The graphic novel “The Tale of Tal" consists of an illustrated silent book type work with paperback of 48 pages in A4 format. The work presents a scientifically accurate reconstruction of the life of a Neanderthal population. Each illustration has been correlated to data accredited in scientific literature and described in the bibliography as a normal scientific publication. Over the last two decades, science communication has exploited numerous channels and tools to tell the progress of research. More formal conferences and science cafés have been joined by blogs , podcasts and video-stories that can be used on multiple platforms. The use of so many tools has made it possible to intrigue an increasingly vast audience of people interested in science. A curious aspect is linked to the fact that although images and observation are the basis of science and they are able to involve us more than other forms of communication, the use of gra Phic novel is not very common in science communication. The Tale of Tal is the concrete demonstration that a graphic novel (moreover in silent book format) can effectively combine the need for clarity, typical of communication, with an accurate exposition of facts and scientific arguments.
The Tale of Tal was developed as a project to illustrate the potential that graphic novels can have to tell the central concepts of science without altering them and indeed stimulating us to discover the science behind each illustration.
The graphic novel was edited by Trilobite Design Italia of DI Silvestro Gianpaolo, a company that will be both the producer and distributor of the Volume. The authors of the Volume are Di Silvestro Dr. Gianpaolo and Luca Vergerio.
The Project contact person is Dr. Gianpaolo Di Silvestro (mail: gpldsl@gmail.com),
The graphic novel includes an introduction by Profs David Caramelli (University of Florence) and Mauro Mandrioli (Unimore) who, together with Drs Fabio Bona (adjunct professor at the University of Milan) and Fabio Fusco (researcher/ paleontologist consultant), have carried out the scientific consultancy activities necessary to ensure the scientific correctness of the work. The introduction is written by Prof. Telmo Pievani, one of the most famous Italian philosophers of science. The sponsorships granted are from the Pikaia scientific platform (evolution portal) and SPI (Italian Paleontological Society).