The Science of Avatar (Part II)

After watching Avatar last weekend, I composed a post about being particularly appreciative that James Cameron and his crew so obviously did their homework when it came to much of the science depicted onscreen. I invited readers to share their impressions and many of you came through with terrific examples--some I hadn't even considered before. So I'll run through five of the science details I enjoyed most, followed by a few of the best examples from our reader community: 1) Dr. Grace Augustine. Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of a research scientist was uncharacteristically good. Instead of the typical caricature we see in Hollywood, she wasn't socially inept (i.e. typical Rick Moranis roles) or out to destroy everything (i.e. Dr. Evil). Instead, Grace conveyed the natural curiosity about the world that I observe so often in colleagues. Also noteworthy, she was funded by a program with corporate interests, but really using the ...