Science writing as narrative craft
The strongest science journalism explains discovery through human story and clear prose rather than jargon. Explanation and storytelling are treated as inseparable.
The best American science writing 2006
4 ideas
Medicine and biology dominate the year's best
The selection tilts toward health, disease, and the life sciences. This reflects public preoccupation with medicine and the body.
The human stakes behind research
Pieces foreground how findings affect real patients and lives rather than treating science as abstract. The reader is anchored in consequence.
A surgeon-writer's editorial taste
As guest editor, Atul Gawande favors work that fuses scientific rigor with narrative momentum. His selection models the marriage of accuracy and readability.