Atomic Roaches and Test-Tube Babies

Abstract

Bentley Glass, an American geneticist during America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union, originated the legend that cockroaches would take over the world in the event of a nuclear apocalypse. As a scientific researcher, writer, editor, and administrator, Glass advocated higher-quality science writing and better communication between scientists and the public. Serving on the editorial board of the journal Science, he wrote a number of political opinion pieces and sought to improve the editorial process while interrogating the journal’s relationship to the mainstream media. Meanwhile, he wrote a science column for general readers, was a frequently tapped source for reporters, and was an expert guest on radio and television programs. As a leader of many scientific organizations throughout his career, his views were widely disseminated by press coverage of his public speeches. His often-frustrated efforts to bridge the gap between the two cultures of scientific and journalistic practice hint at the spectacular difficulty of this task. The polarization of scientific and literary/humanist worldviews provides a broad historical context for the nagging problems of communicating science.