Scientific fact or fiction?

Paul Halpern has fun examining the science used in The Simpsons and creates some more hypothetical situations that may inspire the series’ creators for future episodes.

January 7, 2008

Lucy Dickinson

Paul Halpern What’s Science Ever Done For Us? Wiley • 2007 • 272 pp ISBN: 978-0-470-11460-5

This latest attempt to popularize science through the medium of popular culture takes the world’s favorite yellow cartoon family and uses the characters to explore a number of scientific themes and related sociological concerns.

Although not a science fiction show, The Simpsons does have a number of former scientists on its writing staff and is famous for appearances by celebrities, including Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, and Dudley Hirschbach.

As such, the plotlines frequently allude to science and where there are no specific episodes addressing the area he wishes to discuss, Halpern has had fun creating hypothetical situations, some of which may even inspire the series creators to examine even more scientific topics in the future!

The author is a physicist and mathematician, and the sections dealing with mechanics (such as the reasons for doubting Lisa’s creation of a perpetual motion machine for the school science fair and the discussion of robotics pertaining to Bart’s replacement robot brother), are particularly strong.

I was less convinced by some of the discussions of genetics, in particular the lengthy debate about whether radiation could actually cause a mutation to give a three-eyed fish, which then digresses into tales of ‘actual’ fake three-eyed fish created by rogue fishermen (who apparently perfected the art of cutting open fish and adding an additional eye).

Such anecdotes are entertaining, but not really anything to do with either radiation effects or genetics. However, it was heartening to see a chapter devoted to Darwinism and the debate between science and religion. This is a contentious area, particularly in the US, and can always benefit from a level-headed (and in this case amusing) discussion.

In some sections, the author veers off into more social scientific and even sci-fi related areas, such as the chapter devoted to Asimov’s Laws of Robotics. However, Halpern is always careful to include some genuine scientific mitigation for these digressions – in the case of robotics he gives an explanation of the Turing test, then leads onto a discussion of chaos theory and Einstein’s theories of relativity.

There are also several chapters on astronomy (including near-earth objects), space travel, and a somewhat implausible section on aliens, which is clearly aimed at the more sci-fi obsessed reader. (Although even here Halpern manages to include references to the Fibonacci sequence, a discussion of topology as it pertains to the shape of the Universe, and a brief introduction to string theory).

To cover such a wide range of scientific concepts in such a thin volume is brave, and occasionally leads to some awkward transitions and an uneven tone (moving from wordy and complex sections to those that are rather glib and superficial).

As with earlier books in this vein, such as The Physics of Star Trek, the intended audience is not always clear. Much of the writing reads like a fanzine, with scene-by-scene descriptions where the relevance to the science being discussed is not always apparent.

Although the book is roughly divided into four sections (genetics/biological sciences; mechanics/robotics; particle physics/time travel; and astronomy/space travel), there are frequent digressions and overlaps that could make the material confusing for a nonscientist.

In addition, the text is completely lacking in illustrations and while it is easy to imagine that permission to use stills from the cartoon might have been impossible to obtain, some of the science discussed (such as DNA mutation, nuclear physics, and Newtonian mechanics) would be a lot more accessible with some well-designed accompanying figures.

Despite all these reservations, this is an entertaining and informative book. Halpern has even suggested a list of questions to consider when watching the movie; a combination of the two might make an inspiring gift for a young Simpsons fan who also displays the potential to become a budding scientist.