Science Busters – Where science meets humour
The Science Busters are cult figures. Since their founding in 2007, they have been bringing science to the stage with wit, passion and charm – and making it accessible to everyone. Their motto:
‘Those who know nothing must believe everything.’ (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
With their award-winning science cabaret shows, the Science Busters tour throughout the German-speaking world and delight a wide audience – from schoolchildren to Nobel Prize winners. They show that top-level science and top-level humour do not have to be mutually exclusive.
The Science Busters also make regular appearances on television and radio: since 2011, they have recorded over 100 television programmes for ORF eins and 3sat, and since 2007 they have been serving up entertaining and digestible science in their weekly radio column on FM4.
After the death of their co-founder, Prof. Heinz Oberhummer, in 2015, the ensemble reformed – bigger, more colourful and more versatile than ever.
The high-calibre crew from research and entertainment:
- Dr. Florian Freistetter, astronomer
- Dr. Ruth Grützbauch, astronomer
- Prof. Helmut Jungwirth, microbiologist (University of Graz)
- Dr. Elisabeth Oberzaucher, behavioural biologist (University of Vienna)
- Dr. Peter Weinberger, chemist (Vienna University of Technology)
- Dr. Martin Moder, molecular biologist
- Günther Paal alias Gunkl, cabaret artist
- Martin Puntigam, cabaret artist
With a changing line-up, they bring complex scientific topics to the stage in a charming, astute and pointed way:
Topics & focal points of the Science Busters shows
- From astrophysics to molecular cuisine – science in all its fascinating facets.
- Climate, environment and sustainability – how we understand and shape our planet.
- The end of the world and the science of the end – apocalypse with a wink.
- Medicine, health and nutrition – what the body really needs.
- Human optimisation – between progress, research and hubris.
- Innovation and the power of change – why curiosity is the best driving force
- Education and knowledge transfer – learning with wit, knowledge and the wow effect
- Artificial intelligence, megatrends and the future – when machines learn to think
- AI and science communication – how technology is changing dialogue
- Human behaviour from an evolutionary biology perspective – why we are the way we are
- Human-environment interactions – from the Big Bang to the present day
- Chaos theory for beginners – small causes, big effects
- The search for life in the universe – are we really alone?
- Cosmic collisions, asteroids and comets – danger, origin and future of life
The Science Busters can be booked for various formats as a team or solo: keynotes lasting 20 to 45 minutes, conferences lasting 30 to 50 minutes, gala shows lasting 50 minutes or as required.
For example:
Science Busters live – Martin Puntigam acts as master of ceremonies – one to two scientists answer his questions and demonstrate experiments.
Solo programme by Martin Moder – topics: digitalisation, artificial intelligence, innovation and efficiency, medicine and health, sustainability and the environment, futurology, molecular biology
Solo programme by Florian Freistetter – astronomy, the universe, stars and planets, knowledge transfer, sustainability and the environment, futurology, chaos theory, the Big Bang
Solo programme by Elisabeth Oberzaucher – behavioural biology, the future and the city, mobility, sustainability, artificial intelligence, mate selection and human interaction, men and women and evolution.
Award-winning:
Since 2016, the Science Busters have presented the annual Heinz Oberhummer Award for Science Communication in memory of their co-founder – an award for outstanding communication of science to the public.
They themselves have also won several awards, including twice the Knowledge Book of the Year, the German Cabaret Award 2016, the Salzburg Bull 2018 and the Audience Award of the Austrian Cabaret Award 2018 and 2022.
With a unique blend of show, experiment and insight, the Science Busters are on a mission: to make science understandable, entertaining and unforgettable.
Press reviews:
‘A great moment in science’ – FAZ
‘If you like it funny, chaotic, dark and sometimes nasty, but always strictly scientific, then the Science Busters are just right for you.’ – Deutschlandfunk
“How to get photons drunk, crack nuts in a physically correct way, and where to find the best super-Earth in the universe – the Science Busters know. (…) And: the Science Busters spectacularly bring together what has long been unjustly separated: humour and facts, science and satire. (…) With their programmes, the Science Busters have set new standards for scientific cabaret. Following a tailor-made choreography in which Martin Puntigam approaches science with irony and common sense, the Science Busters leave no question unanswered. Funny science at the highest level.” – Excerpt from the jury’s statement, Salzburger Stier