Many people find science and physics to be difficult, confusing, and unintuitive. A wall of technical language that makes the subject difficult to understand is often the issue instead of a lack of interest. This is excatly where Alba Moreno (@fisicamr), a Spanish science communicator makes her work interesting. She tries to make physics less intimidating and approachable for thousands of viewers through her social media platforms.
She has created content in the past few years that explains black holes, gravity, and other cosmic phenomena that happen far beyond Earth. Also, her first book, “La vida es física” (Life is physics), was just released. She examines the laws of physics in a more straightforward and imaginative manner “From Atoms to Black Holes.”
Making physics feel closer
For Moreno, is not that people dislike physics; is that the formulas and technical vocabulary we usually see in traditional communication can be very confusing for many. Alba’s objective is to change that experience around and show that physics is not only something that happens far beyond what we can see, in galaxies or in a lab, but also a part of daily life.
She breaks down subjects like black holes and gravity into manageable chunks on social media. She begins with well-known pictures and analogies rather than formulas, then progressively relates them to the science. Her book takes the same route, using conversational language to guide readers “from atoms to black holes.” Eliminating unnecessary obstacles so that more people can find the topic fascinating.
Some people in the field have criticized this approach, because they fear that accuracy could be compromised by simplifying language, “I don’t believe that just because you use more technical words you are more rigorous.” is Moreno’s calm but firm response.
Talking openly about nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is one of the topics Moreno’s approaches: She often notes that there are “a lot of rumors about nuclear energy” and tries to calm down fear using facts and perspective. She emphasizes that the whole picture is more complicated, even though many people mostly associate them with accidents and catastrophes.
“Nuclear power plants should 100% remain open: There is a lot of fear because there have been very high-profile problems, but they are among the cleanest energy sources we have today, with less risk.”
She makes a shocking analogy to help humanize the conversation: “Eating a banana, which contains a certain type of potassium, gives you a higher dose of radioactivity than living for a year in a nuclear power plant.” This example makes people reconsider because most of them have never considered a banana to be “radioactive.”
Furthermore, she warns that shutting down nuclear facilities can have unexpected effects. It’s not that easy to replace that energy just with renewables. They “practically need to tear up ecosystems and a lot of land area,” she observes. Reminding us that each energy source—solar, wind, nuclear, and fossil fuels—has its own trade-offs in terms of land use, emissions, and environmental impact is the goal, not criticizing renewable energy.
Science is best when it is understood.
People go quite, might try to change the subject, or even go away if a discussion about physics and energy starts with terms that hardly anyone understands. Moreno’s work is looking for the opposite of that: She encourages more people to participate in the conversation, using common language, and securing explanations in recognizable visuals.
Adults without a background in science, teenagers, or someone who dropped physics in school can follow along and ask questions. She shows how subjects like nuclear energy, black holes, and gravity can be explained step-by-step without insulting the audience.