Science communication about contentious biology topics: why it frequently fails and how to fix it

Science communication broadly refers to the exchange of scientific information between people, whether through presentations, discussions, collaboration, or other formats. It can serve many goals, including sharing findings among colleagues, teaching students, and informing or persuading the public. This paper focuses on communicating biological science to non-expert audiences to inform, counter misinformation, and support evidence-based decision-making, especially when scientific evidence conflicts with an audience's existing beliefs. Communicating about biology is particularly challenging, as topics such as evolution, vaccines, pandemic science, and reproductive biology have become ideological flashpoints. Unfortunately, undergraduate and graduate biology curricula rarely include formal training in public communication, leaving many scientists and science communicators to compete against misinformation, pseudoscience, and political messaging without the skills to do so effectively. The good news is that science communication is a teachable, evidence-based competency. This paper synthesizes research from psychology, science communication, and biology education into a practical framework that pairs common communication failures with their corresponding remedies. Effectively communicating science to non-specialist audiences is a learnable skill and an essential core competency for undergraduate biology education. Two classroom implementation options are also provided in the appendices.