Speaker says science is melding with pop media

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Daily Wildcat Martinez Hewlett, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology, answers a question regarding student interest in popular scientific fiction and film, like "Jurassic Park" and the Novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, which the film "Blade Runner" is based on.

"The merging of science in art and popular culture is essential for everyone's understanding of both," said Martinez Hewlett, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology.

He said molecular biology is becoming a prominent theme in the emerging technothriller media and analyzed the way it is presented in four such works.

Frank Herbert, author of The White Plague, paints a dark picture of molecular biology in his novel, according to Hewlett.

"It is seen as a fearsome force," he said.

Hewlett also evaluated the scientific validity within the films "Blade Runner" and "Jurassic Park."

"Jurassic Park," as both book and movie, received high marks from Hewlett for technical precision.

"The book is incredibly accurate. It's amazingly full of science for a fictional work. A lot of the movie is also accurate," Hewlett said.

However, "Blade Runner" did not rate as highly. Technical terms were stiff and seemed thrown in for effect rather than scientific accuracy and coherence, Hewlett said.

"The words don't make a lot of sense, but they sound impressive," Hewlett said.

He added, however, the three works are valuable in airing ethical issues in molecular biology and the biotechnology it represents.

Hewlett also discussed molecular biology in a book he authored, Sangre de Cristo.

The Speaker Series sponsored speech, titled "The DNA Is In the Plot," drew a crowd of 70 to Gallagher Theatre. Some attended out of particular interest for Hewlett's talk and others were regulars at Speaker Series lectures.

Management Information Systems senior Erik Timmermann said he tries to attend Speaker Series lectures every week.

"I always come to hear what others are doing. I get a broader education that way," Timmermann said.

Another regular at the Speaker Series lectures is entomologist Reginald Chapman, an internationally known expert in his field. Chapman said he found the Speaker Series lectures valuable for faculty as well as students.

"One of the things to be careful of in a university is not being too narrow. It is important to take an interest in other intellectual things besides your field," Chapman said.