September 09, 2013

Skeptic Check: Follywood Science

54 minutes

The Day After. 2001. Prometheus. There are sci-fi films a’plenty … but how much science is in the fiction? We take the fact checkers to Hollywood to investigate the science behind everything from space travel to human cloning.

Plus, guess what sci-fi film is the most scientifically accurate (hint: we’ve already mentioned it). Also, why messing with medical facts on film can be dangerous … and the inside scoop from a writer of one of television’s most successful sci-fi franchises.

And, a robot who surpasses even Tinseltown’s lively imagination: a humanoid that may become a surrogate you.

Guests:

David Kirby – Senior lecturer in science communication studies at the University of Manchester in the U.K. and author of Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists, and Cinema

Lucas Kavner – Reporter, Huffington Post, author of a piece on the rise of robot surrogates

Wayne Grody – Medical geneticist, director of the DNA diagnostic Laboratory, UCLA Medical Center

Andre Bormanis – Television writer and science consultant for Star Trek

Descripción en español

First released July 30, 2012.

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By Big Picture Science

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