Scientists bemoaning the lack of fresh talent entering some fields, such as maths and chemistry, sometimes look to popular culture for a boost. Portraying scientists at work in television and film can help to inspire and interest potential students. A good example of this effect is the rising popularity of crime shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which has helped to encourage interest in forensic science.

But as Richard Smith notes in this week's Recruiters (see page 794), there can be a slight downside. The interest in forensic science has seen a deluge of applications for a handful of jobs. Perhaps more significantly, those applying are seeing the jobs through the eyes of fiction and are not really equipped with the skills and training needed to excel in their chosen profession. In Britain, one company is helping to launch better training programmes to ground aspiring scientists in the more mundane skills that off-camera researchers use in their day-to-day work.

With Will Smith set to hit the silver screen later this year as a virologist fighting vampires in the aftermath of biowarfare, maybe other sectors of science should brace themselves for a similar deluge of applicants. Smith reportedly spent some time researching his role for I Am Legend at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Perhaps he in turn will help boost interest in the CDC's biosafety role.

In much the same way as forensic science has seen both good and bad things result from its higher profile, I Am Legend could prove to be a double-edged sword. If the film gets more young people interested in science, that's a plus. In particular, there could be beneficial effects if it fuels interest in biosafety research, as this sector requires a long training period and currently has relatively few qualified people ready to work and an expanding number of facilities needing new recruits. But if the interest generated isn't matched by sufficient training and outreach programmes to help the newly curious find proper education and jobs, then it will be a missed opportunity.