Science in The World presents you: celebs who made scientific contributions!
Most celebrities don’t just do one thing and call it a day. These people are complex, intelligent, and know how to perform in several domains other than their acting or music careers.
Long story short, someone’s favorite singer or actor is probably more than what they show on stage or on your TV screen. As you already know, someone can change their passions and interests throughout the years.
Some of them can act and sing fantastically, giving you shivers down your spine with their talent, but that’s not all; their passions even extend to the science field.
Speaking of that, some celebs have made scientific contributions, and their work was so good and innovative that their research has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Are Hollywood stars into studying so they can come up with technology for the greater good of humanity? Probably.
But enough with the chit-chat, because we have important things to talk about in today’s article. So without further ado, let’s embark on a short journey in the scientific world because it’s time to talk about some of the most impressive celebs who made scientific contributions!
1. Lisa Kudrow
One of the celebs who made scientific contributions is Lisa Kudrow, who is popular for her role as Pheobe Buffay in the beloved sitcom from the 90s, “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.”. While people loved her lunatic, gorgeous, and funny character, in real life, the actress is an accomplished biologist.
She is a smart graduate with a degree in biology from Vassar College, and the thing that impressed her fans a lot is that Mrs. Kudrow is a qualified physician specializing in the treatment of headaches.
In 1991, three years before her major role on the beloved sitcom we’ve previously mentioned, she coauthored a psychology paper titled “Handedness and Headache”, so we can indeed say that she’s a smart woman in the science world.
2. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman is another one of the smart and gorgeous celebs who has made scientific contributions to the world. In 2003, she received a degree in psychology from Harvard, and the most impressive thing about her, besides studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, is the fact that she was a student while she was still filming the “Star Wars” prequels.
The beautiful actress Natalie Portman coauthored 2 wonderful pieces, and one of them was published before she ended her studies at Harvard. We can say that she was one of the celebs who made scientific contributions from the time she was in high school, and her paper was so good that she continued working on it during her university days.
It was about making biodegradable waste that can be used to generate energy, and the second one was about the activation of the frontal lobe as the brain registers object permanence. So Natalie Portman isn’t only a woman who’s beautiful and fantastic, but she’s also an incredibly smart woman.
Did you know that Natalie Portman is one of the celebs who has made scientific contributions? And yes, a lot of experts are proud of her work. Are you ready to talk about other celebs who made scientific contributions? Then keep reading!
3. Terri Hatcher
You surely know dazzling actress Terri Hatcher (left) from her exquisite role as Susan Mayer on the popular ABC comedy-drama series “Desperate Housewives”, but did you know that she’s one of the celebs who made scientific contributions?
One thing not a lot of people know about Mrs. Hatcher is that she comes from a scientific family, and we can say that the science of “microbes” runs in the family.
Her father was a wonderful nuclear physicist, and her mother worked as a computer programmer, so it’s no surprise that the gorgeous actress has a degree in mathematics and engineering from De Anza College. She’s indeed a smart woman, don’t you think?
There are many other celebs who made scientific contributions, so if you want to discover their stories, keep reading!
4. Hedy Lamarr
Even though Hedy Lamarr is no longer with us, we had to include her in our article because she’s indeed one of the most spectacular and gorgeous celebs who made scientific contributions, and we’re talking about big things here!
Mrs. Lamarr was one of the most appreciated and iconic actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Even though she was incredibly desired and appreciated for her talent and gorgeous features, her looks weren’t the most important thing to her.
Speaking of that, she said during plenty of interviews that she doesn’t care that much about being a pretty face because she wants to be an important scientific figure too. That’s why she worked so hard to be taken seriously in such a difficult domain for a woman during those times.
The beautiful actress is responsible for plenty of patents in wireless and radio technology that would eventually become the best foundation for GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth communication systems.
Even though the iconic Hollywood star did such impressive work in laying the foundation for the technology of the 21st century that we so much need every single day, the majority of people still know her as a pretty face in the cinematographic goddess from Hollywood.
5. Mayim Bialik
If you’ve watched “The Big Bang Theory”, you already know who Mayim Bialik is. She played Amy Farrah Fowler, a smart girl who was incredible in the scientific field. But well, she didn’t just give life to a neuroscientist on TV, but she’s also one in real life, meaning that talented Mrs. Bialik is indeed one of the celebs who made scientific contributions.
In 2007, she graduated with a Ph.D. from UCLA, and her impressive graduate thesis was titled “Hypothalamic Regulation in Relation to Maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative, and satiety behaviors in Prader-Willi Syndrome.” If that doesn’t sound smart and extraordinary, I don’t know what does, because she is indeed a wonderful scientist.
Speaking of that, I can’t help but wonder if the actress gave the series writers notes to make sure that their science jokes were authentic. But we bet she did, because she’s a genius.
Do you know any other celebs who made scientific contributions? Leave a comment down below and let us know!
6. Danica Mckellar
If you’ve watched the popular series “How I Met Your Mother”, you already know who the talented actress Danica Mckellar was. But did you know that she was also one of the celebs who made scientific contributions?
The gorgeous actress, well-known for starring in the 1980s comedy-drama “The Wonder Years”, had a couple of years when she slowed down her flourishing acting career to focus on a scientific one based on STEM.
In 1998, she graduated from UCLA, and she authored plenty of books encouraging young girls to get into STEM. When she finished college, she published an impressive thesis entitled “Percolation and Gibbs states multiplicity for ferromagnetic Ashkin–Teller models”, giving her a secure place in the field of celebs who made scientific contributions.
7. Brian May
We’re almost at the end of our article about celebrities who made scientific contributions, but we can’t finish it without saying a couple of words about the talented Brian May.
If you love hearing the wonderful Queen hit “Bohemian Rhapsody”, you should hear the magnificent Freddie Mercury belt “Galileo Galileo!” as an homage to the Renaissance astrophysicist.
Well, if we give it a second thought, we might say that the meaning goes beyond the Renaissance because fantastic guitarist Brian May is indeed an astrophysicist.
The musician started studying in 1970, but he put his scientific career on hold to focus all of his attention on music. Maybe he wanted to be one of the celebs who made scientific contributions because, a couple of decades later, he went back to school and in 2007, he published his Ph.D. thesis, “A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud,”. I believe this is true dedication and he’s one of the proud celebs who made scientific contributions. What do you think?
What do you think about these celebrities who made scientific contributions? Which one is your favorite? If you also love science and want a T-shirt that says exactly that, click here to find your perfect clothing item! It’s not with any of these celebs who made scientific contributions, but it’s still interesting!
If you want to read something else from Science in The World, here’s an article you don’t want to miss: Wow! These 5 Everyday Things Were Invented by the Military
