The Science Fiction Fix

SciFi through a Biologist’s Eye

When I read a good science fiction story, podcast, or movie - I’m there to be entertained by the possibilities.  I love the scientific speculation and how different alien races might interact with the human race.  But seriously, science fiction isn’t always about science fact and it’s often easy to pick apart some of the stories.

I just finished reading a number of interesting postings on a blog called Biology in Science Fiction written by a biologist named Peggy.  In it she assesses the biological flaws of popular science fiction and also applauds stories that do a good job.

Take for instance the numerous stories where someone is infected by a parasite that drastically changes their behavior.  She goes into detail about it in one of her postings, detailing that there is some scientific fact behind that scenario and has real examples of effects of parasites on their hosts.  Like the fact that hairworms can make grasshoppers suicidal - causing the host to jump into water to further it’s own reproductive cycle?

She makes a point that many stories portray biology as a threat to humanity just for entertainment - doing damage to the science by showing the disastrous consequences of it going too far.  I’m sure you just thought of a dozen stories after reading that, and Andromeda Strain was probably on that list!

I found the blog interesting, especially since much of what could be considered science fiction is starting to become science fact in this age we live in.  But still, I like a good story - as long as they don’t dumb it down too far to get good ratings.