Science Snafu

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:48 AM

As my students tell me all the time, Science is Hard. I don't exactly agree with that, but it can be a bit tricky if you don't approach it with some background information that makes understanding things a whole lot easier. I'll be the first one to tell you that scientists like their jargon, their shortcuts, and their fun. So, when it comes to writing, I do try to give some leeway to the way science is portrayed, particularly when it's genetics. I know it's hard. But, that doesn't mean that sometimes I'll give a little snicker at something that's done poorly, or is just completely impossible.

(As a point of reference, in the movie I AM LEGEND, Will Smith has a huge, very nice lab. We have a lot of the same equipment in the lab I work in, and we always joke around that the sounds the movie people inserted for the machines are not the sounds those machines make. Like a 3130 Genetic Analyzer does not beep. Ever. It has an angry red light it flashes at you when it's pissed. But who makes beeping noises when we work on it now? Us. Because we're dorks like that.)

So, here's what I'm going to recommend if you're going to tackle some area of science that you may not have a PhD in--keep it vague :) I know, I know, details can be the spice of life, but too many details and you're more likely to get it wrong. An example of a movie that does this well? GATTACA. (Ahhh, my all-time favorite movie!). While giving an example of a high-tech, futuristic world with lots of science in everyday life, they still keep it vague enough that I was able to suspend disbelief and get into the story. (Well, except when the character gets the DNA read from the hair sample and pulls out that long roll of paper that she reads from--that made me go "huh?") It works, and doesn't take me out of the story. Books are the same way, so if you're not sure you're addressing something correctly, it might be better to take a step back, do some research, or find a work-around. Your readers will appreciate it--especially the scientists among us!

Anyhow, here's what I'm going to do: post questions you might have about science related things (genetics, archaeology, and anthropology are my specialties and the fields I have my degrees in, and I have access to a physicist in-house, too), and I'll see if I can help you out a little. 


Pass this along, should you feel so inclined, too, please!


(Also, please, vote for me if you haven't--the elementary school I'm supporting could really use some books!)