  

Then I could sit down with some literature, inform myself, and make a lesson plan.  The course would be tailored around what they want to understand, emphasizing informing over teaching, and embracing ambiguity when it comes.  A pass/fail final presentation later you have a group of informed people who now have knowledge of topics relevant to them that they can share with those around them. More recently, I have thought about channeling this ambition into a YouTube channel. Narration over dramatized cartoon animations representing simplified versions of these topics.  I am severely lacking in the time and talent it would take to do this endeavor any justice. This class and YouTube channel will eventually exist, and I would love to be the person who brings them to the world.  These dreams will probably never come to fruition.  This blog will be my surrogate. 

Many different instances of sharing these topics with friends and family over coffee and drinks finally spurred me to this point.  That is the tenor I am aiming for with this blog, just someone casually chatting about something that interests them.  As far as what to expect, my early obsession with Osmosis Jones defines the way my brain envisions biology.  I will use tons of animated representations, metaphor and analogy to convey subjects, and will use these crutches regularly over the course of this blog.  Apologies in advance.

In the defense of non-scientists, acquiring this understanding is a much more daunting task than it should be. Research here in the states is heavily funded by American taxpayers.  Nearly all of my own personal education, scholar training and academic research was paid for, at least in part, by taxpayer dollars. This same research is often hidden behind journal paywalls and further obscured with convoluted scientific jargon.  My aim with this blog is to be that bridge. At least until we live in a world where research articles are not published without plain language summaries, and all research bought and paid for by the taxpayer is available to the taxpayer free of charge.

Through Plain Language Science, my goal is to break down barriers to scientific understanding by offering clear, concise and accessible explanations. I believe that everyone deserves access to knowledge, and until that becomes a reality, I am committed to serving as one of many conduits between the scientific community and the public at large.  

What we do is cool, and if you’re curious, you should know about it.

Thank you for joining me on this expedition into the world of Plain Language Science. Together, let’s explore the wonders of science and empower each other with knowledge.