Science Bloopers

1
Free pocket ruler from the Department of
Environmental Protection of Pennsylvania (1998)
Science Bloopers
2
Frank W. Crazy Helix Look closely at the image on
the cover of this textbook. It is supposed to be
a DNA double helix, but the structure is
incorrect, it is actually a twisted ladder!
3
Reporting from the wrong angle This is a
report on a study that found a higher rate of
birth defects in children whose fathers underwent
vasectomy reversal surgery. First, the visual
presentation that accompanies this healthcare
study is inappropriate. Next, you will be amazed
(but probably not altogether surprised) at the
lack of professionalism in the news anchors and
camera people. Finally, after I spent nearly 2
hours trying to track down this study from
Thailand, the reporting was wrong. The rate of
birth defects was not the dependent variable-
rate of chromosomal abnormalities was, and they
were examining the 18th chromosome, not 18
subjects. http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFoOjwdUq
b3s
Barbara Smith
4
In Finding Nemo, the two Clownfish are male the
whole time.  Clownfish are a protoandrous
species, where they're born male and, if there's
no females in the environment, will become
female. -- CLAYMAN,SCOTT M
5
Stamp Error! A commemorative stamp was released
in the US last year to celebrate the life of Gery
Cori, a Biochemist that worked on glycogen
metabolism.  Featured on the stamp was an
important molecule in her research and it is
incorrectly displayed here.  The phosphate group
should be on the first oxygen atom. Taylor
Thurston
6
"It's great to be a Florida Croc!" The cover of
the 2003 Gator football media guide showed a
photo of a crocodile by accident. It even
inspired some t-shirts to be made that said "Go
Florida Crocs." There are a few morphological
differences between alligators and crocodiles,
like their lower teeth and the shape of their
noses (alligators usually have wider noses).
Sara Attia Sources http//www.usatoday.com/s
ports/college/football/sec/2003-07-30-florida-medi
aguide_x.htm http//www.zazzle.com/go_florida_croc
s_gators_shirt-235547406610586306
7
Basic Engineering Boo-boo. An odd number of gears
in a circle simply cannot turn. However, Britain
government still approved the coin.
http//www.lhup.edu/dsimanek/whoops.htm
Crystal Hartman
8
"Doctors Approve!"This advertisement misuses
survey results administered by Camel across the
country where "doctors were given packs of
cigarettes at hospitality booths and then
surveyed at the exit to learn what cigarette they
had in their pocket."Jake Diamond
9
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vIp5VOv92bC8featur
erelated Blinking, so easy a gecko could do
it. In the commercial, the Geico Gecko has
eyelids and blinks. In reality, most geckos do
not have eyelids or blink and instead clean their
eyes with their tongues, like the other lizard
shown in the commercial. -- JORDAN,DIANA C
10
Title "East is West??" This 1969 movie is
wrongly entitled "Krakatoa East of
Java. Krakatoa is in fact WEST of Java (see map)
not East as the title declares. However, this
mistake was noticed by the producers just weeks
before the release, and it was deemed too
expensive, and not worth it to change.
Spencer Ingley
11
Katy Burke
Airborne Quacks Airborne, a dietary supplement
that has been on the market for quite a while. It
claims to have the essential vitamins and
nutrients you need to ward off the common cold
and the flu virus, but recently it has been sued
for up to 30 million for false advertising. Not
only does airborne have toxic levels of vitamin C
in it, it has not been clinically proven by an
accredited research organization to work. It's
basically a big scam.
12
CSI Miami Just One Kiss Megan looked under a
microscope at skin cells pulled from the victim--
but the skin cells had a curious resemblance to
muscle cells.
Picture source http//biounder.kaist.ac.kr/shy
821/images/skin2stem_630x.jpg  -Danielle Watts
13
Up, Up, and Away! This blooper ambiguously
describes space as a place with a constant
gravity 6 times less than the Earth. This figure
only holds true for a slim boundry on the
outskirt of our planet's atmosphere, where
atmosphere ends and space begins. Cory Nelson
14
Misrepresented Statistics Graph uses color to
make the difference seem larger Fleta Netter
15
Conservation of momentum halts for gun fight
According to the law of conservation of
momentum, the momentum of the bullet must match
the momentum of the gun. Since in the video the
momentum of the bullet is enough to knock the bad
guy several feet backwards, the gun should have
an equal but opposite momentum, also known as a
recoil, however none is seen. Haley Freymiller
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v2mnFsrmsA94
16
Engineers Nightmare Clayton Cox
17
Article Claiming Water Filters can change
hydrogen bond angles http//www.cydeweys.com/blo
g/2006/12/29/popular-science-has-a-ways-to-go/
1. They claim that filtering water changes the
angle of hydrogen bonds in water. This requires a
constant input of energy. 2. They also claimed
that spraying "energized water" over a lagoon
that emitted bad smells eliminated the odors in
24 hours. Not only does this sound absurd, but
they provide no evidence or explain how this
works. William Zaragoza
18
An odd coin
Charlotte Germain

• This beautiful silver and gold two-pounds coin
  was designed to honor the British industry.
  However, an odd number of gears (here 19) placed
  in a circle could never turn

19
This book cover is from the paperback edition of
The Birth of a New Physics by I. Bernard Cohen
(Doubleday, 1960). JJ Richardson
20
Title Aliens, Humans and Crossbreeds, Oh my!
The link below contains a youtube video of Star
Trek's Dr. McCoy and Spock in a fight where Dr.
McCoy insults Spock calling him names such as a
'half-breed' and 'subhuman.' The character of
Spock is in fact half-human and half-Vulcan, a
humanoid species. Spock as a representative
crossbreed is not possible due to the genetic
differences such as chromosome number and other
reproductive qualifications between aliens and
humans. http//www.youtube.com/watch?vlutJH8-bN
6M -- Brittany Darragh
21
Welcome to the healthcare professional Web site
for Protopic Ointment. As the only topical
calcineurin inhibitor (TCI) indicated for
second-line therapy of moderate to severe atopic
dermatitis (eczema), Protopic has helped patients
achieve welcome itch relief when potions,
lotions, contraptions, and other prescription
medicines have not. Patients will try anything to
ease the itch of eczema. Maybe it's time they
gave up Itchcraft and tried Protopic. In
clinical studies, Protopic was found to provide
LESS ITCHING. Eczema patients reported 5 times
greater reduction in itch after treatment with
Protopic than with vehicle1,2 SIGNIFICANT
IMPROVEMENT. Significantly more patients had 90
improvement with Protopic treatment than with
vehicle at 12 weeks (37 Protopic vs 7 vehicle)1
FAST RESULTS. 90 of adults treated with
Protopic Ointment 0.1 showed improvement in 1
week6 EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. 97 of adults treated
with Protopic Ointment 0.1 showed some
improvement by end of treatment6
Emily Vuxton
22
In tiny words at the bottom of the
website WARNING Long-term safety of topical
calcineurin inhibitors has not been established
(beyond 1 year of non-continuous use). Although a
causal relationship has not been established,
rare cases of malignancy (e.g., skin and
lymphoma) have been reported in patients treated
with topical calcineurin inhibitors, including
Protopic. Therefore, continuous long-term use of
topical calcineurin inhibitors, including
Protopic, in any age group should be avoided and
application limited to areas of involvement with
atopic dermatitis. The diagnosis of atopic
dermatitis should be confirmed if signs and
symptoms do not improve within 6 weeks.
Emily Vuxton