David Baron (author)

thumb|David Baron David Baron is an American author, journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in writing about science, particularly astronomy and environmental topics. Quotes Day I’ll most remember was one I spent in southeastern Iceland. In less than 24 hours, I flew over an erupting volcano, witnessed a solar eclipse, and then – after dark – watched ribbons of the aurora borealis shimmer and undulate against the Milky Way. It made me feel like a speck of dust in the universe. Odd to say, but I find that very satisfying. The environmental issues I write about tend to involve wildlife and land use, but what really interests me is people. How do people think about, and relate to, wild animals? How do people think about, and relate to, the land? One thing I love about environmental issues is that they’re so complicated. There are rarely right or wrong answers. For instance, my book (The Beast in the Garden) explores the growing conflict between people and mountain lions in America’s suburbs. Folks who live in lion country often express strong opinions. Some loathe lions and want them removed from residential areas, while others adore the animals and want them protected even if a lion ends up maiming or killing a human being. I don’t believe one side of this conflict can claim to be “right.” I mean, assuming we’re not going to kill off every last lion or allow every lion to roam wherever it wants (downtown Seattle? Chicago? New York?), we need to decide collectively how many lions we want, where we want them, and how we should manage them. Different people come to different conclusions based on their values and their tolerance for risk. It’s a messy process, but that’s what makes it fascinating. "David Baron: public radio, cougars, and the benefits of understanding science", mongabay.com (May 21, 2012) As a kid in the 1960s, I remember being a kid immersed in outer space. We all were. It was the time-the Apollo program, Martians, that was what people were talking about. And I grew up watching Carl Sagan and Nova on PBS. The great thing about Nova was that it approached science as a detective story. So it really had a way of sucking you in. When I write about science, what I’m really trying to do is write a good story. My goal is to find great characters and a fascinating setting and a wonderful plot. That’s just a great story that happens to do with science. And along the way, people who don’t think they care about science might learn a thing or two. That’s always been my goal, whether working with NPR or writing books. To try to move people emotionally, while at the same time making them think. "Best-Selling Boulder Author Orbits Into the World of Martians With New Book", Westword (August 25, 2025) External links Category:Living people Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States Category:Science authors from the United States Category:Journalists from the United States Category:Yale University alumni