- Legislation Introduced to Codify Stem Cell Rules
- Commissioner Enhances FDA’s Commitment to Personalized Medicine
- Perfecting Policy on Stem Cells
- NIH and FDA Aim to Retool Regulatory Science
- DOE Leads Federal Funding for a Regional Innovation Cluster
- Certainty on the Science of Climate Change
- They’re Not Perfect Cells, But They’re Model Cells
- Genomic Medicine on the March
- President’s Budget Aims to Recharge Regional Innovation
- Event: The Science of Climate Change
- Progress in Bioethics
- The Top Science Progress Features of 2009
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
More Science on TV, Better Science on TV
Battlestar Galactica is hardly the only place you’ll see science in popular entertainment. Technical issues from physics to biomedicine permeate hit series like CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Big Bang Theory that attract mainstream audiences. The National Academy of Sciences capitalized on the phenomenon when it created the Science & Entertainment Exchange—a program to foster collaboration between the entertainment industry and scientists and engineers. Chris Mooney reported on his experience at the Exchange’s debut in Los Angeles last fall.
The X-Change Files, the program’s blog, launched today with a post from the Exchange’s director, Jennifer Ouellete. She addressed the value of a symbiotic relationship between scientists and Hollywood, writing that a scientist at the launch symposium “said it made him think about the implications of his own research in interesting new ways.” She went on: “Numerous writers were thrilled to discover the rich tapestry of scientific ideas available to them, and came away inspired about new creative projects.”
Through the Exchange, entertainment leaders have the privilege of learning about cutting-edge science they can use as fresh, realistic story plots, while scientists gain an outlet to engage new audiences in accurate science. The goal is not to turn movies and TV shows into a series of science lessons, Mooney pointed out. Rather, Ouelette writes, it will “offer a viable alternative” to troublesome stereotypes and misconceptions about scientific ideas. The Exchange broadens possibilities for science communication while helping to satisfy popular culture’s appetite for shows with science plots.
(HT: Framing Science)
Image: AP/Matt Sayles
Comments on this article
