Science writer criticizes centrifuge error in Project Hail Mary film
8 reported
Science writer Helen Pilcher, writing in The Guardian, criticized a scientific inaccuracy in the film Project Hail Mary. She noted that the main character, a molecular biologist, placed two plastic tubes next to each other in a centrifuge instead of balancing them symmetrically. Pilcher stated she does not mind when films break major scientific rules to advance the plot, but objects to small, sloppy mistakes. She cited other examples, including the Millennium Falcon roaring through space despite no sound in a vacuum, and a nectar-feeding mosquito used for dinosaur DNA extraction in Jurassic Park. Pilcher acknowledged that Jurassic Park’s premise of obtaining dinosaur DNA from fossils is impossible, as the oldest retrieved DNA is 2 million years old and dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago, but she accepts such inaccuracies if they drive the story. She urged filmmakers to get small scientific details correct.
What’s reported
Helen Pilcher is a science writer and author of two books.
She saw Project Hail Mary on the advice of her teenage son.
In the film, the main character Ryland Grace, a molecular biologist, placed two plastic tubes next to each other in a centrifuge.
Pilcher stated the correct way to load a centrifuge is to balance samples symmetrically.
She has no issue with the film’s inorganic alien Rocky, its spaceship made from solid xenon, or fictitious microorganisms called “astrophages” that thrive in a vacuum.
She criticized the Millennium Falcon roaring through space because there is no sound in a vacuum.
She noted that the oldest retrieved DNA is 2 million years old, and dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago, making de-extinction impossible.
She criticized the mosquito in Jurassic Park for having a nectar-feeder’s proboscis, not a blood-sucking one.
Key figures
Helen Pilcher, science writer and author
Ryland Grace, fictional molecular biologist in Project Hail Mary
Sources: The Guardian
