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Science with The Simpsons: Dr. Paul Halpern and his Bright Idea
By Lorette C. Luzajic
Physics, math equations, chemistry- do I have everybody’s attention? Thought so! Some big ideas are just too, well, big. And those are the ideas that many of us just aren’t going to worry our pretty little heads over.
After all, what’s really important- Brangelina news, or stuff about fissile material? Shoe shopping, or whether the universe is a dodecahedron shape?
Truth is, I’m very interested in science and how things work. Nuclear war, nutrition, global warming, and methamphetamine are just a few relevant issues to our generation, all in today’s news. And I might like to learn more about these things but grow bored of the jargon and the math. If only there were an interesting way for someone to show me the ropes. Because otherwise, all the homework I’m doing this week is clearing my Sunday night schedule for the new Simpsons episode.
Enter Dr. Paul Halpern, a professor of everyone’s favourite courses- math and physics -at Philadelphia’s University of Sciences. Dr. Paul’s not a man of television- “For me, reading books is still the most enjoyable way to get information” –and he spends his spare time writing books like Cosmic Wormholes, The Cyclical Serpent, The Pursuit of Destiny, The Quest for Alien Planets, Faraway Worlds, The Great Beyond, and Brave New Universe. Now he’s written something for the rest of us: What’s Science Ever Done for Us? What the Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe.
“Years ago, when I was teaching a course about the Nature of Time, one of the students pointed out that a story we were reading, The Sound of Thunder was parodied on The Simpsons in the segment called Time and Punishment I became intrigued,” Dr. Paul recalls. “Another student brought in a copy of the episode and it stimulated discussion about time travel paradoxes and tied in very well with the curriculum. Some time later, I noticed that Stephen Hawking’s website prominently featured a cartoon version of him appearing on the Simpsons. I began to realize how many references to science there were on the show, and became an avid fan.”
It’s doubtful anyone needs an introduction to the most popular animated series and arguably most beloved TV show of all time. Simpsons’ antics have been reflecting North American life for nearly two decades now, and I would attribute the cartoon’s staggering success to its elaborate character development and rich layers. The show can be viewed simply for a good laugh, but each episode stands up to repeated viewings because there’s always more than meets the eye. With a roster of high-calibre writers who hail from every background, the show guarantees something for everyone. Books have been written about religion and psychology in the “fictional” town of Springfield that feels like yours. And such matters of faith and human behaviour are terrific for community discourse, but what about the hard stuff- ideas that are either factual or else not? Turns out, The Simpsons is pretty good science. Which means learning can be fun.
“Informal learning is a splendid way to learn science. The Simpsons offer a great introduction to subjects as varied as genetics, astronomy and robotics. Even kids like Bart who are resistant to conventional instruction might pick up scientific ideas through fun activities,” says Dr. Paul. “I’m pleased by the attention the book has received and have been glad to bring science to people who might ordinarily not pick up a science book. I’ve gotten a particularly favorable reaction by high school science teachers eager to find ways to interest their students.”
Every episode is loaded with references to movies, history, pop culture, local or world events, books, medicine and science. While Dr. Paul unravels the truth or fallacies behind the hard stuff, our curiousity is piqued. And not only is his book a wonderful way to start putting together the things we don’t understand about the world around us, it is also a tool that deepens our knowledge of Springfield. For example, I’ve managed to miss a key element in Apu’s character development: that he has a PhD in computer science. (Of course the writers would never have overlooked this grim reality for immigrants: that many are heavily educated but end up working the late shift at the convenience mart. From now on, it’s Dr. Nahasapeemapetilon for me!) So if you’re more interested in puzzling together the animated world than your own, you’ve still come to the right place, and amazingly, will be all the smarter for your cartoon obsession. Dr. Paul will have you looking all around you in no time and using terms like geodesic, prokaryotes, and Fibonacci sequence with confidence.
“This book is meant to be a field guide to the science behind the series, so- even while you are rolling on the floor in hysterics- you can appreciate and learn from its abundant references to biology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and other field. Impress your friends and baffle your enemies with your detailed knowledge of the background behind the episodes, “ the intro continues.
It began way back when Dr. Paul was a wee thing, and not exactly a shining star in sports. “In school I was interested in math and science, and particularly poor at athletics, so my decision to join the math team, and not, say, the football team, was an extraordinarily easy one. We had a great math coach who encouraged us to hone our skills and compete with teams around the area. Once I entered college, I realized that I preferred real-life problem-solving over proofs, so I continued along the science direction rather than pure math.”
In addition to his special brain, which magically configures data and instantly translates scientific jargon, the guy is plain old funny, which makes him a great teacher. I asked him if he stays up all night dreaming up witty titles like Cometary Cowabunga or Frinking about the Future.
“For some reason chapter titles and other forms of wordplay sometimes just pop into my head. If something like that occurs to me I try to write I down as quickly as possible before I forget it. Sometimes the references that come up are pretty obscure. For example, the line ‘Ah Bart! Ah humanity!’ (referring to the end of Melville’s story, Bartleby the Scrivener) just needed to be placed somewhere and I finally found a suitable home for it—when I describe how Bart turns into a fly. I started off my book with a reference to “Happy families are all alike,” from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Pretty geeky, huh?”
The comic relief is handy to have along the way, making the big thoughts go down easy as pie. Dr. Paul’s favourite characters won’t surprise you: “I find Professor Frink and Comic Book Guy very amusing. I suppose I’m partial to nerdy characters who like science and science fiction!”
So what kind of bright ideas will we understand by the time we’re done? Well, Dr. Paul strips it right down to basics and explains cell biology in We All Live in a Cell-Sized Submarine. You’ll learn that cyanobacteria (algae) are single-celled organisms, and how they differ from archaea, which thrive in harsh environments. Likely you’ve heard of Einstein but you’ll meet other thinkers like Borh, who rudely interrupts one of Homer’s fave TV shows with The Boring World of Niels Bohr.
You’ll discover how our brains are packed with 100 million neurons (Woo-hoo! Brain cells to spare!) And after Look Homer-Ward, Angel, you’ll rush out to explore fully the writings of Stephen Jay Gould. Revisit the invention of the phonograph, finally get how robots work, figure out that the chaos in your personal life is just a reflection of the big picture, and find out whether it’s really possible to beat the clock. Get gamma rays, thermodynamics, miniaturization- and why nothing is ever really zero degrees.
And of course, everybody’s favourite curse, the dreaded Simpsons gene, is illuminated. Dr. Paul comments: “ Interestingly, the episode Lisa the Simpson suggests that Lisa is so bright because she lacks the ‘Simpson gene’ that reduces male intelligence in her family—Homer being the prime example. On the other hand, Homer’s power of thought has been reduced by a crayon lodged in his brain. When Homer had the crayon surgically removed, his intelligence went up but his happiness declined. As Lisa would surely point out, there have been so many great women mathematicians and scientists—from Marie Curie and Emmy Noether to Jane Goodall and Barbara McClintock, that intelligence must stem from a variety of factors, including encouragement at a young age.”
It’s never too late to start surprising your own genes! (Now you know the difference between ‘jeans’ and ‘genes,’ at the very least!) The best way to explore this book is to read it thoroughly, highlighting both the parts that make the most sense and the ones you don’t fully grasp. Keep it on top of the TV and refer to it whenever you watch The Simpsons. Because just like it says in the introduction, “You simply cannot escape science.”
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