About
About the site
I chose the name Just A Theory because it demonstrates a common misunderstanding of science by the general public. When people attempt to dismiss areas such as evolution or climate change they often announce “that’s just a theory!” - the implication being theories are dreamed up by mad scientists in laboratories somewhere, and are based on opinion, not fact.
This perception can be very damaging to science, and it is often the media that is at fault. Scientific reports are dumbed down to the point where facts, data, and the scientific method are completely obscured - its no wonder readers can be left with the impression scientists pluck their ideas out of thin air.
The aim of Just A Theory is to try and avoid these pitfalls myself, as well as highlighting the worst offenders in the mainstream media. Most importantly of all, I wish to treat readers as intelligent people who may not know much about science, but hopefully wish to know more.
Just A Theory was launched in the summer of 2008.
About the author
Jacob Aron studied Mathematics at the University of Bristol, and is currently on the Science Communication MSc at Imperial College London. He enjoys writing, film and television, video games, and talking in the third person.