##Can science issues have a boy band too? Please?

(Read to the end for an AI training song you’ll love to hate... or hate to love?)

I watch almost every Boy Throb video in my feed. If you're not familiar, Boy Throb is a quirky boy band known for their pink velour tracksuits with bright yellow accessories and wholesome friendliness--along with their quest to get a visa for their fourth member, Darshan (the sweet one), who lives in India. Last week, they had big news: Darshan's visa got approved!

Boy Throb's entire schtick seems like a boy band parody (which they deny vehemently, even more intriguing!). But the campiness and self-deprecating humor are the big reasons I enjoy them so much. A group of boy-faced men do not give their catchy songs names like “Can’t Stop the Throb,” “Finger” and “Number One Boy” without some understanding of the comedic potential. I laugh through most of their videos: like this one, or this one, or this one, or this one. They use their cheesy musical theater approach along with the marketing apparatus of boy band fandom to teach about the immigration process.

In addition to their four released singles, they have video after video after video explaining the visa process, delivered with coordinated dance moves and Ken-doll-level smiles and outfits. It is utter genius as a communication strategy for important but downer/yawn issues.

And I keep thinking about how scientists need the help, too. Science funding dances? I'm game. Debunking vaccine conspiracies with joyful songs? I am here for it. Certainly, these strategies have been tried plenty in the history of science communication. It has to be well done. These four guys understand the internet, what’s funny and fun about boy bands, how to joyously resist bullying, and how to leverage what they got. (I could say the same about my favorite scientists tbh.) Their harmony and choreography are also tight.

In fact, the issue Boy Throb highlights is a science issue too. One out of five workers in science is from another country. The proportion is even higher at the research level: International researchers make up 43% of the science and engineering fields and 55% of the computer science and mathematics fields. I imagine many lab leaders can relate with Boy Throb’s visa submission songs. International researchers play an outsize role in innovation and patents. The United States wouldn’t be a research leader without recruiting the world’s best and brightest. But since 2025, international researchers have increasingly been deprived of their visas, detained at the border, and at risk of deportation. These efforts fit into a larger national strategy to hobble research and academic institutions.

But the implications of these attacks are lost on most of the public, hampered by mis- and disinformation as well as news overload and fatigue. All that bad news is such a drag. That’s where a project like Boy Throb can be a bit of relief and respite—without looking away. We can laugh, have fun, and learn about immigration. I would love to see more scientists with the level of antibullying and internet marketing acumen that these fellas have, leveraged for good causes. Come to think of it, I would also love to see scientists with the level of choreography, dance, and singing skills these guy have… but let’s not get too carried away. Congratulations, Darshan, I hope we get to see you live in person soon.

A Note About Koopman's Corner

Kristen Koopman found the unicorn apartment of her dreams and is currently buried in boxes. She’ll be back with her sci-fi recommendations soon.

Recent Things I Recommend:

• You don’t win friends with salad, Keren Landman

• Meet the inaugural winners of the Ctrl Z Award, Science

• Meet the woman behind the world’s first environmental justice encyclopedia, The 19th News

• Reimagining science: An immersive journey of discovery, equity, and public purpose, SNF Nostos

• Why Data Centers Will Lead to You Owning Nothing, Trevor Hayes, More Perfect Union

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