Check out these five great science popularizers

Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and Stephen Hawking. These are just three of the best science popularizers who have helped us become part of science with their wit and unmatched clarity of communication. They have dissected, clarified, presented scientific concepts, and at the same time, they’ve left us in awe and excitement. Many people have been drawn to science by Sagan, Asimov, Hawking and many others like them who have seen the need to “laymanize” the ever-complex but beautiful realm of natural science. Here are five more whose work we should delve into for us to have a renewed lens to look at the world around us and the universe beyond us:

1. Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is a British primatologist and anthropologist. Her long and outstanding research studies on chimpanzees give us a deeper understanding of primate behavior, and thus, she’s also challenged our traditional beliefs about animals and ourselves. With the body of knowledge that she has created, Dr. Goodall has provided us with an approach towards species conservation which is what we need in a planet ravaged by climate change. Learn about Dr. Goodall and her work here.

2. Lisa Randall

As a theoretical physicist, Lisa Randall has expertise in particle physics and cosmology. Her recent popular science book tackled dark matter and dinosaurs. This work hypothesizes that dark matter served as the catalyst of the catastrophe that prompted the mass extinction of dinosaurs. As a science popularizer, Dr. Randall’s gift is in linking the mysterious with the tangible. Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs is just one of her many mind-blowing popular science books. You may find Dr. Randall’s work here.

3. Susan Greenfield

Source: By National Assembly for Wales from Wales CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Apart from her membership in the House of Lords, Susan Greenfield is a dominant figure in the study of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. As a neuroscientist, she's invested time studying mind change which focuses on the impact of our hyper-connected society to our neurological functions. Through her work, Dr. Greenfield challenges our present complacency towards modern technology such as video games and social media. Learn about Dr. Greenfield and her work here.

4. Alan Lightman

Alan Lightman is a physicist, writer, and social entrepreneur. He is the first professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to receive a joint appointment for both science and humanities. While Dr. Lightman has made scientific contributions in the study of astrophysical processes, his most popular work is the fictionalized journey that led to Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Einstein’s Dreams is part-science, part-fairy tale, part-meditation about the beauty of genius. As a prolific writer, Dr. Lightman continues to publish across genres. Learn more about Dr. Lightman’s scientific, artistic and philanthropic activities here.

5. Neil deGrasse Tyson

By Norwegian University of Science and Technology CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Neil deGrasse Tyson is perhaps the most popular science communicator today. Among his recent accolades include the Cosmos Award from the Planetary Society, the Hubbard Medal from National Geographic Society, and the Stephen Hawking’s Medal for Science Communication. He was also nominated in the Grammy’s for his work entitled Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Much like his predecessors, Dr. Tyson’s aim is to demystify the cosmos through the use of clear and concise communication. You may find Dr. Tyson’s work here.

As society becomes more and more reliant on science and technology, there is an immense need for science popularizers to ensure that scientific progress will be brought to the masses. It is through these science popularizers that we’ll be given a better understanding of the world and the universe we live in.