Science writing tends to fall into three categories: incomprehensible (a la textbooks and academic journals), middle-aged (Bill Bryson, Mary Oliver), and alpha-manly (Sebastian Junger, Jon Krakauer). And yet, what of all the other writers out there with a flair for the written word and a weakness for the scientific method? They tend to get the shaft when it comes to the bestseller list, but a little website called The Science Creative Quarterly (the editors claim to be as baffled by the website’s name as you) has popped up to cater to this subset of the literary-minded.
I think an apt comparison would be that The Science Creative Quarterly is McSweeney’s Internet Tendency with Bunsen burners and plastic goggles instead of nerd glasses and a copy of the latest Lethem under the arm. Even the site’s design is similar to that of McSweeney’s: Both utilize a somewhat twee aesthetic. Not that there is anything wrong with twee! And regardless of whether you like science or not (just as a fondness for hipsters is irrelevant when it comes to reading McSweeney’s), the writing here is good, often funny, and sometimes even a tad informative. For example, was everyone aware that “Evolutionary Perspective=1/Creationist Vision”? I did not. See? That is good, funny and informative all at the same time! We all win!