About

Science is a tribal endeavour. It’s a social behaviour humans engage in, one that is based on shared values of logic, reason, empiricism and the right to debate the merits of belief.

This blog is about the ideals of the science methodology and the reality of how people actually use (or don’t use) their brains. It contains the thoughts and opinions of one science communicator and educator who has a passion for this thing people do called ‘science’.

Some of those thoughts are well researched and based on a lot of in depth reading, discussion and experience. A lot of them are based on little more than a moment’s thought and a knee-jerk reaction. Hopefully there is less of the latter and more of the former.

The Author

I’m an Australian science writer working for the CSIRO’s education department.

I graduated with a bachelor of applied science from QUT in 1998, followed by several years as a medical scientist working for a Queensland pathology laboratory. This was followed by a bachelor of education in science and mathematics through USQ, leading me to teach science in Brisbane and then in London. In 2006 I earned a diploma of science communication via the joint ANU/Questacon ‘Science Circus’ program, and am currently reading for my master of culture, health and medicine at ANU.

I’ve presented public talks on science history and philosophy, optical illusions, skepticism, communication and the nature of epistemology. My first book, ‘Tribal Science – Brains, beliefs and bad ideas‘ was released in 2011 through University Of Queensland Press.

Email me at mike@tribalscientist.com.

-Mike McRae