In the particular context of American cultural attitudes toward science, the early nineteenth century intelligentsia of the young republic – among whom Thomas Jefferson, William Bartram and Charles William Peale to name but a few – viewed the advancement of scientific knowledge as both utilitarian and political in nature: utilitarian, as it went hand in hand with the expansion of the American “empire of liberty” (Jefferson’s expression) and political, as living proof to the Old World’s scientific community of aristocrats that democracy could breed and sustain intellectual growth in superior ways (Porter, 1986). The culture in which such discourse and representations are conveyed also plays a role not only in how scientific discourse is received but also in how science “talks about itself,” what can be termed scientific narrative. 1The ties between science and the media are diverse and operate at multiple levels of discourse and representation: ranging from the highly specialized article to the Hollywood blockbuster, scientific breakthroughs can be presented in didactic, political or socio-economic modes.