The Real Science Behind the X Files: Microbes, Meteorites, and Mutants (Hardcover)

by Anne Simon (Author) "Where, squeezed back behind a series of pipes running vertically up the wall, A GRAYISH HUMAN FORM remains perfectly still..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Baby Peacock, Leonard Betts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In The X-Files episode "The Erlenmeyer Flask," FBI agent Dana Scully shows some bacteria to microbiologist Anne Carpenter, who pronounces them extraterrestrial: containing different DNA nucleotides than those found in Earthly organisms. But like the hapless redshirts of Star Trek, scientists who uncover extraterrestrial evidence have shortened life expectancies. Indeed, Carpenter is soon snuffed out in a highly suspicious car crash. But the real scientist on whom she was based, University of Massachusetts virologist Anne Simon, remained as scientific advisor to the popular program: she is the "X-Pert."

In her book, Simon describes the scientific basis of various X-Files episodes, and writes about some of her behind-the-scenes work putting the Scully into Scully. Sometimes it gets a little difficult to keep track of when Simon is describing an episode and when she's talking about cutting-edge science, but that's part of her point: "The life of a research scientist is filled with mysteries as complex as any that appear on The X-Files. We are Scullys." Simon knows that this show, for all its paranormal apparatus, gives a taste of the thrill of real science, enough to be inspiring a new generation to follow in Scully's footsteps. --Mary Ellen Curtin

From Publishers Weekly
Virologist Simon doubles as the science adviser for television's The X-Files, helping agents Scully and Mulder's adventures fit, or at least approach, plausibility. Her informative book cuts back and forth between X-Files script excerpts, behind-the-scenes anecdotes of her work on the series and accounts of the real-life counterparts and inspirations for the show's many biological plot devices. Where, for instance, Scully and Mulder find a town whose citizens stay young through cannibalism, Simon explains the real consequences when people eat people: a rare brain ailment caused by rogue proteins called prions. Simon (who teaches at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst) likes to remind readers that professional scientists watch The X-Files and look for mistakes. For one episode, Simon insisted that the correct DNA code for a certain virus, rather than just random letters, appear on a geneticist's computer. A visiting professor at her university used the episode in a lecture: he expected to mock the show, and was stunned when a database search showed that The X-Files got it right. When Scully developed cancer, the tests she underwent were real, but their results arrived unrealistically fast: as a result, Simon says, some biochemists tell their colleagues to "call Scully" when an experiment goes slowly. "X-philes" who enjoy these and similar stories will learn plenty of biology in the bargain; among the other hot fields and ideas Simon explains are extraterrestrial bacteria, cloning, genetic mutations, biological warfare, the ominous decline in the world's population of frogs and the likelihood of extending the human life span. Agent, Esmond Harmsworth at Zachary Shuster. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684856174
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856179
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,406,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Really Is in Here, November 30, 1999

By	Dr. Margaret Fearon "fearonmb" (Canada) - See all my reviews

If you are an X Files fan, or even if you are not, 'The Real Science Behind the X Files' is a highly entertaining and informative romp through the many and varied fields of science touched upon by this unique and innovative television series. You may be surprised to learn that the very concepts that seem far too fantastic to be true are actually the closest to reality. Think black oil worms are a figment of Chris Carter's imagination? Guess again! A one-celled creature known as Dictyostelium discoideum can excrete a chemical to summon its relatives which then arrange themselves into a multicellular slug-like creature, looking for all the world like those disgusting stars of many episodes, and of course, the X Files movie. As science advisor for the X Files, Dr. Simon provides the foundation in reality on which the series builds its stories. Her book will both educate and engage you, and give you a deeper appreciation for the wonders of science, both terrestial and extra-terrestial. Her sense of humour and her ability to explain technical concepts in 'reader friendly' language will keep you entertained. And you will come away with an even greater appreciation for the lengths the series will go to 'get it right'. Just check out the viral DNA sequence that flashes past the next time you watch 'Herrenvolk'. Yep, its the real thing! Buy this book for yourself, for the X Philes on your shopping list, and for anyone with any interest in what's hot in science these days. I guarantee you will learn a lot and you'll have fun in the process.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Reading, December 3, 1999

By	San Franciso Sailor (Angel Island, SF Bay) - See all my reviews

This book makes fascinating reading, even for the non-scientist and non X-File fan. Personally, my last forays into science were sometime in the tenth grade, and I've only seen the X-Files show sporadically. But Professor Simon explains the scientific rationale behind the episodes in such an entertaining and illuminating manner, I never missed a beat. She is a thoroughly competent scientist, but I think it's her excellent storytelling ability that sets this work apart. As someone who's tried to struggle through a number of "science for laypeople" books and put them down unfinished, I would recommend this book as a very entertaining read.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer Brilliance, January 27, 2000

By	David Stoker (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

Anne Simon's "The Real Science Behind the X-Files" is my new favorite book. It addresses complex subject matter in a manner similar to that of Physicist Stephen Hawking...easy for the layman to understand and enjoy, and packed with enough hard core science for a true scientist to become captivated. And to top it all off, you've got Mulder and Scully as the leading characters. Simon does a magnificent job of illustrating exactly where the real science becomes science fiction, but gives due respect to that which is not yet proven or is knocking on the door of discovery. It makes you appreciate the "X-Files" a whole lot more knowing how much thought and effort goes into making the storylines as accurate as possible. Great for a casual read and a pleasantly entertaining learning experience.