I think thats what Big Bang Theory does best... portray smart people who are socially inept as someone that anyone can relate to. In the show, they are just regular people trying to get by, find love, etc... well, except for Sheldon.
To me, its amazing that a show that is completely over the top nerdy is incredibly popular.
... Wait, what? You know you're talking about a sitcom, right? The whole point of the show is to be ridiculous for laughs.
My point was that people other than traditional 'geeks' find the show amusing. They get the humor. Geek-culture has gone mainstream.
That's just it - the folks that do spend there time on a computer or in a lab (off the top of my head: the goth girl from NCIS, the Law & Order lab techs, Chloe on 24) all have some sort of anti-social nerd personality type.
Why can't there be a computer tech who works hard at his/her job, has a beer after work, watches sports, etc like everyone else?
Well sure, but the folks on TV are better looking and less socially awkward across the board than their real-life counterparts.
Fringe makes science look pretty cool, IMHO.
They go on to talk about some other people besides Natalie Portman.
"handful of high-profile actors who happen to have serious scientific credentials"
Hedy Lamarr, Danica McKellar, Mayim Bialik, and Leonard Nimoy all get substantial mentions in the article. The article is framed around Ms. Portman but the inclusion of the other actors indicate that it is not just about her. Certainly Dylan (who has actually performed with Ms. Portman) is more relevant than the other actors who, AFAICT, have not.
Woodie Flowers always used to say that we need an "LA Engineer" (a play on "LA Law for you younger folks) to bring science and engineering into the mainstream. I always cringe at shows like Big Bang Theory that portray smart folks as socially inept - given that association, it's no surprise that many kids would rather be "dumb and cool" than "smart and nerdy" when in fact smart people are just like everyone else.