By K J Foxhall 
The battle for reality: Why science matters in an age of misinformation by Roger Highfield at The Royal Society.
I’ve always had a soft spot for The Royal Society. There is a certain cerebral comfort in an organisation that starts promptly and finishes on time, it’s the ultimate intellectual ‘know where you stand’ experience. While I couldn’t make it to this session in the flesh, I did still watch it on YouTube later.
The evening’s mission? Exploring how we each construct a ‘tiny universe between our ears.’ The talk was hosted by Roger Highfield (OBE, FRSB, FMedSci), a man whose CV (author, journalist, broadcaster, and Science Director at the Science Museum) is as impressive as it is long. Speaking of the Science Museum, it remains one of my ultimate safe places. Even more so as currently they are running a Star Trek trail and screening every film on the IMAX. (Boldly going, indeed!)
The journalist’s lens on reality
It was fascinating to tackle the beast of misinformation through a journalistic lens. Whether you love the press or loathe them, journalists traditionally live by their sources and facts.
However, I’ve noticed a shift. These days, phrases like “it is alleged” or “it is believed” are doing a lot of heavy lifting. These caveats act as safety nets for active investigations or gaps in knowledge, all in the name of winning the race to be first. The speed has changed, but the hustle remains the same, and don’t get me started on clickbait which is a massive annoyance for me.
Hardwired for survival, not truth
The core premise of the talk was sobering: we aren’t wired for objective truth; we’re wired for survival. Our brains are suckers for emotion.
- We can cling to comfortable beliefs like a favourite blanket.
- We can also buckle under social pressure.
In the modern age, the internet, social media, and AI have effectively weaponised these biological glitches, flooding our ‘tiny universes’ with fabricated facts and in some instances outright lies.
Can Science Save Us From… Ourselves?
Drawing on a lifetime of science engagement and the latest neuroscience, Highfield explored whether the scientific method, the same tool that decoded DNA and mapped subatomic particles, can overcome its greatest adversary; the human ego.
Unsurprisingly, he also referenced Professor Anil Seth, winner of the 2023 Michael Faraday Prize. His 2024 lecture on consciousness completely rewired my perception of how the brain decodes reality. (Yes, I was impressed enough to buy the book!)
The digital shaping of humanity
AI and the social media ‘echo chamber’ are more than just trending topics; they are the architects of our future. It’s alarming to see how quickly views can be manipulated and how contentedly people swallow unquantified online ‘truths’.
If one thing became clear from the comments section of the talk, it’s this; humanity is easily distracted. We love a good tangent, even when the survival of our objective reality is on the line!
Key Takeaway; our brains are magnificent storytellers, but we need to start fact-checking the narrator.
The Royal Society David Attenborough Award and Lecture 2025 was awarded to Dr Roger Highfield OBE FMedSci for a vast contribution to public engagement, reaching audiences of millions as a journalist, broadcaster, author, and through museum-led initiatives.