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In April 2015, two prominent public scientists demonstrated, in radically different ways, the rising power of celebrity in science. That month, the talk show host and surgeon Mehmet Oz stood at the center of a maelstrom of controversy after a group of doctors told Columbia's dean of medicine they were dismayed that Oz remained on the medical school's faculty. They accused Oz of promulgating unproven health advice for personal gain. They argued that the public was being "misled and endangered." Vox magazine in the same month called Oz "arguably the most influential health professional in America," but lamented that over his career he had "turned away from science and embraced fame." As a consequence, on health advice, Oz was "leading America adrift."
The same month, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson debuted his StarTalk show on the National Geographic Channel. Reviewing the show, the Los Angeles Times called Tyson-head of New York's Hayden Planetarium, popular science writer, and experienced host of TV science shows-"the American face of science." The show gave him a platform to interview celebrities, such as film director Christopher Nolan and media mogul Arianna Huffington, about the influence of science in their lives. Having a scientist's perspective on late-night television was, the paper argued, "an idea whose time has seemingly come and, in a time when many people with influence believe that established facts are things to be voted on, an idea that can't come too soon."
Oz and Tyson are emblematic of a cultural trend: the larger role now played by celebrities in public discussions of science and science policy. To make sense of this development, we have written books that examine the ways celebrities have influenced public understanding of science and science policy. Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash examines how celebrities from outside science-such as the actress Paltrow, Jenny McCarthy, Jessica Alba, and the self-styled Food Babe Vani Hari-make sciencebased claims and provide advice, much of which has little evidence to back it up. The New Celebrity Scientists examines a set of prominent scientists-including Tyson-to show how they have become famous and use their celebrity to spread scientific ideas through society. Based on our research, we argue that the influence wielded by such celebrities is...