Sounds of Science - TV Tropes

Science is Serious Business. That's why any self-respecting practitioner of theoretical or applied science, mathematician or philosopher will refuse to study samples, examine specimens or patients, look through a microscope, make calculations or even read - in silence. Not being able to contain their interest in the very scientific matter at hand is considered the mark of the true Absent-Minded Professor, who will mutter, murmur and mumble incessantly to prove beyond doubt that, yes, science is going on right now.

Common Sounds of Science include:

• "For Science!"
• Prolonged "hmmmm"s
• Thinking Out Loud
• Techno Babble
• "A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma..."
• "Hm-hm..."
• "Carry the One..."
• "Aha!"
• "Interesting..."/"Fascinating..."/"Intriguing..."
• Series of "tsk"s
• "That's funny..."
• "If My Calculations Are Correct..."
• "Oh!"
• "Eureka!"
• "The Readings Are Off the Scale!"
• "I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before..."
• "It's alive!"
• "My God, What Have I Done?!"
• "NOOOOOOOO!"
• "Great Scott!"

Please don't list single instances of those listed above, but rather significant or Egregious uses of this trope as well as cases where this is played with!

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Examples:

Comic Strips

• Calvin and Hobbes: "Scientific progress goes 'boink'?"

Films — Live-Action

• This Island Earth had some kind of experiment with nuclear reactions. The Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys had a field day with it.

  Cal Meachem: Monitor the rate of radioactive decay.
  Tom Servo: Increase the Flash Gordon noise and put more science stuff around!

Live-Action TV

• Family Matters: Steve Urkel had Sounds of Science catchphrases; "I'm a genius!" and the strange "Shhh... not while I'm pouring."

Music

• Thomas Dolby: "She Blinded Me with Science". SCIENCE!!!
• Oingo Boingo's "Weird Science" is sung by a scientist and includes cries of "It's Alive!" The movie it was made for shows that the scientist is actually singing while doing science.

Tabletop Games

• Justified in Warhammer 40,000 where the tech-priests pray to machine spirits.

Video Games

• ANNO: Mutationem: Several Story Breadcrumbs found in many areas display exuberant findings while talking about their studies regarding any supernatural variants they've studied.

Web Comics

Western Animation

• David Xanatos of Gargoyles hammed it up with "It's alive!" then lampshaded it with "I've always wanted to say that."
• Gloriously hammed up in the Invader Zim episode "Rise of the Zitboy" where Zim lays some wicked science on a pair of hapless chickens: "Hmm.. HMMMM! Hmmmmmm! Hm? Hmmm... chicken!"

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