The science of story: Turning breakthroughs into belief

In science, it’s often said “let the data speak for itself.” But what if the data is speaking a language no one understands?

In the fast-evolving world of bio-innovation, breakthroughs are happening every day - from lab-grown materials to engineered enzymes that breakdown plastics. But breakthroughs alone aren’t enough. For bio-innovation to drive real-world change, people must understand it, believe in it, and act on it.

Collaboration across scientists, engineers, and innovators is key to translate complexity into clarity. The most successful cases shift from informing and explaining, to evoking emotion and inspiration.

The difference lies in how they tell the story – here’s how:

Technical language builds credibility, whilst metaphors build memory.

Many of the most influential moments in science communication came from comparisons or images that made abstract ideas feel urgent and real.

For example, during the ozone crisis in 1985, despite scientists conducting widespread reporting of the ozone’s depletion over Antarctica, it was the image of a “hole in the sky” that captured global attention. That metaphor turned data into urgency, leading to the Montreal Protocol just two years later.

Decades later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, “flatten the curve” turned complex epidemiological models into a clear, collective mission. This metaphor shaped public health messaging and behaviour around the world by providing a visual goal and reason to act.

Similarly, in the climate space, “carbon footprint” reframed a global crisis as a personal responsibility. It stuck because it gave individuals a way to measure their impact and a language to talk about it.

These metaphors worked because they made science feel real. They gave people something to picture, something to share and something to believe in.

If you want your innovation to land, we need to shift past just explaining it and instead frame it with language and metaphors that makes it stick.

In a world overloaded with information, attention is a scarce resource. Here, creativity is a strategic tool. The most effective science communicators move beyond explanation to use tone, narrative, and surprise to make ideas memorable.

Take Randall Munroe, creator of xkcd and Thing Explainer. He uses stick figures and the 1,000 most common words to explain everything from rocket science to DNA replication. It’s light and playful, and it works because people feel included in the idea, rather than shut out by jargon.

Or consider NASA’s Mars Rover Twitter account, which gave a robot a voice. When Opportunity’s mission ended, its final message, “My battery is low and it’s getting dark”, sparked a global wave of empathy. This highlights the power of personification and emotional storytelling to bring to life space science.

Similarly, David Attenborough, whose documentaries have redefined environmental storytelling. Through stunning cinematography, emotional arcs, and carefully crafted narration, he’s made climate change and biodiversity loss feel personal. His work has influenced public opinion, policy, and even consumer behaviour.

In a field where complexity can be a barrier, creativity is how bio-innovation becomes relatable, memorable and ultimately, actionable.

People connect with purpose, rather than process.

When frog, part of Capgemini Invent, partnered with Compass Pathways, the goal was focused on framing psilocybin therapy within the broader context of the global mental health crisis. Together, we helped Compass reposition as a mission-led pioneer transforming mental health care.

This purpose-led narrative helped them build trust, engage stakeholders, and successfully raise funds to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial. Alongside the strong scientific rigor, the story, grounded in human need, made it resonate with target audiences.

For bio-innovation to be successful, it must begin with purpose, and a clear sense of why it matters.

Innovation grows from networks of people and ideas – in the spirit of using metaphors for storytelling, it’s a play with multiple ‘scenes’ rather than a ‘solo act’. Behind every breakthrough is a cast, a crew, and a shared script shaped by many minds.

The most transformative breakthroughs, from the Human Genome Project to CRISPR, emerged from coordinated teams working across disciplines. Rather than stories of lone geniuses, they’re stories of ‘scenius’, a term coined by Brian Eno to describe a collective genius emerging from shared environments, shared problems, and shared momentum.

In the bioeconomy, progress depends on convergence across biology, data science, engineering, ethics, policy, and design. The surrounding ecosystem of people, collaboration, and shared knowledge shapes how discoveries move into the world.

To tell the story of innovation, we have to tell the story of that ecosystem, the relationships that make new ideas possible, and the practices that allow them to take root and endure.

To move science from the lab into lives, we must do more than let the data speak for itself. In the bioeconomy, even the most compelling evidence can be overlooked if it isn’t translated into stories that create understanding, emotion, and action. Storytelling isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s a lever for change.

Across our work, we’ve seen how blending scientific rigor with creative narrative can accelerate adoption, build trust, and inspire action. Whether it’s reframing mental health innovation, making complex data accessible, or connecting breakthrough technologies to real-world impact, the right story can unite diverse stakeholders behind a shared purpose.

As the bioeconomy continues to evolve, the challenge, and opportunity, lies in crafting narratives that bridge the gap between discovery and belief. By anchoring innovation in human experience, we can help ensure that the promise of bio-innovation translates into progress for people and planet.