Scientific Myths and the Real Stories behind Them

Newton's Apple, Darwin's bird studies in the Voyage of the Beagle, Galileo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You probably learned these stories about the origins of the theory of gravity, natural selection, and motion in school. They may have made science class fun but, according to theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow, not only are these stories not true they misrepresent the real nature of scientific discovery and evolution in very destructive ways. Mlodinow is the author of the new book Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos. He's also co-author, with Stephen Hawking, of The Grand Design.