he authority of contemporary science is fuelled by its achievements. The extraordinary experimental success of the Standard Model of particle physics and of the descrip-tion of quantum mechanical interactions between those particles, the observational data confirming the Big Bang theory and the age of the universe, as well as the discovery of its accelerating expansion (not to mention more specula-tive hypotheses/research programs such as those linked to the Multiverse and String Theory), are momentous results that have been achieved in less than half a century. Such a massive scientific output11—concentrated in such a relatively short time-span—has had an enormous cultural impact out-side laboratories and observatories, largely thanks to the increased resources dedicated to public outreach from the scientists’ side. Whether because of their eagerness to share the revolutionary discoveries of their discipline, or for the more pragmatic realization that general public interest aids the acquisition of governmental and private funding; natural scientists have come to represent intellectuals in close contact with the public.