The popularization and excommunication of Fred Hoyle's “life-from-space” theory

Abstract

Fred Hoyle's life-from-space theory has been communicated by Hoyle and other commentators for nearly 50 years in a wide range of media, including science fiction and museums, as well as in the technical and popular press. This analysis uses Lewenstein's “web” model of science communication to demonstrate the connectedness of these media in a web within which life-from-space theory moves from niche to niche as different audiences become significant. Marginalization of the theory as a scientific idea meant a greater prominence in popular culture, and scientific approval made the public sphere redundant. On the basis of this case study, the paper assesses the value of the web as a research tool, and argues for science communication studies to look beyond traditional categories to embrace the wide variety of media and genres that contribute to the construction of science in the public.