There is much penguin biology here, and Davis's love of the stark landscape is obvious. Yet Davis, himself a scientist, poses a confounding question in his book. As an ecologist, I have asked myself this same question. I first started writing children's books when I returned from research trips and found I could not begin to express all I needed to in science articles, where observations and ideas, not emotion, are the native currency. Too much remained unsaid.
Many scientists are closet artists, musicians or poets for much the same reason.
In many ways, though, I admire sound science writing for what it is, and I feel Davis takes his criticism too far. I disagree with his implied conspiracy. Scientists have not plotted to make their professional writing as esoteric as possible. Rather, like children marooned on an uninhabited island, they have gradually constructed dialects that suit their needs. Scientific discourse could use an overhaul, but I don't expect theories to become significantly less convoluted until nature becomes less complex.