At 07:26 AM 3/16/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Science fiction, good & bad, has a considerable influence on popular ideas
>about science & sometimes about relations between science & religion. 1
recent release
>& 1 coming attraction are bad news in this regard.
> 1) _Mission to Mars_ is, apart from the science, not very good SF - a
melange of
>old themes & plot devices. The previews & ads for it pretty much give
away the plot so
>I shouldn't be spoiling it for anyone to say that the ancient Martians (of
course
>humanoid, kind of a cross between _Close Encounters_ & Roswell) "seeded"
earth long ago
>to begin an evolutionary process which would end up with human DNA. How
that is
>supposed to work is anyone's guess. There is no overt religion in the
film at all but
>this idea of a directed, noncontingent evolution (a version of ID) serves
as an ersatz
>religion for some folks today - including some Christians.
George,
Nice observations. When I first heard about this movie I had wanted to see
it but then I saw an add for it in which there was this revolving DNA helix
on a computer screen. A couple of people, presumably scientists, are
looking at it when one exclaims "it looks human." Wow, I didn't know the
human genetic code was so distinctive! At that moment I decided this flick
wasn't going to be a shining example of good science.
I am always looking for a good science fiction movie but am so often
dissapointed. _Gattica_ was one exception in the last couple of years.
I also have high hopes for a big screen version of _Ender's Game_ (Orson
Scott Card) that I had heard a while back is in the works.
Joel
*******************************************
Dr. R. Joel Duff, Assistant Professor
Dept. of Biology, ASEC 185
Campus Mail 3908
University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325-3908
Office: 330-972-6077
e-mail: rjduff@uakron.edu
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