AAAS: The mythbusters
One of the great things about the AAAS meeting is the public events they incorporate to bring in local families. Today is ‘family science day’ here at the San Francisco Hilton, and the place is crawling with kids of all sizes happily wielding geeky science t-shirts and geeky science toys.
Most popular was a Q&A session with the stars of the Discovery Channel show ‘Mythbusters’. These guys -- the beret-wearing Jamie Hyneman and the ebullient Adam Savage – use their experience in special effects and engineering to investigate potential urban legends. They’re best known for doing crazy things like locking themselves in a car and plunging it underwater to see if you can really get out.
But all the fun is really about the scientific method, Hyneman told the rapt audience. “It’s all just general curiosity about the world at large,” he said. “We just want to see what happens.”
Adam, the crazier of the pair, made a serious point when a boy asked him if they would investigate the Bermuda Triangle. “We have to choose a myth that’s actually testable,” he said. “That’s why we don’t do things like the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot.”
A brief lesson in the scientific method right there.