Defying Gravity Series 1 Episode 2 'Natural Selection'

I'm really rather enjoying this series so far. I'm kind of waiting for it to jump the shark, which it seems in danger of doing quite early on if they're not careful. That'd be a shame. There are unscientific/supernatural things in the series, and that's fine, it's TV, they're necessary and entertaining devices. If it doesn't need to be wrong though, it really needs to be right.

In episode 2, ('Natural Selection'), an experiment is performed by one of the astronauts that she describes as 'natural selection'. Anyone with a passing knowledge of evolution knows immediately that it's bullshit TV science rearing its ugly head yet again.

An external actor, selecting randomly is about as far from natural selection as you can get. The survivors won't be the fittest / most appropriate, they'll simply be lucky.

Two things required for evolution are (random) mutation and natural selection. What the stupid experiment in Defying Gravity does is 'Random Selection'.

Darwin's finches are the result of evolution by natural selection. The ones that remain are best suited to their environment.

The pigeons he studied are the result of selective breeding. That is taking two birds with particular characteristics and letting them get it on (repeat to freak). Same with domestic dogs. Their suitability is not governed by nature, but by man. This unatural selection yields significant changes quickly.

I have a very basic understanding of this stuff, gleaned from TV and getting halfway through The Blind Watchmaker 10 years ago. If I was writing a scene with this stuff in, I'd run it by a biologist. I'd check. I'd really not want to look this foolish on TV. And that's just me. One person. Nobody. Not one single person noticed when this was being written and rehearsed and recorded, that it was bullshit ? What astounds me about this Defying Gravity nonsense is this carelessness.

If you work on this show and told your boss that this scene was bullshit, show them this blog. Tell them I said they were idiots and they should listen to you next time. People notice this shit. Mmmkay ?