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Matt Damon in The Martian

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Jurassic Park to The Martian: 5 movies that get botany (mostly) wrong

By James Wong, David Stock and Isabel Baldwin

Science fiction films are a firm favourite for many. And while the genre specialises in speculative ideas, there is still a place for factual accuracy. Often, however, scientific detail falls by the wayside in big production films. Why let facts get in the way of a good story, eh? Sadly for some, these glaring errors can be a distracting plot hole too far.

In this episode, botanist James Wong gives his analysis of the botanical accuracy, or lack thereof, in his favourite sci-fi films. From Prometheus to Jurassic Park, who knew plants were so hard to get right. But…

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