Science in the Movies

Could satellites ever prevent natural disasters?

The "Science" Behind "Geostorm", the Newest Weather-Fueled Doomsday Flick

Researchers have long sought control over the weather, but have yet to find a realistic way to master it

The flea-market Enigma machine

WWII Enigma Machine Found at Flea Market Sells for $51,000

The legendary coding machine was first unearthed by a mathematician with a careful eye who purchased it for roughly $114

The astronauts of "2001: A Space Odyssey" hide in a pod to discuss the troubling behavior of their spacecraft's artificial intelligence, HAL 9000. In the background, HAL is able to read their lips.

When We Go to Mars, Will We Have a Real-Life HAL 9000 With Us?

How generations of NASA scientists were inspired by an evil Hollywood supercomputer

Henry Bates (Calum Finlay) was a self-taught field biologist and note taker. He created remarkable drawings and watercolors of his collections and observations. Several of his original notebooks are in the archives of London's Natural History Museum.

How Filmmakers Distill Science for the Big Screen

The new film <i>Amazon Adventure</i> turns decades of research into 45 minutes of visual majesty

Why Do So Many Hollywood Villains Have Skin Conditions?

A new study cautions that the scars and warts that afflict many movie villains could contribute to social stigmas

The heroes of the movie Kong: Skull Island prepare to encounter the 104-foot-tall ape King Kong.

How Big Can a Land Animal Get?

King Kong's biggest enemy isn’t humans—it’s the laws of physics

The doormouse hibernates to conserve resources in harsh conditions. Similarly, scientists envision humans hibernating to endure long-distance space travel.

Can Humans Ever Harness the Power of Hibernation?

Scientists want to know if astronauts can hibernate during long spaceflights. First, they need to understand what hibernation is

How does language influence our thoughts? Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner in "Arrival."

Does the Linguistic Theory at the Center of the Film ‘Arrival’ Have Any Merit?

We asked a Smithsonian linguist and an anthropologist to debate the matter

After just moments in the air, flight 1549 collided with a flock of geese.

Smithsonian Expert Fills in the Missing Science Behind the Movie “Sully”

Forensic ornithologist Carla Dove shares her story of analyzing the bird remains or “snarge” scraped from the engines of flight 1549

Researchers show a mouse an image of cat while recording neuron activity in its visual cortex

Mice Watching "Touch of Evil" Teach Scientists About the Mind's Eye

By tracking mice neurons, scientists hope to understand consciousness

Not a movie still: Fire rages on a flooded street following the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California.

What Will Really Happen When San Andreas Unleashes the Big One?

A major earthquake will cause plenty of destruction along the West Coast, but it won’t look like it does in the movies

Garrett Foshay rides the Hendo, which hovers about an inch off the ground.

The Hoverboard Fantasy Comes True, Just As "Back to the Future" Predicted

Hold onto your flux capacitors; the future is here

Black holes create and destroy galaxies, like this spiral galaxy in the constellation Dorado.

Technology from ‘Interstellar’ Could Be Useful to Scientists, Too

The movie’s visual effects are now being used for scientific research

Paleontologist Jack Horner served as scientific adviser on all of the films and is believed to have inspired the character of Dr. Alan Grant. Here, Horner in 1998.

The Scientist Behind "Jurassic World", Jack Horner, Breaks Down the Movie's Thrilling Trailer

We spoke with the paleontologist, who was an adviser on the <em>Jurassic Park</em> movies, about the science behind the franchise

The few remaining scientists at NASA are hard at work on Earth trying to "solve gravity."

Would Astronauts Survive an Interstellar Trip Through a Wormhole?

Well, it depends on your definition of "wormhole" …

Matthew McConaughey on a stark landscape. The real star of the film, says Lewis, are the panoramic vistas.

Why "Interstellar" Belongs in the Pantheon of the Best "Realistic" Science Fiction Films

The film follows a well-trodden path, says Smithsonian space historian Cathleen Lewis, who gives it a thumbs up

James Marsh Enters Stephen Hawking’s Universe

The director on his new film, <i>The Theory of Everything</i>

Patrick Stewart on His Craft, 21st-Century Science and Robot Ethics

The actor whose leading roles in “Star Trek” and X-Men have taken him into the far future, reflects on where present-day society is headed

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This Terrifying Parasite Bears an Uncanny Resemblance to the Queen in "Aliens"

Phronima hollow out their prey and ride around in their corpse

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