Evolutionary contingency

believe that a hallmark of good science is that it can be explained concisely in simple, jargon-free terms to a non-scientist. Karl von Frisch, the famous Nobel laureate who championed the study of honeybee behaviour, is said to have commented that a good scientific seminar should be organized in three parts. The first part should consist of material that the audience already knows, so that they feel comfortable with the topic. The second part should present material that the audience does not know, but can grasp easily, so they realize that the speaker can actually teach them something new. The third part, according to von Frisch, should be so complex and incomprehensible that the audience is overawed! I have to disagree about part three — I do my best to confine my talks to the first two parts. Personally, I find it hard to be swayed by a talk that I do not understand.