In a 2002 cover story for The New York Times Magazine, Gary questioned the truism that people are getting fatter because they eat too much-especially fatty foods-and exercise too little. In a lengthy article published in 1998 in Science (for which he has long been a correspondent) Gary raised doubts about the claim that low-salt diets are healthy. Gary's career really took off when he switched his focus from physics to a topic that the masses actually care about: diet. (Scientists can be swell-headed! Who knew?) In his next book, Bad Science (Random House, 1993), Gary lambasted the jokers behind the "cold fusion" fiasco of the late 1980s. His first book, Nobel Dreams (Random House, 1987), asserted that ruthless ambition more than the desire for truth compelled Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia to seek the particles that mediate the weak nuclear force. Gary, who earned his degree in physics and was briefly-and tellingly-an amateur boxer, began his career thumping physicists. Gary Taubes practices critical science journalism, although calling Gary "critical" is like calling Donald Trump "self-confident." No journalist whacks scientists with more gusto than Gary, whom I've known for 15 years.
Celebratory journalists help us appreciate the cool things scientists discover, whereas critical journalists challenge scientists' claims. Anyway, there are two basic styles of science journalism, celebratory and critical.
When someone divides a complex phenomenon into two basic categories, he invariably oversimplifies and distorts reality.
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