Biology Run Amok!: The Life Science Lessons of Science Fiction Cinema - Paperback

by Mark C. Glassy (Author)

Science fiction movie audiences may sometimes wonder how fictitious the science in a film really is. Yet for many--call them the "Jurassic Park generation"--film and popular media can present a seemingly plausible melding of science and fiction that forms a distorted understanding of scientific facts and concepts. Recognizing that film is both the dominant entertainment medium and an effective tool for teaching, this book--featuring articles originally published in the magazine Scary Monsters--separates biological reality from fantasy in dozens of science fiction films, including The Island of Lost Souls (1933), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), War of the Worlds (1953), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Scanners (1980), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1987) and Outbreak (1995).

Author Biography

Mark C. Glassy is a professor at the University of California, San Diego; Moores Cancer Center, Translational Neuro-Oncology Laboratory and a member of the advisory board for the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine.