FringeBusters 208: August

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "August," PM consults etymologist Rex Curry about deciphering ancient codes and symbols to see how (and if) it can be done.

Fringe got its facts right: Language does require repetition, and cracking complex codes requires some sort of key that compares codes to another language. For now, it seems that Astrid and her Fringe compatriots are out of luck when it comes to unlocking the mysteries inside the Observer's notebook.

You can read the full article a Popular Mechanics: Fringe Is on the Right Track With Code-Cracking Science

You can read other "Fringebusters" posts here.

FringeBusters 202: Night Of Desirable Objects

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Night Of Desirable Objects," PM consults Dr. Richard Myers of Stanford University's Department of Genetics and the president and director of the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology to find out if real-life mutants are possible:

We won't ever have to worry about Fringe's part-mole-rat, part-scorpion, part-human mutant in real life because it's not within the realm of possibility. "But I don't think it was completely off-base to consider what would happen if we manipulated a human embryo extensively, but took care to make it viable"

You can read the full article a Popular Mechanics: Fringe's Human Mutant Not Possible, Says Expert

You can read other "Fringebusters" posts here.

FringeBusters 201: A New Day In The Old Town

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "A New Day In The Old Town," PM consults neurologist Justin Sattin, to discuss head trauma:

"This whole idea that people pop out of a coma is silly," Sattin says. "People recover slowly from these kinds of injuries. But again, if you are at the point when you are talking about end-of-life care, the idea that you're just going to defy the odds and suddenly open up your eyes is incongruous. That the woman in the show would have impending herniation but yet not be mechanically ventilated and then suddenly wake up normal is preposterous."

Mr. Sattin had no comment on shape-shifting soldiers from alternate realities.

You can read the full article a Popular Mechanics: Fringe Season Two Premiere Misrepresents Head Trauma

You can read other "Fringebusters" posts here.

Fringebusters 120: Science of There's More Than One Of Everything

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "The Road Not Taken," PM brings in Michio Kaku, physicist and author of Physics of the Impossible, to discuss Alternate Reality theory. According to Kaku:

There are numerous theories in physic that pertain to the existence of parallel universes—and Fringe is combining two of these theories. The first, called the "Many Worlds Theory," is widely accepted by theoretical physicists. "The universe splits every time a decision is made," Kaku explains. "One tiny quantum event could separate us from another reality." In "M-theory," on the other hand, our universe is an expanding membrane, sort of like a bubble—and there could be other bubbles out there. "These other universes, these bubbles, most of them are probably dead universes, so we don't have to worry about them,"

PM: Fringe Season Finale Flirts With Theoretical Physics

You can read other "Fringebusters" posts here.

Fringebusters 119: Science of The Road Not Taken

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "The Road Not Taken," PM brings in Dr. Steven Novella, Yale neurologist and founder of the New England Skeptic Society, to discuss Spontaneous Human Combustion.

PM: Fringe takes on Spontaneous Human Combustion, Gets Burned

You can read other "Fringebusters" posts here.

Fringebusters 118: Science of Midnight

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Midnight," PM brings in Dr. Justin Sattin, an assistant professor of neurology at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin, to discuss the science behind spinal fluid–drinking monsters.

PM: Fringe Takes on Spinal Fluid: The Science Misses the Mark

Fringebusters 117: Science of Bad Dreams

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Bad Dreams," PM brings in Doug Kirsch, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and Regional Director of Sleep Health Centers in Boston, James C. Harris, a professor of Psychiatry of Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics and Mental Hygiene at The Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. William Jack, a parapsychology expert at Franklin Pierce College, to discuss Sleep Science and Parapsychology.

PM: Fringe's Parapsychology and Sleep Science are Slim on Facts

Fringebusters 116: Unleashed

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Unleashed," PM brings in Malcolm Low, a senior scientist and Head of the Transgenic Animal Core at Oregon Health & Science University, and Larry Young, a professor at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Center, to answer the question: Is Fringe's Genetic Monster Possible?

One of the most interesting quotes from the piece comes from Low:

"The idea of this chimeric creature, to me, could be believable in the sense that, over the eons, natural processes have changed creatures on gene at a time, and we've seen all kinds of things come and go," he says. "But to engineer that in one step would involve so many changes all at once. Nobody has a way to do that."

Not yet...

Fringebusters 115: Inner Child

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Inner Child," PM brings in Dr. John L. Petrini, President of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and chief of gastroenterology at Sansum Clinic, to answer the question: Could Someone Really Survive Without Lactobacillus?

PopularMechanics.com: Fringe's Stomach Science is Part Fact, Part Fiction

Fringebusters 114: Ability

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "Ability," PM's Andrew Moseman analyzes quantum teleportation, and answers the question: Could Someone Really Teleport Out of Jail?

PopularMechanics.com: Hollywood Fact v. Fiction: Fringe Episode 14 - Ability

Fringebusters: The No-Brainer

For each episode of Fringe, Popular Mechanics asks experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For "The No-Brainer," PM turns to Brown University neuroscientist John Stein for the skinny on the real makeup and consistency of brain matter.

PopularMechanics.com: Fringe Fact v. Fiction: Could Your Brain Actually Turn to Goo?

Fringebusters: Bound

Each week, Popular Mechanics brings in experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For the latest episode of Fringe, "Bound," they bring in two experts: Scott Gardner of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, and Carol Post, Purdue University professor of medical chemistry and molecular pharmacology, to discuss:

• Should you be scared of a spiny slug growing in your stomach?
  
• Could an overgrown common cold virus "cell" turn into a vicious killer?
  

PopularMechanics.com: Cells Skirt Reality and Supersize on Fringe: Hollywood Fact vs Fiction

Fringebusters: The Dreamscape

Each week, Popular Mechanics brings in experts to analyzes the science of Fringe, and separate the science fact from the science fiction.

For the latest episode of Fringe, "The Dreamscape," their resident brain expert tackles the memory-erasing experiment and fatal hallucinations.

PopularMechanics.com: How Fringe Gets Memory Science Wrong: Hollywood Fact vs. Fiction

Power Hungry Postmortem

Popular Mechanics is back at it, Fringebusting the science in Fringe. But more interesting than the debunking:

• The product placement. Not in Fringe, but in the Popular Mechanics articles about Fringe. Perhaps we should do a weekly critique of how well PC disguises their paid links as journalism.


• Still no acknowledgment of The Arrival's PC shout out that we can see. Perhaps Fringe should try again, only this time send the shout out the recurring fringebuster, Kate Schweitzer.


• "And regarding Joseph's ability to levitate in the elevator? Park compared this to the urban legend that if you jump in a careening elevator, right at its moment of impact, you'd survive. It's just not true."

On the ratings front, TV by the Numbers declares Fringe a hit with the two key demographics, the 18-49 year olds (4.2/10) and 18-34 year olds (3.8/10) with 9.53 million total viewers.

Is Fringe Getting Better? What About the Science?

The crowd over at TVbytheNumbers thinks so. They're decidedly bullish on Fringe:

House dominated the evening in terms of the youth demos, and Fringe won the demos for its hour and was second in demo performance only to House, though the House lead-in is definitely helping as Fringe slipped by about 800K viewers and more than 10% in the demos from the first half hour to the second.

Viewers (Millions) 10.04, 18-49 Rating/Share 4.3/11, 18-34 Rating/Share 3.9/11

bob says:

fringe is getting better each week. fringe had its best episode last night, good to see it did well in the demo and hit also hit 10 million viewers, which it was unable to do last week. I think fringe will be fine, especailly with the demo it pulls in each week...

Meanwhile over at Popular Mechanics, Kate Schweitzer has filed another installment (her third) of Fringebusters, but makes no mention of Fringe's nod to fellow Popular Mechanics' Fringebuster, S.E. Kramer.

Fringebusters - Science vs. Reality

Popular Mechanics has been running a per-episode series of articles (1, 2, 3) examining whether the 'science' on Fox's Fringe is reality based or factually challenged?

The Dapper Alchemist took a similar approach with his dissection of The Same Old Story. Update: TDA has posted a second dissection, this one of Episode 103 - The Ghost Network.

Fringe is of course science fiction, so separating out those elements of the show which are grounded in real science from those that aren't, isn't exactly criticism even though it may sound like it. Nevertheless, Fringe did raise the bar for itself when its creators--J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman--all confessed to turning to real science news for inspiration.

That said, we thought it might be fun to have our own weekly series on the science of Fringe. If you'd be interested in writing it up, putting it together or editing it (read: It would be your column, so it would be up to you how it was written), drop me a note () or leave a comment with your proposal or suggestions.