Humor in science writing

"And scientists, if you wonder why the public doesn't like you, read one of your papers. Scientific language is necessary. But so is speaking plainly. And if you have something funny, or human, to tell, that won't undermine your work. But it may bring it to a wider audience."

From James Gorman's essay New York Times essay Side Effects, on Walter R. Tschinkel's book The Fire Ants. Edward O. Wilson (author of the Pulitzer Prize winner The Ants) characterizes Tschinkel's book as a "masterpiece."