In the interview I posted earlier today, SETI's Seth Shostak talked about how Hollywood has to make their science more accurate today than they did 40 years ago. That's because today's movie-watching tech makes it easier to spot flaws, and the Internet makes it easier to share them. But different people notice different kinds of flaws, in different contexts. In a post from 2010, journalist Colin Schultz writes about a study that examined the differences between the kinds of scientific movie mistakes that men noticed, and the kind that women found. Everybody saw the errors, but the context was different.
Spotting science mistakes in the movies
An old rocket booster crashed on the moon and left a peculiar double crater
Two craters 16m and 18m wide appeared on the moon right next to each other. It's out fault, obviously (obviously?), but the double trouble has scientists aflutter. Astronomers predicted a mysterious object would hit the Moon on March 4 after tracking the debris for months. The object was large, and believed to be a spent… READ THE REST
Scientists discovered the world's largest bacterium and you can see it with your naked eye
Below is an image of Thiomargarita magnifica, the world's largest bacterium that scientists just discovered in the French Caribbean hanging out on underwater on decaying leaves from a mangrove tree. The size and shape of a human eyelash, you can see it without a microscope. (The illustration above shows the lil' creature beside a dime.)… READ THE REST
Watch these miniature Brazilian frogs in all their awkward glory
These miniature Brazilian frogs (aka pumpkin toadlets) don't have much balance and thus jump in reallllly awkward ways. Apparently, their inner ears are too small to provide good balance. New research published in Science explains the phenomenon: Miniaturization has evolved repeatedly in frogs in the moist leaf litter environments of rainforests worldwide. Miniaturized frogs are… READ THE REST
Cut out the bad meals (and prepare delicious ones) with 63% off these Japanese knives
Whether you are a professional chef or just a novice making yourself dinner in your kitchen, you should always make sure that you have the best tools at your disposal. You may ensure that you have great ingredients, frying pans, and glassware, but proper preparation doesn't end there. A complete master knife set is the perfect way to step… READ THE REST
Want to be a true globetrotter? This bundle can teach you how at a steal
If you're like most people, you probably feel a little jealous when you hear someone who's multilingual. And that's with good reason. It's an impressive and handy skill to have. Being able to travel internationally and communicate with people can be invaluable. So, if you want to become multilingual yourself but only have some basic language skills, then you're in… READ THE REST
Got a home repair project? This HD endoscope camera can give you a closer look
As much as you hate it, sometimes we have to search for things in places we never want to go, like the kitchen sink's drain, the dusty attic, or the spider-web-laden area underneath the house. Your shrieks might just bring music to their ears! But as much as we don't want to see what's in these… READ THE REST
