In The Event That...

You Love Science Like Homer Loves Doughnuts

by Tami Fertig

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Published: Jul 18, 2007

Paul Halpern

Mon., July 23, 7:30 p.m., free, Barnes & Noble, 1805 Walnut St., 215-665-0716

Two-dimensional, three-fingered, chicken-colored animations though they may be, The Simpsons (Maggie, Lisa, Bart, Homer and Marge) arguably reveal more about human tendencies than most real, fleshy actors do in the course of a 23-minute television episode. So it makes sense that writers and academics use Matt Groening's beloved family as a jumping point to headier topics (William Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, Alan Brown's The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh!).

Paul Halpern, a physics and mathematics professor at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, is no exception to the trend. His new book, What's Science Ever Done for Us?: What The Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe (Wiley, $14.95), fact-checks and examines the history behind a plethora of scientific ideas and questions raised on the show. Could there really be a "Simpsons gene" that causes male members of the family to mentally decline during mid-childhood? Could Homer really mix plutonium and tomatoes to create "tomacco," an addictive, nicotine-rich tomato crop? Could Bart and Lisa ever conceivably catch a three-eyed fish ("Blinky") while playing downstream from the Springfield nuclear power plant?

While Halpern's answers border on the ridiculously obvious (no, Bart could not turn into a fly; no, Homer could not go back in time by touching a toaster), the explanations accompanying them make for a fun, superbly nerdy read. Lisa seems to think toilets in Springfield and Australia flush in opposite directions. Can we trust the little brainiac, or is there fault in her logic?

 

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