MENTION the 鈥渁xis of evil鈥� to cosmologists and you will elicit a weary shrug. This alignment of hot and cold patches in the cosmic background radiation suggests many things, including spin (see 鈥�Original spin: Was the universe born whirling?鈥�), but it could all turn out to be spin of a different kind.
Science has traditionally shied away from snappy sound bites. When astronomer Fred Hoyle coined the term 鈥渂ig bang鈥� in 1949, he came to bury its proponents, not to praise them. In recent years, particle physicists have made strenuous efforts to distance themselves from the Higgs boson鈥檚 embarrassing 鈥淕od particle鈥� soubriquet, even as the public has embraced it.
Such attitudes are misplaced. Science鈥檚 future lies in its power to inspire, and inspiration does not come from desiccated academic jargon. Time to wise up to the power of the brand.
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