Reversing the (Biotech-is-too-complicated-to-understand) Complex

“Biotech?? Yikes—just the sound of it tells me I’m probably not smart enough to understand it!” 

My journalist colleague was joking, but not really. The “joke” of not being smart enough for science is a frequent punchline that usually means “hated it in high school.” 

Here’s the kicker, though: as a journalist, my friend covers high tech companies involved in extraordinarily technical and complicated innovations, and what she knows about such technologies is impressive. 

And here’s the other kicker: in her undertones she was actually being serious about thinking she couldn’t understand biotech.

Sadly, I don’t blame her. I’ve heard this kind of response to anything “biotech” before, and I hear it a lot when I tell people what I do. In fact, that’s how I got into the role of being a Science Communicator in addition to my other roles. 

I’m on a passionate, near-obsessive mission to demystify biotech so that the global public realizes 1) they actually know waaaaaay more about biotech than they think they do, and 2) they don’t need to be a scientist to understand it. 

We in Industry Have Work to Do

As I’ve said before, science—and especially Biotechnology (the intimidating kind, typed here with a big “B” on purpose)—hasn’t had enough everyday-talkers talking about it. Sure, since COVID-19 and the vaccines we’ve heard more about it, but that doesn’t mean Biotechnology has become a friendly, more accessible term.

For example: here in the USA we have a great communicator in Dr. Fauci (I have three collector bobbleheads in my office to demonstrate my fandom!!!), but as a physician scientist he will often still use more technical terms in certain situations, like saying “deleterious” instead of saying “harmful.”

We all know what “harmful” means, and there’s no shame in having to look up “deleterious,” but how many will take the time? (le sigh)

See? It’s not you. We in the industry have work to do, and I’m on your side.

We live in a world where Biotechnology sounds really complicated—and it is, at the granular scientific level. It also does miraculous things, but knowing the “what” doesn’t have to mean getting into the depth of the “how.” 

We can talk about Biotechnology (big "B") like it’s simply biotechnology (little "b") without all the complexities:

• Offering improved vegan foods at the molecular level
• Addressing cancer in new ways
• Fixing genetic diseases
• Changing the landscape to address rare diseases
• Creating more sustainable soil
• Curing plant diseases
• Offering ways to make more earth-friendly clothes, including those that can decompose as the trends shift

However, when someone says biotechnology, what most hear is Biotechnology. 

Half our brains shut down OR we just mentally walk away assuming it’s out of our league… and with that, another opportunity to love science and learn about biotechnology poofs away into thin air (or evaporates, metaphorically speaking).

But the concept is not complicated.

We in biotech have to talk science-speak because our training means we research based on constructs and hypotheses, we speak in terms of data, we are accurate with the findings (whether we like them or not), we assure clarity, and it’s never personal. 

BUT, not everyone knows (or retains from high school) science speak, and the very term “biotechnology” might as well be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (… quick aside: I can’t believe The Oxford Languages has a “Translations and more definitions” for this word???)

So if you have a (Biotech-is-too-complicated-to-understand) Complex, it’s not you. We in industry have contributed to the problem because we haven’t done our best to communicate biotechnology in a way that matters to you, our most important stakeholder: the global public.

Killing the Biotech Myths: Go Ahead, Make Me

As a starting point, let's kill the myth that biotech is too complicated to understand.

• Truth: Biotechnology is complicated and those doing the work need to know the details of such complexities. They also need experience for how to innovate, develop, control and manufacture the products. 
• Reality: other industries are also complicated and those doing the work need to know the details of such complexities: High Tech, Medical Professions, and Aviation being three immediate examples that come to mind
• Conclusion: If you can understand the basics of industries listed above, you can understand the basics of biotechnology.

Prove me wrong. Go ahead.

We can understand Aviation without being pilots. We can understand aspects of medicine without being physicians. We can understand what Siri and Alexa do without knowing the code behind it. 

Tell me I'm wrong: we understand really complicated industries and products because of how people have talked about them, not because we are or aren’t smart enough to understand them. All of the industries listed above are complex. Does that mean you shouldn't be able to understand them? (right... it's not you...)

So let’s instead embrace a (biotech-is-easy-to-understand) Complex where we learn just enough to feel closer to it, confident that we don’t need to be experts or practitioners in order to be friends with it.

That’s biotechnology, baby!!

If you liked this article then make sure to follow me for more content to help demystify biotech!

? 2021 Christa Dhimo

(and as always, let's give credit where credit is due!!):

Works Cited: See direct links within the article as well as:

(No cited sources this week...)