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Fringe

Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, which premiered on Fox on September 9, 2008, and ran for five seasons comprising 100 episodes until its finale on January 18, 2013.^[1]^[2]^[3] The program follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham, who recruits the reclusive, institutionalized genius Walter Bishop and his estranged son Peter to establish a specialized unit probing "the Pattern"—a sequence of inexplicable events rooted in fringe science, including human teleportation, synthetic biology mishaps, and incursions from parallel worlds.^[4]^[5] Early seasons emphasize standalone investigations blending procedural elements with procedural drama, gradually unfolding a mythology involving multiverse dynamics, time displacement, and enigmatic "Observers" who oversee human history.^[4] Fringe distinguished itself through deep character exploration, notably Walter's arc of atonement for past ethical breaches in experimentation, alongside inventive visuals and effects that visualized pseudoscientific concepts without claiming empirical validity.^[5] It amassed critical recognition, including a 91% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes across seasons and an 8.4/10 user average on IMDb from over 266,000 ratings, with accolades such as Saturn Awards for Best Network Series and individual performances by Anna Torv and John Noble.^[5]^[1]^[6] Viewership challenges marked its trajectory, with declining audiences prompting relocations to less favorable time slots like Fridays, sparking fan campaigns to avert cancellation, though producers crafted a conclusive ending amid persistent ratings pressure.^[7] No substantial production scandals emerged, but the series' pivot to complex serialization tested casual viewers, contributing to its cult status over mainstream dominance.^[7]

Physical and decorative meanings

Ornamental border

An ornamental border known as fringe consists of short, straight or twisted threads, cords, or strips that hang loosely from the edge of a fabric, often created by raveling, cutting, or attaching separate elements to prevent unraveling or add decoration.^[8] This trim has been applied to textiles such as garments, drapery, upholstery, and flags, where it serves primarily aesthetic purposes by providing texture, movement, and visual interest.^[9] ^[10] Historically, fringe emerged around 3000 BC in Mesopotamia, initially as a functional edging on woven fabrics before evolving into deliberate ornamentation across cultures.^[11] In ancient and medieval contexts, it adorned clothing, saddles, and military attire, with examples from Sumerian civilization onward incorporating fringe on leather and textiles for both utility and status.^[12] Native American traditions utilized fringe on buckskin and leather garments not only decoratively but also practically, as the dangling strips wicked away moisture, shed water, and camouflaged movement during hunting.^[13] ^[14] By the 19th and 20th centuries, fringe gained prominence in Western fashion, peaking in the 1920s flapper era for its dynamic sway on dresses and later in bohemian styles.^[11] Fringe production involves techniques such as cutting parallel slits into fabric edges, drawing out warp or weft threads to form tassels, or knotting and twisting supplemental cords, often using materials like silk, cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers matched to the base textile.^[15] In contemporary applications, it enhances interior design elements like curtains and rugs, as well as ceremonial items such as fringed flags, where the edging imparts formality without altering the item's core function.^[10] While machine-made fringe dominates modern production for efficiency, handcrafted variants persist in high-end textiles and cultural artifacts, preserving traditional methods.^[16]

Hairstyle

The fringe, known as bangs in North American English, consists of hair strands cut straight across the forehead to partially or fully cover the brow area, typically ending just above the eyebrows. This style contrasts with longer hair that falls naturally over the face, creating a distinct horizontal edge that frames the facial features.^[17]^[18] The term "fringe" derives from Old French frenge, which traces back to Late Latin fimbria meaning "fibers" or "fringe," evoking the loose, edging quality of the hair section. In contrast, "bangs" emerged in American English around 1832, likely referring to the abrupt, straight cut resembling a "bang" or the squared-off tail of a horse (bangtail), a practice common in 19th-century equestrian grooming that paralleled the haircut's blunt finish.^[18]^[17]^[19] Archaeological evidence indicates fringes date to ancient civilizations, with blunt-cut versions appearing in Egyptian wigs as early as 3000 BCE, often as part of structured bob-like hairstyles for both genders. The style gained prominence in medieval Europe through Ziryab, a 9th-century musician and stylist in Andalusian Spain, who advocated for layered fringes to enhance facial aesthetics. By the 19th century, fringes became a fashionable trend among Western women, evolving into varied forms such as the full, straight "Dutch boy" cut or wispy layers, influenced by Victorian-era portraits and early photography.^[20]^[21] In the 20th century, the fringe surged in popularity during the 1920s flapper era, symbolizing youthful rebellion with short, straight cuts paired with bobbed hair, as seen in styles emulated by figures like Louise Brooks. Post-World War II icons, including Brigitte Bardot, popularized curtain fringes parted in the middle for a softer, romantic effect. Modern variations include asymmetrical, choppy, or micro-fringes, adapted to face shapes for optical balance—thinner fringes suiting round faces to elongate appearance, while fuller ones complement oval features—though empirical studies on facial harmony remain limited to anecdotal stylist observations rather than rigorous anthropometric data.^[20]^[21]

Optical interference patterns

In optics, interference fringes refer to the alternating bands of bright and dark regions observed when coherent light waves overlap, arising from constructive interference where waves are in phase and destructive interference where they are out of phase./University_Physics_III_-Optics_and_Modern_Physics(OpenStax)/03%3A_Interference/3.03%3A_Mathematics_of_Interference)^[22] These patterns manifest in phenomena such as Young's double-slit experiment, where light passing through two closely spaced slits produces fringes on a screen due to the superposition of diffracted waves.^[23] The spacing between adjacent bright fringes, denoted as \Delta y, is given by \Delta y = \frac{\lambda L}{d}, where \lambda is the wavelength of light, L is the distance from the slits to the screen, and d is the slit separation; this relation holds under the small-angle approximation where d \gg \lambda.^[24]/University_Physics_III_-Optics_and_Modern_Physics(OpenStax)/03%3A_Interference/3.03%3A_Mathematics_of_Interference) The observation of such fringes provided early evidence for the wave theory of light, with English polymath Thomas Young demonstrating them in 1801 using a double-slit setup at the Royal Institution, refuting the dominant particle model by showing light's ability to interfere like water waves.^[25]^[26] Young's experiment involved sunlight passing through a pinhole and then two slits separated by approximately 1 mm, projecting fringes spaced about 1 mm apart on a screen roughly 2 meters away, confirming path length differences of integer multiples of the wavelength for bright fringes.^[27] This work, detailed in his 1802 Bakerian Lecture to the Royal Society, laid foundational principles for interferometry, later refined by figures like Augustin-Jean Fresnel in explaining diffraction.^[26] Fringes also appear in other configurations, such as thin-film interference in soap bubbles or oil slicks, where reflections from upper and lower surfaces create colorful bands due to phase shifts upon reflection, or in Michelson interferometers used for precise wavelength measurements and gravitational wave detection./University_Physics_III_-Optics_and_Modern_Physics(OpenStax)/03%3A_Interference/3.03%3A_Mathematics_of_Interference) In these systems, fringe visibility depends on coherence length, with monochromatic laser light producing sharper patterns than broadband sources; for instance, in air wedges between glass plates, fringes form straight lines perpendicular to the wedge edge, enabling measurement of film thickness to within nanometers.^[28] Modern applications extend to holography and optical testing, where fringe analysis quantifies surface deviations, as deviations of \lambda/4 shift fringes by half a period.^[22]

Marginal groups and ideologies

In political discourse, fringe or marginal groups and ideologies denote movements, parties, or beliefs that deviate substantially from the dominant consensus within a society's political spectrum, often characterized as extreme, unconventional, or lacking broad empirical or institutional support. These entities typically operate on the peripheries of established political structures, employing rhetoric or policies that challenge core norms such as liberal democracy, market economics, or social pluralism. The term "fringe" serves as a boundary marker, frequently invoked pejoratively by mainstream actors—including journalists, politicians, and academics—to distinguish "reasonable" discourse from purportedly irrational or dangerous alternatives, though this demarcation can reflect power dynamics rather than objective criteria.^[29] Key characteristics of such groups include their marginal size and influence, ideological fragmentation, internal infighting, and status as social or political pariahs, which limit their access to resources, media platforms, and electoral success. Unlike mainstream ideologies, which align with prevailing institutional frameworks and garner widespread adherence through compromise and evidence-based appeals, fringe variants prioritize purity over pragmatism, often relying on conspiracy narratives, apocalyptic visions, or absolutist demands that resist integration into broader coalitions. For instance, fringe formations may reject foundational principles like electoral legitimacy or free inquiry, fostering insularity that sustains their outsider position but hinders scalability. Empirical analyses indicate that these groups form amid perceived failures of mainstream systems—such as economic dislocations or cultural shifts—yet their persistence stems from echo chambers that amplify dissent without rigorous testing against counter-evidence.^[30]^[31] Examples span the ideological spectrum, illustrating the term's application beyond any single orientation. On the radical left, Antifa networks exemplify fringe activism through decentralized, confrontational tactics aimed at disrupting perceived fascist threats, including street-level violence against ideological opponents, as documented in federal assessments of domestic extremism risks from 2017 onward.^[32] Conversely, right-leaning militias like the Oath Keepers have pursued armed preparedness against supposed government overreach, culminating in involvement in events such as the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach, where members coordinated tactical gear and communications in defiance of legal norms. Conspiracy-driven ideologies, such as QAnon—which posits a global cabal of elites engaged in child trafficking and satanic rituals—further highlight fringe traits by blending disparate grievances into unfalsifiable narratives, influencing electoral behavior in the U.S. 2020 cycle despite repudiation by intelligence agencies.^[32]^[31] While often dismissed, fringe groups occasionally exert outsized effects by infiltrating mainstream discourse, as seen in the normalization of once-marginal ideas through social media amplification or populist vehicles; however, their causal impact remains constrained by institutional barriers and public skepticism toward unsubstantiated claims. Labeling dynamics reveal biases: academic and media institutions, which exhibit systemic left-leaning tilts in personnel and output, disproportionately frame right-wing deviations as "fringe" threats while under-emphasizing symmetric left-wing extremism, per analyses of coverage patterns in outlets like CBS and Berkeley-hosted forums. This selective scrutiny underscores the need for causal evaluation over narrative conformity in assessing marginal ideologies' validity.^[31]^[32]

Labeling dynamics and media bias

The application of the term "fringe" in political discourse functions as a rhetorical strategy to marginalize ideologies or groups perceived as outside the dominant consensus, thereby discouraging substantive engagement with their arguments and reinforcing the boundaries of acceptable opinion. This labeling dynamic is not neutral; it reflects power imbalances in information dissemination, where gatekeepers like mainstream media outlets play a pivotal role in defining what constitutes the "mainstream" versus the periphery. Empirical analyses of media content reveal systematic patterns where dissenting views challenging progressive orthodoxies are more readily dismissed as fringe, often without proportional scrutiny of analogous positions on the left. For instance, Groseclose and Milyo (2005) quantified media bias by examining citation frequencies of think tanks in major outlets such as The New York Times and CBS Evening News, finding their ideological scores aligned more closely with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party than with the median member of Congress, suggesting a structural tilt that privileges left-leaning perspectives.^[33] This asymmetry is evident in coverage of specific controversies. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, the lab-leak hypothesis regarding the virus's origin was widely labeled a "fringe conspiracy theory" by outlets including NPR, CNN, and The Washington Post, with fact-checkers and public health authorities echoing dismissals tied to associations with former President Trump. Yet, subsequent investigations, including a 2023 U.S. Department of Energy assessment deeming it the most likely scenario with low confidence and FBI concurrence with moderate confidence, highlighted how initial media framing suppressed debate despite circumstantial evidence like the Wuhan Institute of Virology's proximity and gain-of-function research. Similarly, NPR senior editor Uri Berliner critiqued his own organization's handling of the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story, where it was downplayed or contextualized as potential Russian disinformation—a narrative aligned with intelligence community assessments later questioned—while internal viewpoint diversity was lacking, with 87 Democrats and zero Republicans among editorial staff as of 2022. Berliner argued this reflected a broader institutional failure to challenge assumptions, allowing biased labeling to shape public perception.^[34] Media bias in labeling extends to broader ideological asymmetries, where right-leaning populism faces harsher marginalization than left-leaning extremism. Studies of partisan news consumption show conservatives are more exposed to viewpoint diversity via cross-ideological sourcing, whereas liberal audiences cluster around homogeneous outlets that reinforce establishment norms, amplifying the fringe designation for non-conforming right-wing views. This dynamic contributes to a feedback loop: by deeming certain positions fringe, media narrows the Overton window, potentially stifling empirical scrutiny and causal analysis of policy outcomes, as seen in uneven coverage of protest movements—e.g., January 6 events framed as existential threats versus downplaying of 2020 urban unrest linked to left-leaning causes. Such patterns underscore the need for source credibility assessments, as mainstream institutions' left-leaning skew, documented in personnel demographics and content analyses, systematically disadvantages alternative causal narratives from the right.^[35]

Fringe politics examples

The Constitution Party in the United States, established in 1992 as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party before rebranding, advocates for a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, opposition to abortion, and restrictions on immigration, positioning itself as ultra-conservative and paleoconservative. It has never exceeded 0.5% of the national presidential vote, with its 2016 nominee Darrell Castle receiving 0.21% (174,731 votes out of 136.7 million).^[36] The party's platform emphasizes restoring Christian principles in governance and dismantling federal agencies deemed unconstitutional.^[36] The Socialist Workers Party (SWP), a Trotskyist group formed in 1938 through a split from the Socialist Party, promotes proletarian revolution, workers' control of production, and opposition to capitalism via international socialism. It fields candidates in presidential elections but consistently receives under 0.01% of the vote, such as 2,074 votes (0.001%) for its 2016 nominee Alyson Kennedy.^[37] The SWP's influence remains confined to small activist circles, with no parliamentary representation.^[37] In Canada, the Communist Party of Canada, refounded in 2007 after earlier iterations, endorses Marxism-Leninism, nationalization of key industries, and anti-imperialist foreign policy. It obtained 1,487 votes (0.003%) in the 2021 federal election across multiple ridings, far below the 4% threshold for reimbursement.^[38] Historical peaks, like 0.1% in the 1930s, have not recurred amid declining membership under 1,000.^[39] Germany's National Democratic Party (NPD), now rebranded as Die Heimat since 2023, espouses ultranationalism, opposition to EU integration, and ethnocentric policies, often monitored for extremist ties. It has hovered below 1% in federal elections, securing 0.1% (176,020 votes) in 2021, failing to enter the Bundestag. Court rulings in 2017 classified it as unconstitutional in parts due to anti-democratic tendencies, limiting its viability.^[40] In Greece, Golden Dawn, a neo-Nazi ultranationalist group active from 1980 to 2020, pushed anti-immigration violence, Holocaust denial, and authoritarian governance. It briefly surged to 6.92% (445,000 votes) in the May 2012 parliamentary election amid economic crisis but declined to 2.7% by 2019 before a criminal conviction as a gang disbanded it, with leaders imprisoned for murder and racketeering.^[41]^[42] Its fringe status stemmed from paramilitary tactics and ideology incompatible with democratic norms, despite temporary protest vote gains.^[43]

Scientific and intellectual contexts

Fringe science definition

Fringe science refers to theories and research within established scientific disciplines that oppose long-accepted paradigms, often proposing mechanisms or interpretations that lack robust empirical support or fail to align with accumulated experimental data. These ideas typically arise from efforts to address unresolved questions or anomalies in mainstream frameworks but diverge significantly by relying on speculative premises, alternative data analyses, or unconventional methodologies that resist integration into consensus models. Proponents may publish through non-traditional avenues, such as personal websites or preprint archives excluding rigorous peer review, circumventing standard validation processes.^[44] Distinguishing fringe science from pseudoscience hinges on its nominal commitment to scientific criteria, including empirical testing and logical argumentation, albeit executed in ways that prioritize unorthodox hypotheses over falsifiability or reproducibility. Pseudoscience, by contrast, employs scientific lexicon without substantive adherence to evidentiary standards or self-correction. Fringe efforts often exhibit traits like polemical attacks on institutional "dogma," absence of quantitative predictions matching observations, and selective emphasis on confirmatory anecdotes over contradictory evidence, rendering them vulnerable to dismissal as insufficiently grounded.^[45]^[46]^[44] While the label "fringe" can signal legitimate exploratory work at paradigm boundaries—potentially yielding breakthroughs upon evidential accrual—its application frequently reflects gatekeeping dynamics in academia, where systemic preferences for conformity may undervalue challenges to entrenched views without due empirical confrontation. Nonetheless, demarcation relies on verifiable outcomes: fringe claims endure scrutiny only through repeatable experiments and predictive success, not advocacy or narrative appeal.^[47]^[44]

Historical examples of fringe-to-mainstream transitions

Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift in 1915, suggesting that Earth's continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea and had since separated due to lateral movement across the surface, supported by evidence such as matching fossil distributions, geological formations, and paleoclimatic indicators across now-separated landmasses.^[48] The idea faced widespread dismissal from geologists, who criticized the lack of a plausible driving mechanism and viewed it as speculative, with prominent figures like geophysicist Harold Jeffreys labeling it untenable in 1924 and 1929 editions of his textbook.^[49] Acceptance emerged in the 1960s following seafloor spreading discoveries by Harry Hess in 1960 and magnetic stripe evidence from Vine and Matthews in 1963, which provided a mechanism via convection currents in the mantle and integrated Wegener's hypothesis into the broader theory of plate tectonics, widely adopted by 1968.^[50] In the early 1980s, Australian pathologists Robin Warren and Barry Marshall identified spiral-shaped bacteria, later named Helicobacter pylori, in stomach biopsies of patients with gastritis and peptic ulcers, hypothesizing in 1983 that the bacterium caused these conditions rather than solely stress or excess acid, challenging the prevailing medical consensus. Their findings were met with skepticism, as H. pylori was considered a harmless commensal or contaminant, and major journals initially rejected their papers; Marshall's self-infection experiment in 1984, inducing gastritis via bacterial ingestion, provided direct evidence but did not immediately sway experts who demanded larger trials.^[51] Mainstream acceptance grew through controlled studies in the late 1980s and 1990s showing eradication of H. pylori via antibiotics healed ulcers in over 90% of cases, leading to endorsement by bodies like the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 1994 and culminating in the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for Marshall and Warren.^[52] Stanley Prusiner introduced the prion hypothesis in 1982, positing that transmissible spongiform encephalopathies like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease result from infectious proteins devoid of nucleic acids, contradicting the central dogma that pathogens require genetic material for replication.^[53] The concept was derided as implausible by many neurobiologists, who favored viral or viroid agents and questioned how pure proteins could propagate misfolding; Prusiner faced funding cuts and publication hurdles, with critics like Nobel laureate Carleton Gajdusek arguing in the 1980s that undetected nucleic acids explained the phenomena.^[54] Validation came via purification of prions in the 1980s, transmission experiments in rodents, and structural studies revealing self-propagating conformations, achieving broad consensus by the mid-1990s and earning Prusiner the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, after which prions were recognized as causal agents in diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy.^[55]

Persistent fringe theories and criticisms

Persistent fringe theories in scientific and intellectual domains are hypotheses that have been subjected to extensive empirical scrutiny and largely rejected by expert consensus, yet continue to attract dedicated proponents through social networks, ideological commitments, and selective interpretation of evidence. These theories often evade falsification by incorporating ad hoc modifications or dismissing contradictory data as institutional conspiracies, thereby persisting outside mainstream paradigms. Examples span physics, biology, and medicine, where adherence rates remain measurable despite centuries of refuting observations. In biology, young Earth creationism posits that Earth and life forms are approximately 6,000–10,000 years old, based on literal interpretations of religious texts, contradicting radiometric dating, stratigraphic records, and genetic phylogenies that indicate billions of years of evolutionary history. A 2024 Gallup poll found 37% of Americans endorse the view that humans exist in their present form as created by God within the last 10,000 years, down slightly from prior decades but indicative of enduring cultural entrenchment.^[56] Critics argue this framework lacks predictive power and relies on non-empirical authority, failing Popperian criteria for scientific testability while promoting doctrinal rigidity over evidence integration.^[57] Flat Earth theory, revived in the internet era, claims the planet is a disc bounded by an ice wall, rejecting spherical geometry evidenced by circumnavigations, lunar eclipses, and orbital photography since the 1960s Apollo missions. A 2022 Carsey School survey reported about 10% of U.S. respondents agreed with or were uncertain about Earth's flatness, fueled by online communities emphasizing personal observation over institutional data.^[58] Detractors highlight its incompatibility with basic physics, such as gravitational models and satellite geodesy, and note proponents' overconfidence in anecdotal "proofs" like horizon flatness, which ignores scale and refraction effects.^[57] In medicine, homeopathy endures as a system diluting substances to infinitesimal levels—often beyond Avogadro's limit, yielding no active molecules—purportedly to treat "like with like" via vital forces, despite randomized controlled trials showing effects indistinguishable from placebo. A 2019 analysis in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International documented its persistence amid regulatory approvals in some nations, attributing longevity to commercial interests and patient satisfaction with ritualistic consultations rather than efficacy.^[59] Systematic reviews, including one synthesizing over 200 studies, confirm no reliable therapeutic benefit for any condition, criticizing homeopathy for implausibility under chemistry and physics laws, potential harm via delayed conventional care, and pseudoscientific veneer that erodes public trust in evidence-based practice.^[60] The anti-vaccination movement, framing vaccines as causative of autism or containing trackers despite epidemiological data from millions of doses showing no such links, has sustained outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles. A 2023 review in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics traced its evolution, noting amplified reach via social media despite refutations from bodies like the CDC, with hesitancy rates climbing to 20–30% in some demographics during the COVID-19 era.^[61] Critics emphasize the movement's reliance on retracted studies (e.g., Wakefield's 1998 Lancet paper) and confirmation bias, arguing it undermines herd immunity thresholds (typically 95% for measles) and imposes quantifiable morbidity costs, as seen in U.S. pertussis resurgences post-1980s.^[62] Persistence of these theories stems from cognitive factors like motivated reasoning and social identity reinforcement in echo chambers, where believers overestimate consensus and attribute rejection to elite gatekeeping rather than evidential deficits.^[63] While mainstream dismissal can appear dogmatic—exacerbated by academia's documented ideological skew toward progressive priors that may undervalue heterodox challenges—these cases predominantly reflect empirical inadequacy, as replicated experiments consistently fail to corroborate core claims. Addressing them requires transparent replication and public engagement over mockery, lest distrust in verifiable science deepens.^[64]

Arts, culture, and entertainment

Fringe theatre and festivals

Fringe theatre emerged in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, when eight independent theatre groups arrived uninvited to perform alongside the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival, an elite, curated event established by impresario Rudolf Bing to revive postwar European culture. These groups, denied official participation, staged shows in alternative venues, creating an open-access platform for experimental and unconventional performances outside mainstream commercial structures. This spontaneous "fringe" activity formalized into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, emphasizing artistic freedom, low barriers to entry, and a rejection of gatekeeping by established institutions.^[65]^[66] The Edinburgh Fringe rapidly grew into the world's largest performing arts festival, hosting over 3,000 shows annually by the 21st century across theatre, comedy, dance, and music in diverse spaces like pubs, churches, and street corners. In 2025, it issued 2,604,404 tickets, with audiences including 33% local Edinburgh residents in prior years, though total attendance fell short of pre-pandemic peaks due to economic pressures and venue constraints. The festival's unjuried model—allowing any performer to apply without selection committees—fosters innovation but also results in variable quality, from breakout hits to amateur efforts, with economic impacts exceeding £300 million annually for Scotland's economy through tourism and local spending. Notable successes include early platforms for performers like Rowan Atkinson, whose careers transitioned from fringe experimentation to global recognition.^[67]^[68] Fringe theatre characteristically prioritizes bold, boundary-pushing content over commercial viability, often featuring site-specific works, physical theatre, and politically provocative narratives that challenge societal norms, contrasting with subsidized or West End/Broadway productions. Originating as a democratic counter to elitist festivals, it embodies a DIY ethos with minimal budgets—typically under £10,000 per show—and short runs of 50-60 minute pieces to maximize accessibility. This format has influenced mainstream theatre by incubating ideas, such as verbatim plays and immersive experiences, though critics note its reliance on audience self-selection can amplify echo chambers rather than broad cultural dialogue.^[69]^[70] The fringe model proliferated globally, inspiring festivals that replicate its open-access spirit. Adelaide Fringe, launched in the early 1970s as a parallel to the Adelaide Festival of Arts, became the southern hemisphere's largest, drawing international artists with events spanning February-March and emphasizing hybrid cultural exchanges. In North America, Winnipeg Fringe—second only to Edmonton's in scale—sells over 100,000 tickets in 12 days, while Hollywood Fringe in Los Angeles focuses on new writing with lottery-based selection. Other prominent examples include Prague Fringe in the Czech Republic for Eastern European innovation and Shenzhen Fringe in China, adapting the format to local censorship contexts, collectively demonstrating fringe's adaptability while maintaining core tenets of artistic autonomy over institutional approval.^[71]^[72]^[73]

Fringe in music and fashion

Fringe, as a decorative element consisting of loose threads or strips hanging from fabric edges, originated around 3000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, where it served a practical purpose in preventing woven materials like cotton, linen, or silk skirts and shawls from unraveling, evolving into stylized forms such as knotted or dyed variants.^[11] In Native American traditions, leather and suede fringe on garments like jackets and leggings provided functional benefits, such as shedding rainwater, while also signifying cultural identity and craftsmanship.^[74] By the early 20th century, fringe transitioned into high fashion, peaking in the 1920s with flapper-era dresses designed by figures like Madeleine Vionnet and Charles Worth; these beaded, swinging fringes accentuated the Charleston dance's rhythmic movements, symbolizing post-World War I liberation.^[75]^[11] In music contexts, fringe gained prominence through performers' attire, amplifying visual dynamism during live shows. During the 1950s rock 'n' roll surge, Elvis Presley popularized fringed leather jackets, blending rebellion with stage presence as the swaying details mirrored energetic hip-shaking performances.^[11] The 1960s and 1970s counterculture era, influenced by psychedelic and folk music amid Vietnam War protests, integrated fringe into hippie aesthetics alongside tie-dye and flared jeans; Jimi Hendrix's white fringed jacket at the 1969 Woodstock festival exemplified this, evoking freedom and communal vibes.^[76]^[77] Cher's fringed outfits in the same period further tied the element to pop and rock spectacle, with designers like Yves Saint Laurent drawing from ethnic motifs for concert-ready looks.^[11] Subsequent decades saw fringe recur in music fashion, from Tina Turner's 1980s performance gowns emphasizing physicality to modern artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift incorporating it in award-show ensembles and videos for kinetic appeal.^[76] Its resurgence at events like the 2015 Coachella festival, worn by attendees including Kate Moss, linked fringe to festival culture's bohemian roots, blending music immersion with wearable motion.^[76] On runways, fringe reemerged in collections by Derek Lam and Diane von Furstenberg in the 2010s, and for spring/summer 2025, designers like Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta featured it in avant-garde interpretations, from fluid gowns to structured accessories, often evoking performative energy akin to music stages.^[11]^[78] This enduring association underscores fringe's role in enhancing movement, a core aspect of both fashion display and musical expression.^[79]

Fringe (TV series)

Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company from September 9, 2008, to January 18, 2013.^[1] The program consists of five seasons totaling 100 episodes, with the final season shortened to 13 installments following declining viewership that averaged around 2.9 million viewers in later episodes.^[80] ^[81] Produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, the series centers on the Fringe Division, a specialized FBI unit in Boston investigating bizarre occurrences linked to unconventional scientific phenomena.^[82] ^[83] The core narrative follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham, who recruits the eccentric, formerly institutionalized biochemist Walter Bishop and his estranged son Peter Bishop to solve cases involving experimental technologies and anomalies.^[1] Principal cast members include Anna Torv as Dunham, Joshua Jackson as Peter, John Noble as Walter, Jasika Nicole as junior agent Astrid Farnsworth, and Lance Reddick as division head Phillip Broyles.^[1] Early episodes adopt a procedural format akin to The X-Files, examining isolated "fringe science" events such as spontaneous human combustion, psychic abilities, and reanimation, while an overarching "Pattern" of interconnected conspiracies emerges.^[5] Subsequent seasons shift toward serialized storytelling, introducing parallel universes where divergences from the primary timeline—stemming from Walter's past ethical breaches in interdimensional research—threaten multiversal collapse.^[84] The series delves into speculative concepts drawn from fringe science, including teleportation, nanotechnology, precognition, and the manipulation of dark matter, often portraying their consequences through catastrophic failures and ethical dilemmas.^[83] It critiques unchecked scientific ambition, with Walter's genius tied to personal tragedies like institutionalization for radical experiments, and explores causality across timelines, questioning free will versus determinism.^[5] These elements underscore the risks of pursuing boundary-pushing research without rigorous validation, reflecting real-world debates on pseudoscience versus paradigm shifts.^[85] Initial critical reception was mixed due to its episodic structure, but praise grew for the mythology's depth, earning an aggregate score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.4/10 user rating on IMDb, fostering a dedicated cult audience.^[5] ^[1] Despite low ratings prompting multiple time slot changes and a near-cancellation, Fox renewed it for a conclusion amid fan campaigns, attributing the finale to producer commitments rather than commercial viability.^[86] The show garnered 18 awards and 90 nominations, including multiple Saturn Awards for its genre contributions, though some outlets noted its reliance on unresolved mysteries as a narrative weakness.^[6]

References

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Fringe (TV Series 2008–2013) - IMDb
Rating 8.4/10 (266,302) An FBI agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.Plot · Full cast & crew · User reviews · Episode listMissing: overview | Show results with:overview
[2]
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/10/qa-the-creators-of-fringe
[3]
Fringe | FOX Wiki | Fandom
The show aired from September 9, 2008 to January 18, 2013, lasting for five seasons & 100 episodes. It was produced by Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros.
[4]
Fringe (TV Series 2008–2013) - Plot - IMDb
The Fringe Division investigates cases relating to fringe science, ranging from transhumanist experiments gone wrong to the prospect of a destructive ...Missing: overview | Show results with:overview
[5]
Fringe | Rotten Tomatoes
Rating 91% (87) FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is assigned to the bureau's Fringe Division, in which she investigates unusual crimes and occurrences.Season 1 · Season 4 · Season 5 · Season 2Missing: overview | Show results with:overview
[6]
Awards - Fringe (TV Series 2008–2013) - IMDb
Fringe (TV Series 2008–2013) - Awards, nominations, and wins. ... Episode: "Letters of Transit (2012)". Michael Bonvillain. 2009 Nominee ASC ...
[7]
'Fringe' Q&A: John Noble Explains the Low Ratings and Talks Third ...
Apr 22, 2011 · 'Fringe' Q&A: John Noble Explains the Low Ratings and Talks Third Universes, Reality Shows. The Australian actor sits down with The Hollywood ...
[8]
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fringe
[9]
Fringe - Encyclopedia.com
Fringe was a border or edge of hanging threads, cords, or strips, and was often found on garments made from suede, leather, and buckskin.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[10]
https://www.flags.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-fringed-flags/
[11]
Fashion Archives: The History of Fringe
Mar 4, 2017 · Fringe originated in 3000 BC Mesopotamia, was used by Native Americans, had a golden age in the 1920s, and was rebellious in the 1950s.Missing: etymology | Show results with:etymology
[12]
https://www.corbetosboots.com/en/blog/cowboy-world/the-origin-of-the-fringes
[13]
https://www.manitobah.com/blogs/stories/the-history-of-fringe
[14]
Object Studies - A Case for Fringe - Micro/Macro Textiles
Fringe was a way to use up scraps of material in an effort to use up every piece of the animals that they would hunt. This was especially true for leather ...Missing: etymology | Show results with:etymology
[15]
FRINGE definition in American English - Collins Dictionary
1. a decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip · 2. anything resembling or suggesting this · 3 ...<|separator|>
[16]
Fringe Benefits – How The Craft Has Evolved From Inconspicuous ...
Dec 14, 2021 · The art of fringe making originated in 3000 BC in Mesopotamia – the area that is now largely associated with modern-day Iraq.Missing: etymology | Show results with:etymology
[17]
Bangs - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
Originating in American English around 1832, "bangs" means a straight-across haircut forming a fringe, possibly linked to the abrupt sense of "bang."
[18]
Fringe Or Bangs ~ British English vs. American English - BachelorPrint
Nov 10, 2024 · The British English term “fringe” has a longer history, originating from the Old French “frenge,” which is derived from the Late Latin “fimbria, ...Fringe Or Bangs -- British... · ``fringe'' Or ``bangs'' · Etymology And Origin<|separator|>
[19]
The Story of Hair: Do your bangs stay bung?
Jun 14, 2021 · Per the Oxford English Dictionary, "bangs" as a term for the fringe of hair lying over the forehead originated in the stables.
[20]
https://odelebeauty.com/blogs/the-rinse/history-of-bangs
[21]
The Abridged History of Bangs - Paramount Beauty
Jul 7, 2015 · Bangs, from "bangtail," were worn by Egyptians and medieval men. The word was first used in the late 1800s, and Ziryab popularized them in ...
[22]
Interference - Evident Scientific
The resulting patterns on the screen, a product of interference between the two diffracted beams of laser light, are often referred to as interference fringes.
[23]
Young's Double Slit Experiment | Physics - Lumen Learning
The distance between adjacent fringes is Δy=xλd Δ y = x λ d , assuming the slit separation d is large compared with λ. Using the result of the problem above, ...
[24]
3.2 Mathematics of Interference - University Physics Volume 3
Sep 29, 2016 · Determine the angles for bright and dark fringes for double slit interference; Calculate the positions of bright fringes on a screen. Figure ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[25]
Double-slit experiment that proved the wave nature of light explored ...
Apr 3, 2023 · The original double-slit experiment, performed in 1801 by Thomas Young at the Royal Institution, showed that light acts as a wave. Further ...Missing: fringes | Show results with:fringes
[26]
Thomas Young and the Nature of Light - American Physical Society
Light passing on one side of the card interfered with light from the other side of the card to create fringes, which Young observed on the opposite wall. Young ...
[27]
The classical double slit experiment–a study of the distribution of ...
The double slit experiment was the first demonstrative proof of the wave nature of light. It was expounded by the English physician-physicist Thomas Young ...
[28]
INTERFEROMETRY - FRINGES AND PHASES - Gamdan Optics
Fringes are light bands formed by interference, where dark fringes result from destructive interference. Interference is when waves combine to reinforce or ...
[29]
Fringe Parties - Kai Arzheimer
“Fringe party” is mostly used by journalists, politicians and political scientists as a pejorative term to demarcate the boundary between “reasonable politics” ...
[30]
Why have conspiracy theories and fringe rhetoric become ...
Oct 30, 2024 · Extreme, fringe communities are most commonly defined by fragmentation, ideological infighting and pariahism, all of which feels antithetical ...
[31]
New Directions in the Study of Fringe Politics - Social Science Matrix
Feb 19, 2025 · While the term “fringe” suggests ideas or movements outside the political mainstream, many fringe ideologies have increasingly influenced ...Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[32]
America's political fringe groups explained - CBS News
Oct 30, 2017 · Dozens of fringe groups exist in America today, but some have openly stated their intent to aggressively confront their sworn ideological enemies.
[33]
Measure of Media Bias* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics
We measure media bias by estimating ideological scores for several major media outlets. To compute this, we count the times that a particular media outlet cites ...
[34]
NPR Editor Uri Berliner: Here's How We Lost America's Trust
Apr 9, 2024 · We must understand the unconscious bias we bring to our work and interactions. And we must commit ourselves—body and soul—to profound changes in ...
[35]
Political Polarization & Media Habits - Pew Research Center
Oct 21, 2014 · The study finds that those with the most consistent ideological views on the left and right have information streams that are distinct from those of ...Missing: labeling fringe
[36]
Constitution Party - Ballotpedia
It is our goal to limit the federal government to its delegated, enumerated, Constitutional functions." The Constitution Party was established as the U.S. ...
[37]
Socialist Workers Party - Ballotpedia
The Socialist Workers Party is a political party. According to the organization, the SWP aims to propose a working-class way forward out of the dog-eat-dog, ...Background · History · Party values · Leadership
[38]
forty-fourth general election 2021 - Official Voting Results
Elections Canada logo. Français · Return. forty-fourth general election 2021 ... Communist Party of Canada, 0, 0, 336, 158, 399, 1,487, 343, 100, 497, 1,380, 0, 0 ...
[39]
The Radical Impact of Canada's Fringe Parties - Fair Observer
Feb 17, 2022 · Context: Fringe Parties in Canada Some, such as the Communist Party of Canada, are of a leftist political persuasion and have been in existence ...
[40]
German election results explained in graphics – DW – 02/27/2025
Feb 27, 2025 · The conservative CDU led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's 2025 election. Here's a look at the wins and losses, seats in parliament, voter demographics and ...
[41]
Neo-fascist Greek party takes third place in wave of voter fury
Sep 20, 2015 · Golden Dawn wins 7% of election vote – with support from around 500000 Greeks – behind Syriza and New Democracy.
[42]
Understanding the Electoral Breakthrough of Golden Dawn in Greece
Jan 1, 2014 · In the June 2012 Greek national election, the right-wing extremist party known as Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) gained 6.92% of the vote, ...<|separator|>
[43]
After Golden Dawn's demise, a dangerous new far right flourishes in ...
Nov 4, 2023 · Boosted by election success, far-right strands are organising. But experts say they don't yet pose the same threat as Golden Dawn.Missing: vote | Show results with:vote
[44]
[PDF] The importance of recognising fringe science
2 Characteristics. There are a number of characteristics that will enable one to judge whether a paper that appeared on the web is real science or not.<|control11|><|separator|>
[45]
Fringe Science - Exploring the Bounderies of Research
Fringe science is a branch of science that departs from the established scientific theories.
[46]
Science Fringe Science and Pseudo-Science
4 PSEUDO-SCIENCE AND FRINGE SCIENCE "Pseudoscience uses the scientific terminology but not the scientific criteria" is perhaps the simplest definition.
[47]
On the Fringe: Where Science Meets Pseudoscience - History
Apr 19, 2021 · Everyone has heard of the term "pseudoscience", typically used to describe something that looks like science, but is somehow false, ...
[48]
2.1: Alfred Wegener's Continental Drift Hypothesis
Aug 25, 2025 · After reviewing the scientific literature, he published a hypothesis stating the continents were originally connected and then drifted apart.
[49]
plate tectonics: history of an idea.
Wegener's explanation was that as the continents moved, the leading edge of the continent would encounter resistance and thus compress and fold upwards forming ...
[50]
Historical perspective [This Dynamic Earth, USGS]
Jul 11, 2025 · According to the continental drift theory, the supercontinent Pangaea began to break up about 225-200 million years ago, eventually fragmenting ...
[51]
[PDF] Barry J. Marshall - Nobel Lecture
The hypothesis that peptic ulcer was caused by a bacterial infection was not accepted without a fight. Most experts believed that Helicobacter was a harmless ...Missing: fringe | Show results with:fringe
[52]
Helicobacter pylori: A Nobel pursuit? - PMC - NIH
In 2005, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology for their pioneering work on Helicobacter pylori.Missing: fringe | Show results with:fringe
[53]
A brief history of prions - PMC - PubMed Central
Despite Prusiner's bold attempts to prove the protein-only hypothesis, years passed before it was generally accepted by most of the scientific community.Missing: fringe | Show results with:fringe
[54]
Prions - PNAS
Prions are unprecedented infectious pathogens that cause a group of invariably fatal neurodegenerative diseases by an entirely novel mechanism.Missing: fringe | Show results with:fringe
[55]
Madness and Memory: The Discovery of Prions—A New ... - NIH
Nov 24, 2014 · Prusiner's book provides the backstory behind the discovery of the prion. It starts with the dilutions of fragments from the brains of people ...Missing: fringe | Show results with:fringe<|separator|>
[56]
Majority Still Credits God for Humankind, but Not Creationism
Jul 22, 2024 · Though diminished from the early 2000s, the largest segment of Americans, 37%, are creationist purists, saying God created humans in their ...
[57]
The problem with pseudoscience - PubMed Central
Aug 9, 2017 · Pseudoscience is a bad category for analysis. It exists entirely as a negative attribution that scientists and non‐scientists hurl at others but never apply to ...
[58]
Conspiracy vs. Science: A Survey of U.S. Public Beliefs
Apr 25, 2022 · On a nationwide US survey, around 10 percent of respondents agreed with conspiracy claims that the Earth is flat, NASA faked the Moon landings, or COVID-19 ...
[59]
Homeopathy—where is the science? A current inventory on a pre ...
Feb 14, 2019 · Despite overwhelming evidence that it is neither effective nor rational, homeopathy still persists. We need a broad debate to discuss its damaging effects.
[60]
Homeopathy ineffective, study confirms | Science | AAAS
A new analysis of more than 200 academic research papers has concluded that homeopathy is not an effective treatment for any disease or condition.Missing: persists criticisms
[61]
Confronting the evolution and expansion of anti-vaccine activism in ...
Mar 2, 2023 · The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this evolution and magnified the reach of vaccine misinformation. Anti-vaccine activists, who for many ...Missing: persistence | Show results with:persistence
[62]
The emergence and persistence of the anti-vaccination movement
Feb 20, 2023 · Vaccine hesitancy is a significant threat to public health and the anti-vaccination movement has played a significant role in communicable ...Missing: evidence | Show results with:evidence
[63]
Conspiracy theorists unaware their beliefs are on the fringe
Jun 24, 2025 · Overconfidence is a hallmark trait of people who believe in conspiracies, and they also significantly overestimate how much others agree with them.
[64]
The key to fighting pseudoscience isn't mockery—it's empathy
Jan 10, 2024 · Because pseudoscience maintains the outer trappings of science, it can look just as authoritative and respectable as a scientific discipline.
[65]
History of the Fringe - Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Its story dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[66]
How the Edinburgh Fringe Was Born From Postwar Theater Rebellion
Aug 12, 2025 · The Fringe was born in the rubble of post-World War II Europe. In 1947, Vienna-born opera impresario Rudolph Bing launched the Edinburgh ...Missing: definition origins
[67]
An exciting and energising Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 comes to ...
Aug 25, 2025 · An estimated 2,604,404 tickets were issued across the festival, with countless more attending non-ticketed shows and Street Events. * All ...Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[68]
Edinburgh Fringe in numbers: attendance up from 2022 but less ...
Aug 29, 2023 · Of those in the audiences, an impressive 33% were Edinburgh locals, accounting for 800,000 of the tickets issued. Beyond locals, 10% of all ...
[69]
Feature: What Exactly Is Fringe Theatre?
Jan 17, 2023 · Early fringe was also responsible for a different type of play. Starting with a generation that had grown increasingly distrustful of the way in ...Missing: origins | Show results with:origins
[70]
What is Fringe - Tampa Fringe
The idea of “fringe” originated in 1947 Scotland, where local artists rebelled against the curated city arts festival, performing their shows on the “fringe” ...Missing: theatre definition history origins
[71]
History of Fringe
Similarly Adelaide Fringe began in the early 1970s as a reaction to the Adelaide Festival of Arts. The two festivals then went on to join forces and become one.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[72]
All the world's a stage: Inside the raw, raucous, and remarkable ...
Aug 8, 2023 · The Winnipeg Fringe is the second largest arts festival in North America, after Edmonton, selling upward of 100,000 tickets in twelve days.
[73]
Spotlight On: Fringe Festivals - The Performer's Manifesto
Winnipeg Fringe (Canada) · Hollywood Fringe (USA) · Prague Fringe (Czech Republic) · National Arts Festival Fringe (Makhanda, South Africa) · Shenzhen Fringe (China) ...
[74]
https://www.beyondretro.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-fringe-benefits
[75]
Fringe Fashion: History & Styles - Fashion Gone Rogue
Sep 21, 2020 · Fringe first came into fashion as an embellishment in the 1920s. It is part of the flapper look. This look is a popular dress style for women.
[76]
Fashion flashback: Fringe! See the trend, from rock 'n roll to the runway
Apr 24, 2015 · From Amal Clooney to Kate Moss, the biggest names in fashion are wearing fringe to everything from music festivals like Coachella to date nights ...
[77]
A TIMELINE OF MUSIC'S INFLUENCE OVER FASHION
Aug 8, 2021 · As a result, both music and fashion turned trippy, in the form of tie-dye motifs, bold floral prints, crafty accessories, crochet, fringe, and ...
[78]
Fringes for Spring Summer 2025: That Irresistible "Pure Avant-Garde"
Jan 22, 2025 · Fringes are back as protagonists in spring summer 2025 fashion, from the runways of Stella McCartney to Bottega Veneta, with interpretations ...
[79]
The Fringe Clothing Trend From Fashion Week | Vogue
Mar 3, 2020 · Fringe today is still manifesting through Western-inspired fringe jackets and dresses that feel reminiscent of a 1920s flapper.
[80]
Why Did Fringe End With Season 5? - CBR
Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci that premiered on Fox in 2008 and ended in 2013, after five seasons and 100 episodes. The series follows FBI agent ...
[81]
TV Ratings: 'Fringe' Ties Series Low, 'Grimm' Down in Return
Jan 14, 2012 · Fringe returned to match a series low, drawing only 2.9 million total viewers, and a 1.1 rating in adults 18-49 demographic. The poor showing ...Missing: reception | Show results with:reception<|separator|>
[82]
Fringe (TV Series 2008–2013) - Company credits - IMDb
Production Companies · Bad Robot · Warner Bros. Television. (in association with) ; Distributors · Fox Network. (United States, 2008-2013)(TV). A Channel. (Canada, ...
[83]
Fringe | TV - WarnerBros.com
The critically acclaimed FRINGE explores the ever-blurring line between science fiction and reality, where hybrid monsters tear through sewers.
[84]
https://www.phys.org/news/2010-09-parallel-universes-season-fringe-focuses.html
[85]
Fringe Science: Parallel Universes, White Tulips, and Mad Scientists
In stock Rating 4.3 (72) A science fiction procedural in the best tradition of The X-Files with a taut central mythology, rich characters, and it's own laboratory cow.
[86]
Fox's 'Fringe' Renewed For Fifth And Final Season With 13-Episode ...
Apr 26, 2012 · Cult favorite Fringe will finish its multi-universe journey with a 13-episode final season. As expected, Fox has closed a deal to renew the sci-fi drama for a ...<|separator|>