Star Wars, Star Trek, Scientists, and Science
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We have heard it time and time again, scientists and engineers everywhere, professing deep love and admiration for science fiction, and in particular, a fondness for Star Wars and Star Trek. In an unofficial (and totally unscientific) polling of The Exchange’s Scientist Spotlight interviewees, Star Wars ranked #1 in stealing…
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Look No Further Than Cable Television to Get Your Fix of Science & Entertainment
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Back in May, the New York Times touted the number of new shows with out-of-this-world themes slated to be on the broadcast networks’ Fall schedules. The new Fall season has now arrived, and it is probably safe to conclude that among the shows, only one – Terra Nova – provides…
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Superheroes Are for Girls, Too!
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Women and girls have a message for comic book writers everywhere: We like superheroes, too! Across the internet female bloggers are taking aim at DC Comics’ rebooted Catwoman and Starfire, two popular female superheroes. The controversy is over the superheroes’ sexualized costumes and sexualized actions in the new comic books,…
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Superhero Movies Are Getting Real
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Recently, we stumbled on a clip from the 1966 film Batman known mostly for its use of shark repellant. Yes, shark repellant, as well as barracuda repellant, whale repellant, and manta ray repellant – all part of Batman’s Oceanic Repellant Bat Sprays, conveniently located in his helicopter. Did we mention…
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Dark Matters: Twisted But True Science Tales
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It’s time for a pop quiz! Which of the following three science experiments failed? A. Genetically engineering goats to produce spider silk B. Embedding beetles with remote controls C. Cross-breeding of humans and apes If you answered A, sorry, you’re wrong. If you answered B, you’re wrong too. If you…
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Contagion: Going Viral
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Refusing to eat the communal peanuts at airport bars, an extra bottle of hand sanitizer, the sudden usage of a word like “fomite” – spotting an individual who has recently watched the movie Contagion is as simple as recognizing the symptoms. Contagion, released September 9, 2011, is a chilling look…
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Evolution of the 'The Big Bang Theory'
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The Big Bang Theory finally received its first Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series, one of five awards it is nominated for next month. Jim Parsons (Sheldon) did win an Emmy last year for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, and both he and Johnny Galecki (Leonard) are nominated…
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Fantasy into Science, or Realizing the Impossible: Teleportation
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During the years, we have watched Captains Kirk, Picard, and others in the Star Trek universe step onto a transporter platform, fade into shimmering motes of light, then instantaneously reappear on the surface of an unexplored planet. This is teleportation, surely the coolest possible way to travel through space –…
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Another Earth: Meeting the 'Other You'
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Putting the science in science-fiction can be trickier than it seems, just ask Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, co-writers of the Sloan Prize-winning film Another Earth. The film follows Rhoda Williams, a young woman who killed a mother and child in a drunk-driving accident, which derails her plans to attend…
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Move Over, Wilbur. Guess Who’s Spinning Spider Silk?
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In the well-loved children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, people are amazed by a web-spinning pig (well-worded webs, at that). It’s all a hoax though, as the pig (Wilbur) is in cahoots with a spider (Charlotte), but here in the real world, a web-spinning pig might not be impossible. Silkworms have already…
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