India, Feb. 28 -- What should a scientist look like?

When the non-profit British Science Association (BSA) surveyed 14-18-year-olds across four years, they found answers that mirrored those in the popular imagination: A scientist looks geeky, awkward, bespectacled; has crazy hair, a high-pitched voice.

Their report published on their website in 2023, found that only 8% could conjure an image of a scientist they could identify with.

"Pop-culture and media tend to portray scientists as solo geniuses, capable of tinkering around and coming up with insights other people just don't have the innate ability for. That really isn't how science works. Anyone can become a scientist," says Adrian Liston, professor of pathology who heads the Liston...