10 Common Misconceptions About Science In Film And TV That Bug Real Scientists

You’d think that scientists would be overjoyed with people thinking that they’re good at everything, right? Wrong!

It turns out that scientists often want an accurate portrayal of the truth, even if that comes at the expense of their image.

TV and cinema portray scientists as either young, attractive models, or geriatric lunatics with frizzy grey/white hair, depending on the effect they are going for. However, one trait that is shared by all these scientists on screen is that they are experts in everything.

One time they may be shown to be an expert biochemist, then upon their next appearance suddenly they are also an expert in quantum physics, whereas in the next scene they are the world’s best hacker and computer scientist.

While it may be true that a scientist may have a more versatile knowledge of different aspects of various sciences, largely due to a keen interest in science which may have resulted in a greater scientific education than the general public, being an expert in all these different things just isn’t realistic.

Sure, with enough time and effort it may be feasible, but this is akin to someone learning a second language and people expecting them now to speak every language that ever existed by age 20.