So this biologist walks into a bar...

When I was a child, I picked up a book called Last Chance to See. You've probably heard of the author - he's world renowned for his humorous science fiction which has secured his place in the hearts of geeks everywhere. But this book wasn't about travelling the universe with a trusted towel; it wasn't even fiction. It was the true story of what happens when you drag a witty, intelligent writer around with a nerdy biologist to encounter species on the brink of extinction.

Douglas Adams did more than just recount his travels around the world with Mark Carwardine. He brought conservation to life. More impressively, he did so without the doom-and-gloom that so often surrounds great conservation writing. By finding the humor in his experiences of the natural world, Adams made it easy for even the hardest minds to soften towards the animals in his tales. After all, how can you not fall for the awkward, flightless kakapo when Adams describes it as "the sort of biological absurdity you otherwise only find in discotheques" with "a look of serenely innocent incomprehension that makes you want to hug it and tell it that everything will be all right, though you know that it probably will not be."

Douglas Adams is at the top of my list of writers I wish I could emulate, so when I saw a session titled "The Entertainment Factor - Communicating Science with Humor," I simply had to check it out. Hosted by Brian Malow and Joanne Manaster, the session begged the question of how humor fits into science education and communication.

As scientists, we're taught to be analytical, critical, logical, and... well, to put it simply, dry. Scientific writing is about being precise and concise, with no fun or frills. Which is great - if you're communicating your research to other scientists. But start droning on about sexual dimorphism and the evolution of seasonal variation in sex allocation in the Haw...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Humor is a great way to explain science without losing your audience. As Brian explained in the session, "analogies and examples are the key to driving home points and making humor and science work together." The case above might sound boring, but the link is to my post on that exact paper, which uses the humorous idea of a flock of seagulls haircut being genetic to explain how adaptations can later turn against an animal when conditions change.

Joanne suggests that we can take the humor even further. For example, she thinks telling the funny stories behind the science can help personalize scientific research. What scientist doesn't have a funny field story or embarrassing lab moment? I know I have tons. Humor helps transform the stuffy, academic scientist into someone that is relatable, even - dare I say it? - likeable.

The key, as Malow puts it, is "not to be afraid to show your enthusiasm for science." He points out that Neil de Grasse Tyson once crawled across a stage in front of hundreds of people to entertain an audience while explaining vast distances - if that's not enthusiasm, I don't know what is.

Overall, this session was as thought-provoking as it was laughter-inducing. But you don't have to take my word for it. As one of the live-streamed sessions, you can see for yourself. I encourage you to check out the full video of the discussion (link will appear here when it exists).

Oh, and read Last Chance to See. I feel like I've said that before...