Dear Magicians,

Scientists are losing the public.

This was inevitable.

They owe their careers to taxpayers. Yet many act as if their work is too important to explain. As if brilliance alone entitles them to a lifetime of funding.

Academia makes this worse. Scientists who engage with the public get mocked as “popularizers.” It’s a sneer, not a compliment.

Look at Carl Sagan.

He brought science to millions. And for that, the National Academy of Sciences shut him out. The message? Keep your head down. Stay obscure. Hoard knowledge or risk exile.

This is a sickness.

We need science more than ever—climate change, pandemics, AI. And yet, scientists are pulling away.

Andrew Huberman notes that Oliver Sacks was “attacked, shunned, and only after becoming a bit of a celebrity, re-welcomed.” A familiar pattern.

UC Davis Professor Inna Vishik is right: Not every scientist can be a great communicator, but every scientist can share their research. Dismissing the public is a choice. Richard Behiel sees where this is going. Scientists will wake up. They’ll realize that public trust is not an obstacle—it’s the foundation. Most will build a public presence, or be left behind. The public is smarter than academia assumes.

The fix is clear. Change what we reward. Stop punishing engagement. Teach scientists to communicate. Build bridges, not walls. Most of all, we need a shift in mindset. Because science locked away is science wasted. Because a public that doesn’t understand science won’t trust it. And because the greatest discoveries mean nothing if no one hears them.

For Scientists & Academics:

🔹 Share your work. Write, speak, blog, stream, go on podcsats — engage—your research belongs to the world.

🔹 Challenge the gatekeepers. Don’t let academia punish those who make science accessible.

🔹 Bridge the gap. Teach, podcast, write—make science impossible to ignore.

For the Public:

🔹 Demand better. Your tax dollars fund science—expect clarity, not secrecy.

🔹 Engage. Follow scientists who explain, not just publish. Ask questions. Push for transparency.

🔹 Support communicators. The ones breaking barriers need your voice behind them.

Administrators: Wok for Institutional Change:

🔹 Reward public engagement. Universities should value outreach like they do research.

🔹 Teach communication. Science students should learn how to explain, not just experiment.

🔹 Break the cycle. Stop treating public engagement as a career risk. Make it a career advantage.

Science belongs to everyone. Let’s start acting like it.

Until next time, have a M.A.G.I.C. Week,

Brian