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Home , Al Jean, Professor Frink, The Monkey Suit

NEWS FEATURE NATURE|Vol 448|26 July 2007 Q&A

Mmm... Pi Part of ’ greatness is a willingness to find the humour in absolutely everything — including science. Executive producer Al Jean, the show’s head writer and a Harvard mathematics graduate, talks to Nature about how to get a laugh out of Euler’s formula.

The Simpsons Movie comes out this One episode in which the show does take reflects the attitude of the public to science week — is there much science in it? sides is the one in which Lisa protests is when he appeared in front of the people of The crisis that precipitates the plot is environ- against in her school. Springfield and told them what they should do, mental — Lisa’s trying to warn about What we say is that there are conservatives, like and Homer said, “Yeah, Larry Flynt is right!” it and she gives a lecture entitled ‘An Irritating Pope John Paul II, who believe in the theory of Truth’. She’s often the voice for the writers, even , and that it’s far from a liberal theory: Do you have a dream scientific guest though she’s eight years old a lot of us identify it’s scientific, it’s as close to a fact as can be. We who you’d love to have on the show? with her. But she’s also depicted as socially did say that Flanders, who opposed the teach- Living or dead, it would be Isaac Newton. But unpopular, and is not always listened to. ing of evolution, is sincere in living would be a tough ques- his beliefs. We tried to take tion. Fifty years ago, Albert As writers do you set out to satirize his emotions seriously. Einstein was the epitome of

public attitudes to science? What’s really funny is a scientist as far as the pub- S. CRASTO/AP Our general agenda is to show both sides of that they had a debate here lic were concerned, and was an issue and to let the viewer make up his or between the Republican can- regarded as a hero. But there her own mind. In my lifetime I’ve seen science didates [for the presidential isn’t anybody comparable viewed as the saviour for everything, but now nomination], and the mod- today. I think it shows how it’s almost come full circle, because nothing erator said “so, which of you science has been made by M. GROENING/THE SIMPSONS/20TH CENTURY FOX/F. MICELOTTA/GETTY FOX/F. CENTURY SIMPSONS/20TH M. GROENING/THE can completely solve everyone’s problems, believe in evolution?” And Stephen Hawking has featured as a some to appear in a more and the disappointment when that happens is you could see a couple sort guest character on The Simpsons. ambiguous light. extreme. So now people are casting scientists of raising their hands and as villains and not listening to them, which I then changing their minds, and I’m going “how The Simpsons also boasts staggeringly think is tragic. can you not be sure whether you think that’s obscure mathematical references. But we make fun of everything, so if a scien- true or not? It’s not a matter of opinion.” One that always makes me laugh is in a recent tist appears on the show we make fun of them episode in which Homer and Marge are at a too. Generally our depiction of scientists is You’ve had several famous scientists, baseball game where the public has to guess the that they’re insular and have bad social lives, including Stephen Hawking and Stephen attendance, and each of the options is a differ- and say things in an obscure fashion that isn’t Jay Gould, as guest stars on the show. ent mathematical irregularity — one’s a perfect always comprehensible to the layman. From People seem thrilled that we’ve had Stephen number, one’s a sum of four squares. They’re my limited experience in the scientific world I Hawking on the show, and no one could be all in the thousands and they’re numbers that wouldn’t say it’s completely off the mark. more thrilled than I. Although one joke that nobody except a mathematician would, at face

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      NATURE|Vol 448|26 July 2007 NEWS FEATURE

value, recognize as anything unusual, but if you’re really sharp you’ll pick it up. I love the “IN THIS HOUSE WE OBEY fact that we can throw that sort of thing in. My favourite mathematical reference on the THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS” show was when we did an episode where Apu was a witness in a courtroom and the lawyer The Top Ten tastes like ashtray, but is attempts suicide but fails, asked if he had a good memory. He said, yes nonetheless “refreshingly as his zinc-free gun cannot I do, I’ve memorized pi to one million deci- science moments addictive”. work. mal places, and Homer said “mmm... pi” and in The Simpsons, as started drooling. We did call Caltech [the Cali- Thank you, Andrew Wiles: Piltdown angel: In “Lisa the fornia Institute of Technology in Pasadena] to chosen by Nature’s In a Halloween episode two- Skeptic” an almost complete dimensional Homer travels human skeleton with angel’s check that whatever we said the millionth deci- editorial staff to the third dimension, wings pits science — Lisa and mal place was was correct. which looks a lot like “that guest star Stephen Jay Gould “Bart’s comet”: After My favourite mathematical equation is movie Tron”, but with more — against faith, as defended iπ sabotaging a weather e + 1 = 0, and we threw that into one episode equations. Writer David X. by : “Science balloon, Bart accidentally even though not all of our audience would nec- Cohen was responsible for is like a blabbermouth who discovers a comet about to essarily understand it. the funniest and geekiest: ruins a movie by telling hit Springfield. Deep impact 178212 + 184112 = 192212, you how it ends. Well I say miraculously avoided, In one episode shocks a an incorrect disproof of that there are some things bartender Moe comes up lecture theatre into silence by shouting Fermat’s last theorem we don’t want to know. with a new form of planetary “Pi is exactly three!” produced by a computer Important things!” defence: “Let’s go burn down One thing I always thought was funny was program Cohen wrote for the observatory so this will that in the 1890s, I believe, the state of Indi- the purpose. Trips to Stockholm: In never happen again.” ana declared that the value of pi was 22/7. I another Halloween episode, “Bye bye nerdie”: Lisa chemistry Nobel prizewinner mean, it’s just... the idea that you could change Inherit my shorts: In the isolates the element in nerd Dudley Herschbach appears a mathematical concept to suit a legislative episode “,” sweat that makes them on the show to present whim is nutty. the Simpsons’ pious next irresistible targets for bullies. Professor Frink with a Nobel door neighbour Ned Flanders She presents her data at a prize of his own. Herschbach So is there a formula for writing good is flabbergasted that the conference with luminaries won the prize for crossed- jokes? science museum’s exhibit including former surgeon molecular-beam techniques I look at comedy writing mathematically, it’s on the origins of man both general C. Everett Koop, a with which to study in detail sort of like a proof in which you’re trying to highlights evolution and scene in which we find the the dynamics of chemical makes light of creationism find the ideal punchline for a setup, and when true purpose of a science reactions. Frink is rewarded — and, to top it all, has a you get it it’s a very elegant feeling. It’s a little pole. for reanimating his dead unisex bathroom. like the feeling I used to get on completing a father. proof when I was doing maths at college. Better living through Mmmmm GMOs: Homer’s chemistry: “Thank goodness Forensics files: DNA attempts to be a farmer Several Simpsons writers have I still live in a world of evidence in “Who Shot Mr. in “E-I-E-I-(Annoyed backgrounds in maths and science. telephones, car batteries, Burns” correctly identifies the Grunt)”involve using Are you a bunch of geeks at heart? handguns and many things assailant as a member of the plutonium as a fertilizer. When we’re alone we talk about maths [chuck- made of zinc,” says Jimmy, a (Maggie, the DNA from tobacco seeds les], but we’ve learned that there’s a wider character in an educational baby, as it turned out). There and tomato seeds blend world, so we don’t always expose others to it, film. When confronted with were alternative endings, to produce a fruit that and we do it in a subtle way. a world without zinc he but to accept them would have meant ignoring “the Do you ever regret not pursuing your Simpson DNA evidence”. mathematical studies? “And that,” a narrator informs I wouldn’t have been among the top people in the audience with a nervous my field; there were guys I knew in maths who laugh “would be downright were just the best. I don’t know if I would ever nutty”. have achieved what they did, so I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. Perpetually funny: In “The PTA Disbands”, Lisa gets so And what does Nature have to do to get bored by a lack of schooling a mention on The Simpsons? she builds a perpetual We should mention Nature! There’s still time, motion machine. Homer is we’re only 400 episodes young... not pleased: “Lisa, in this FOX CENTURY SIMPSONS/20TH M. GROENING/THE Interview by Michael Hopkin. house we OBEY the laws of Al Jean can be heard on this week’s Nature thermodynamics.” Podcast, along with Homer, Lisa, Professor Frink divides the circumference by the diameter. Brendan Maher and Stephen Hawking.

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