Are there any superstar scientists?

nanoboy

nanoboy

Well-Known Member
We have all heard of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, and we are all aware of Kim Kardashian, The Beatles, and Beyonce'.

Are there any scientists that are still alive who have such global recognition and celebrity status? I can only think of Sir David Attenborough, but he might probably be considered a TV presenter. (Indeed, in his humble words, he said that all he needs to do is ensure that he does not stand between the camera and the animals. :D) Maybe Watson and Crick are superstars? Would Bill Gates and Steve Jobs count?
 
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Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Bill Nye
Richard Dawkins
Brian Cox
Brian Greene
Stephen Hawking
 
I think that in the world that this website covers Jane Goodall, Birute Galdikas, and Cynthia Moss are considered stars.

E.O. Wilson too.
 
I forgot about Brian Cox, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, and Jane Goodall. I have been fortunate to see Jane Goodall give a speech, and I have been unfortunate to see Stephen Hawking in my university's cafe dribbling food while his nurse tried to feed him.

David, your list only has one superstar there that has even a small chance of the average joe recognising them: Jane Goodall. I am talking about scientists that your neighbours or your nephews might know - not scientists who are stars in the scientific community [EDIT: in the scientific community alone, as compared to mainstream]. (Confession: I have no idea who Birute, Cynthia, or E.O. are. :()
 
nanoboy said:
Remember the rule: no posting when high! :D

Fictional characters do not count, Sheldon.
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nanoboy said:
David, your list only has one superstar there that has even a small chance of the average joe recognising them: Jane Goodall. I am talking about scientists that your neighbours or your nephews might know - not scientists who are stars in the scientific community [EDIT: in the scientific community alone, as compared to mainstream]. (Confession: I have no idea who Birute, Cynthia, or E.O. are. :()
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Cynthia Moss has written a best-selling popular book and been in several television programs so elephant fans would probably recognize her.

Birute Galdikas was just in an Imax movie about her orangutan rehab work.

E.O. Wilson is quite famous in the U.S. for his ant research and "invention" of sociobiology which was very controversial in the 1980s.
 
Hmm.... I suppose that if we have to give people an explanation for who someone, then they can't be as famous as we think?
 
David Suzuki would possibly count and if you are Australian, Tim Flannery
 
nanoboy said:
Hmm.... I suppose that if we have to give people an explanation for who someone, then they can't be as famous as we think?
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"Celebrity" is relative I guess. The people I mentioned I would think would be well known to American animal lovers.

Sadly it doesn't seem like there are many global biologists that are "celebrities". I'm not sure that David Attenborough is much of a celebrity in the U.S. outside of people who like animal shows. "Planet Earth" was narrated by Sigourney Weaver here:(

We could certainly use more global science-conservationist celebrities like Jaques Cousteau and Jane Goodall.
 
@DavidBrown, you must remember that nanoboy can't read...er, sorry, doesn't read...books, so he will forever be in the dark as to the brilliance of Edward Wilson (speaking for myself, I'm most familiar with him for "The Theory Of Island Biogeography"). I second jay's suggestion of Tim Flannery.

But neither Wilson nor Flannery would be known to people in the street, which is what nanoboy is getting at I think. And for nanoboy, David Attenborough is not a scientist.
 
Chlidonias said:
@DavidBrown, you must remember that nanoboy can't read...er, sorry, doesn't read...books, so he will forever be in the dark as to the brilliance of Edward Wilson (speaking for myself, I'm most familiar with him for "The Theory Of Island Biogeography"). I second jay's suggestion of Tim Flannery.

But neither Wilson nor Flannery would be known to people in the street, which is what nanoboy is getting at I think. And for nanoboy, David Attenborough is not a scientist.
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Yeah I think that you hit multiple nails on the head there.

I am curious if there are any scientists that will be as easily recognised in the street, as say Einstein, Lady Gaga, or Obama. If you think I don't read, think of the average joe in the street! :eek: Can anyone here name 3 Nobel Prize winners in the last 10 years? (I can't, and I read the news voraciously.) We just don't value scientists. :(

DavidBrown, Jacques Cousteau is another name that I forgot. A shame about Attenborough in the States though.

David Suzuki! I forgot him from the 80's. He was a star. What about that other Asian dude from CUNY (I presented at a conference there :D) - Michio Kaku? Is Bill Nye still around? What about Carl Sagan?

I have always wanted to do an experiment in schools and show the students photos of famous scientists and entertainment celebrities, and write a paper on the findings. Does anyone want to be a co-author? :D
 
another favourite science author I could throw out there would be David Quammen, but again no average person would have heard of him.

You really should start reading books nanoboy.
 
Chlidonias said:
another favourite science author I could throw out there would be David Quammen, but again no average person would have heard of him.

You really should start reading books nanoboy.
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Never heard of him. :D

Well, I should state that I do read about one book a week - recent books such as Steve Jobs's biography and Warren Buffet's latest management book, plus loads of novels and pop-science books by guys like Simon Singh (readers from the UK will know him, and I saw his science show live! :D) and Lord Robert Winston, BUT, I think (hope) that you are referring to natural history books. And yes, sadly, you are correct. I really do need to read more of that kind of book.

What about Paul Erdos? He is dead now, but who here knows their Erdos number? :D
 
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I doubt there really are any superstar scientists, the only ones I recognise that have been mentioned are Richard Dawkins, Robert Winston, E.O. Wilson (as with Chlidonias, in regards to island biogeography, although that may be because that is a more relevant theory here than elsewhere), Watson & Crick, Tim Flannery and Jane Goodall. Stephen Jay Gould is another name that springs to mind, although no longer alive. But none are really superstars.

I would say that, as most scientists study such specific areas, it is difficult for them to connect to a large enough section of the general population for them to become superstars. Rober Winston, for example, became very well known (at least in NZ, probably UK, etc) through his presentation of the popular documentary series on children growing up, which everyone can relate to. In contrast, a scientist studying something truly awful, like physics, will not be able to reach a large audience through the same thing. Natural history documentries have turned their presenters into superstars, most notably David Attenborough, but also others like Steve Irwin, so clearly nature is an engaging enough subject, you just need to find a charismatic scientist (one for the cryptozoology thread perhaps) to front it.
 
I think Stephen Hawking wins the title. Nobody can fail to be impressed by what he has achieved in spite of his profound disabilities. Plus he has written a book that many many people have bought (but very few have read) and 'appeared' on The Simpsons. QED!
In the no longer with us category, Einstein is heavyweight champion, with Darwin close behind and an honourable mention for Marie Curie (she made a very smart move by marrying a man whose surname rhymed her christian name, only Poles could pronounce her maiden name). I think you probably have to be dead to get a unit of measurement named after you, but it's a pretty good guarantee of immortality, think of Ampere, Herz, Joule, Watt etc.
My nominee would be the late Linus Pauling, who won a Nobel prize for developing the theory of chemical bonding, could have won others for the determination of protein structures (he also nearly beat Watson & Crick to the DNA structure) and for initiating the study of molecular evolution. He also won the Peace prize for campaigning against the testing of nuclear weapons which introduced radioactive fallout into the atmosphere. One day he led a demonstration outside the White House then returned in evening dress for a formal dinner after which he danced with the First Lady (Jackie Kennedy, no less). That's a superstar!

Alan
 
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