Forensic scientists think there is a “CSI
effect.” They observe
jurors and reporters are disappointed when real forensic scientists aren’t as
good or as fast as Catherine Willows (CSI), Tempe Brennan (Bones), and Abby
Sciuto (NCIS). For example, jurors became skeptical about an expert witness’s
competence because he didn’t retrieve fingerprints from a rock at the murder
scene. And at least one biology professor reports several of her
students indicated TV shows influenced their choice of biology as a major.
Does that mean readers are becoming more interested
in realistic science in their fiction?
First off, I should define realistic. Most active research and clinical labs are much more crowded, and waiting
times for analyses are much longer than those shown on TV. And surprise, the most of the men and women don’t have
perfect hair.
In
2013, at least fifteen successful TV shows featured science, medicine or
technology. That's unprecedented and suggests a large segment of Americans are receptive to realistic science
adding “color” to their fiction.
Does this interest in “scientific color”
on TV show relate to scientific literacy?
Scientific
literacy is not just the memorization of facts, but also the conceptual
understanding of how answers can be found by an organized approach to gathering
data, formulating hypotheses, and testing them.
Surveys
indicate American students don’t understand science as well as students in
Finland, China, Australia, and Canada. We’re ranked around 30th in
several surveys, but many question the validity of the surveys.
I
don’t think anyone has proven that the popularity of TV shows with “scientific
color” reflects increased scientific literacy among Americans, but I don’t have
access to demographic data on TV audiences.
Does scientific literacy matter?
Federal
agencies, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National
Science Foundation (NSF), and various organizations (National Academy of
Sciences and AAAS) think scientific literacy matters. Why? They believe that if
the American electorate understands the basics of science, discussions on
vaccines, climate change, and genetically modified crops will be elevated from an
emotional level to a thoughtful level. Wiser decisions will be made. They also
know that advanced knowledge of science and technology is a key to many
high-paying jobs in medicine, drug development, computer technology,
engineering, etc.
Could adding realistic science in your
next novel attract readers?
I
don’t know, but a growing
number of writers are now calling their novels “science in fiction” rather than
science fiction. I’m one of them. My three
medical thriller/mysteries are Coming Flu,
Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight, and
Ignore the Pain. My fourth novel Malignancy should be out this fall.
P.S. Why do I think this blog will be less popular than my last guest blog
on adding romance to your novels?
