Alessandro Strobbe Recoba

Science communicator known as Doctor Trónico

Hi! My name is Alessandro Strobbe and I'm a Peruvian science communicator and climate journalist with experience in public engagement through storytelling and creative writing. I also research topics related to public communication of science and technology, science engagement and critical thinking, with a special interest in motivated reasoning, communication models, inclusion and the use of AI in journalism.

I'm currently a master's student in the Erasmus Mundus Journalism program. First at Aarhus University and the DMJX for the foundation year focusing in climate filmmaking, and now at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (LMU) for the specialization year focusing in planetary health and the use of AI in journalism.

If you want to learn about science and technology, and share a laugh or two, you can follow me on social media.

Investigative Journalism

Invisible Refugees: The Rising Tide of Climate Migration

A massive cross-border refugee crisis induced by climate change is still considered a myth by most international institutions. However, our investigation shows that this phenomenon is at Europe's doorstep, and their laws and regulations are far from ready.

By: Alessandro Strobbe, Aurora Alliegro, Munnazzah Raza & Shekufe Ranjbar

Filmmaking

Forget about blueberries: A chronicle on climate change and its effects on the Andean glaciers (documentary)

Independent climate film on global warming, its effects on tropical glaciers, and the risk that this represents for the Andean communities.

Special thanks to the British Embassy in Peru, the Newton Fund, the Peruvian National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems (INAIGEM), British and Peruvian scientists financed by the Newton Fund, Germanwatch (German green NGO), Wayintsik (Peruvian green NGO), and Saúl Luciano.

My social media projects

Doctor Trónico

Science popularization project for teaching science and skepticism with humor, using memes in social media. It has a range of 1-3 million prints per month, +500 creative writing columns, and +1500 graphic arts.

Ciencia Picante

Science Communication talk show that uses language accessible to all audiences, and creates an informal environment focused on the popularization of scientific studies and science engagement.

Books and Publications

The teaching of science communication in higher medical education in Peru in the context of the COVID-19 post-pandemic (peer review article)

Alessandro Strobbe, Michelle C. Chirinos-Arias, Joe Lucero, Enrique Rojas.

Read the article (JCom)

AI: It is not what it seems and it does not go where we want.

The final chapter of the book: “The fourth industrial revolution in Peru”.

Buy the book

Doctor Trónico teaches you science!

Science communication columns.

Re-print available soon!

Creative writing columns

Which is the king of the jungle?

Lions are often called "the king of the jungle", but maybe it's time to reconsider. These majestic apex predators are at the top of the food chain and play a fundamental role in controlling the overpopulation of other species, preventing an ecological disaster. However, if we compare them with other big cats, we will find that tigers are bigger, stronger and faster. In addition, researchers from the University of Oxford discovered that their brains are larger than those of lions and other big cats. They’re not necessarily smarter, but the odds are that they might be.

Lions live in societies called pride and they are the only felines to do so. This is a great advantage because while the male lion provides protection, the lionesses are in charge of hunting and feeding the pride. This allows them to capture larger prey and better care for the cubs. On the other hand, tigers are highly skilled solitary hunters. They’re characterised by stalking their prey and carrying out lethal and surprise attacks.

The tigers have sharper teeth and a more powerful bite than the lion, but that would not be decisive in a territorial dispute with them. It would likely have to deal with a lion helped by several lionesses. This is a great advantage for life in society because even if the tiger wins, it would have to recover from its injuries in solitude. And starvation could weaken it to death if this prevents it from hunting.

However, there’s a small detail that we haven’t mentioned. Lions live mainly in African grasslands and savannahs, not in the jungle. This word comes from Hindi (and thus also from Sanskrit) and refers to any uninhabited place. Considering that there aren’t tropical forests in India, the phrase would make sense in that context. Furthermore, tigers don’t live mainly in the jungle either, so if we want to be rigorous, the king of the jungle should be the jaguar, which lives in the tropical forests of Central and South America and eats alligators, anacondas and even turtles.

At the end of the day, the lion could not be the biggest and strongest, but it just enjoys its position in the pride, spending most of the day resting, giving orders and living by its own rules. And that sounds like royalty to me!

SciComm interviews