January 9, 2023

Fusion Scientist - SNL

Back in December the scientific community announced a breakthrough in fusion energy.

Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me even made jokes about it in their "Who's Bill This Time?" and "Predictions" section - the latter of which saw them joke that the next scientific breakthrough would be a drug that makes people care about fusion breakthroughs.

That same week, Saturday Night Live got in on the game with a cut-for-time sketch about one of the scientists who was supposedly involved in the fusion development.

But they got the science a little wrong...

At 4:58 they claim that Edgar is inert...like a hydrogen atom. Hydrogen is far from inert. Helium is inert, though. I'm guessing somebody on the SNL writing staff got a little mixed up in what they remembered from high school science class.

Then at 5:04 they talk about 'splitting him open' to 'unleash the incredible potential that's locked inside'. I assume that's a reference to fusion...but fusion doesn't split things apart. It fuses them together.

And, yes, I did think those things when I watched the video for the first time.

This is how my brain works.

Don't judge me...

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