Published 2017 by Prometheus Books
Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction. Copyright © 2017 by David Siegel Bernstein. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bernstein, David Siegel, 1967- author.
Title: Blockbuster science : the real science in science fiction / David Siegel Bernstein.
Description: Amherst, New York : Prometheus Books, 2017. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017021982 (print) | LCCN 2017035332 (ebook) | ISBN 9781633883703 (ebook) | ISBN 9781633883697 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Science fiction—History and criticism. | Science in literature. | Science fiction films—History and criticism. | Science in motion pictures. | Science fiction television programs—History and criticism. | Science in popular culture. | BISAC: SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects. | FICTION / Science Fiction / General.
Classification: LCC PN3433.6 (ebook) | LCC PN3433.6 .B466 2017 (print) | DDC 809.3/8762—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017021982
Printed in the United States of America
Introduction
CHAPTER 1. ONCE UPON A SPACETIME
Einstein Considers the Gravity of His Ideas
Mass Is Energy, and Sometimes It Makes Holes
No Witnesses…Yet
Two Scientifically Plausible Ways to Surf Spacetime Waves
Parting Comments
Chapter 1 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: A Special Relativity Paradox
Bonus 2: How Much Energy Is Contained within the Matter of Your Body?
Bonus 3: Mutants
CHAPTER 2. IF YOU ARE UNCERTAIN, CALL A QUANTUM MECHANIC FOR A FIX
What Is a Quantum Leap?
That Special Moment…When You Just Know
Real Science and Science Fiction
Mind-Blowing Quantum Trivia
Parting Comments
Chapter 2 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: A Time-Travel Paradox
Bonus 2: Photosynthesis and Quantum Mechanics
Bonus 3: What Are Quantum Suicide and Quantum Immortality?
Bonus 4: Time-Traveling Text Messages
Bonus 5: Subatomic Uncertainty in the Classical World
FIRST INTERLUDE: A TOUCH OF ATOMIC THEORY
The Four Universal Forces
What Is an Atom?
How Old Is the Oldest Atom?
What's the Matter with Antimatter?
Going Deep
First Interlude Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: The Range of Influence of the Four Universal Forces
Bonus 2: Nuclear Fusion versus Nuclear Fission
CHAPTER 3. STRUMMING OUR WAY INTO EXISTENCE
Extra Dimensions
Meet the Competition
Can Quantized Space Solve a Paradox and Hurt a Villain?
Parting Comments
For the Record
CHAPTER 4. OUR UNIVERSE (AS OPPOSED TO THOSE OTHERS)
How Big Is the Universe?
How Is the Observable Universe Different from the Actual Universe?
How Are Galactic Distances Calculated?
And in the (or Rather a) Beginning…
What Caused the Big Bang?
What Happened Next?
What Are Gravitational Waves?
Have Gravitational Waves Ever Been Detected?
Some General Facts about Our Universe (as We Know It)
Our Solar System, Home of Sol, Our Sun
Parting Comments
Chapter 4 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Olbers's Paradox
Bonus 2: Your Suntan
Bonus 3: The Brief History of Our Sun
Bonus 4: The On and Off Lighting System of a Cepheid Star
CHAPTER 5. PARALLEL WORLDS
Parallel Worlds from Math
Parallel Worlds from Distance
Parallel Worlds from Branching
Mem(brane) Theory
The We Live in the Best of All Worlds Theory
Parting Comments
CHAPTER 6. POWERING UP OUR CIVILIZATIONS
Civilization Rankings
Are There Quantum Energy Sources?
Is There Evidence of Virtual Particles?
Virtual Particles and Zero-Point Energy in Science Fiction
Parting Comments
Chapter 6 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: An Inward Look: An Alternative Classification of Civilizations
Bonus 2: Comparing Energy Sources
CHAPTER 7. BLACK HOLES SUCK
How Do Black Holes Arise?
Why Does Escape Velocity Matter?
How Do Black Holes Relate to Spaghetti?
Do Black Holes Last Forever?
How Are Black Holes Detected?
Wormholes (Again)
Can Black Holes Be Used for Time Travel?
Parting Comments
Chapter 7 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: A Massive Mystery
Bonus 2: The Information Paradox
CHAPTER 8. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF LIFE ON EARTH
The Human Story
Fossils Are So Yesterday (Literally)
Whoa! Slow Down and Keep It Real
How Did Life Begin on Earth?
What Is DNA?
Parting Comments
Chapter 8 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Evolution Is Smart
Bonus 2: The “Ome” Home
SECOND INTERLUDE: MORE OR LESS HUMAN
CHAPTER 9. BADASS BIOLOGY
Genetic Engineering and Evolution
How Is Genetic Modification Done?
What Does Science Fiction Say about the Ethics of Gene Modification?
Speaking of Immortality, Is It Possible?
Is a Longer Life Worth It?
Can't Get Enough of Yourself? Send in the Clones
Genetics for the Zombie Apocalypse
Bacteria and Viruses to the Rescue
Parting Comments
Chapter 9 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Crime-Busting Science
Bonus 2: Metamorphosis
CHAPTER 10. WELCOME TO TECH U
Celebrity Fictional Cyborgs
The Transhuman Brain
Sometimes You Need to Go Small
And in the End, Posthumanism
Cybering (Everyone Is Doing It)
Parting Comments
Chapter 10 Bonus Materials
Bonus: Nano for Food
CHAPTER 11. MAN AND NATURE
Can Climate or Weather Be Predicted?
What Is the Greenhouse Effect?
People Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Carbon
How Is the Average Temperature of the Earth Calculated?
Is There Ev
idence of Global Warming?
Is Anything Being Done to Prevent Global Warming?
Let There Be (a Little) Light
What Other Human Activities Affect Weather?
Is Fiction Being Used to Help Warn about Global Warming?
Parting Comments
Chapter 11 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Negative Greenhouse Effect
Bonus 2: A Dawning of a New Age (Really, an Epoch)
Bonus 3: The Ozone Layer
CHAPTER 12. TIME TO MOVE (PLAN B)
What Basic Planetary Elements Make for Happy Colonists?
Extra Resources: Can Asteroids Be Used to Our Advantage?
Thinking Galactically but Searching Locally for a Vacation Home
Searching Galactically: What Is an Exoplanet and How Do We Find One?
To Invade or Not to Invade?
Parting Comments
Chapter 12 Bonus Materials
Bonus: How Do We Handle All the Radiation the Universe Throws at Us?
CHAPTER 13. INTELLIGENCE COMES IN ORGANIC AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS
What Do Emergent Properties Have to Do with My Thoughts?
How Do Neurons Create Consciousness?
Where Does Cognition Fit?
What Is Intelligence?
The Importance of Creativity (Something Your Neurons Might Do for Fun)
Rise of the AI
Should We Put It to the Test?
What Is the Technological Singularity?
Ethical Concerns of a Post-Singularity World
Full Circle
Parting Comments
Chapter 13 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Moore's Law
Bonus 2: Time Is in the Eye of the Beholder
Bonus 3: Nefarious Software (Three Annoying Computer Infections)
CHAPTER 14. THE RISE OF THE ROBOTS
In the Beginning, There Was a Word and a Few Wires
Robotic Evolution
To Serve and Obey
Robots in Our Everyday Lives (as Servants)
Question of Ethics
Parting Comments
Chapter 14 Bonus Materials
Bonus: A Few Celebrity Science Fiction Robots
CHAPTER 15. ARE WE ALONE? EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE
Never Mind Meeting Them. Do Aliens Exist?
So, Why Haven't We Heard Anything from Aliens?
Perhaps Earthlike Planets Are Rare
Any Ideas about What Alien Life Looks Like?
Parting Comments
Chapter 15 Bonus Materials
Bonus 1: Ufology
Bonus 2: Carbon and Water, a Marriage Contract for Life. Is It Recognized Everywhere?
Bonus 3: A World Protocol for Extraterrestrial Contact
CHAPTER 16. A REALLY LONG-DISTANCE CALL: INTERSTELLAR COMMUNICATION
Theoretical Long-Distance Calls
Parting Comments
CHAPTER 17. AD ASTRA PER ASPERA: A ROUGH ROAD LEADS TO THE STARS
Keeping It Local: Atmospheric Travel
The Long Journey: Space Travel
Gravity and the Space Traveler
If Science Fiction (Adventure) Uses Artificial Gravity, Then Why Not…
A Hopefully True Story: A Tale of Application
Parting Comments
THIRD INTERLUDE: A MATTER OF SUBSTANCE
So, What Is Mass?
Why Do We Have Mass?
What Makes Dark Matter and Dark Energy So…Um…Dark?
Is There Evidence of Dark Matter?
Sometimes Substances Like to Change Their Outfits Before Going Out
CHAPTER 18. WHY ARE WE SO MATERIALISTIC?
What Is Material Engineering?
Are Any New Materials under Development Now?
Speaking of Athletes, Here Are a Couple of (Literally) Cool Proofs of Concept
It's Elementary
What Is a Superconductor?
Any Way around That Freezing Problem for Superconductors?
A Carbon Solution for Materials
Can Any Materials Harvest Light?
Now You Saw It, and Now You Didn't
Parting Comments
CHAPTER 19. TECHNOLOGY (COOL TOYS)
The Laser
Popular Names for Light-Energy Weapons in Science Fiction
3-D Printing
How about a Technology Combo Meal with a 3-D Printer?
Great Tool, but Are There Ethical Issues with 3-D Printing?
Wearable Technology
Camera Technology
Computer Identification
Machine Mind Control
Parting Comments
CHAPTER 20. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO EXIST?
Do Any of Our Ideas about Reality Matter?
What Is Augmented Reality?
What Is Virtual Reality?
When Did the Science of Virtual Reality Begin?
Any Practical Uses for VR Unrelated to the Military and Entertainment?
Can False Memories Be Considered Virtual Reality?
What about Erasing Memories?
Holographic Reality
Let's Get Deep into Some Science Fiction
Holographic Theory and Black Holes
Parting Comments
CHAPTER 21. THE END OF EVERYTHING
Speaking of Endings (an Author's Confession)
The End of the Individual
The End of the Human Species
Roid Rage (Destruction by Asteroid)
Is Anyone Watching Out for These Rocks and Ice Balls?
If the Bigger NEOs Target Earth, Can They Be Stopped?
The Sun and Earth: A Relationship That Ends When the Lights Go Out
Why Will Only Supersized Galaxies Exist in the Future?
We Came Along at a Good Time (to Predict the End of the Universe)
Thermodynamics Will Be the End of Us, but First Learn Its Laws
How Does Entropy Explain the Direction of Time?
How It All Ends
When All the Suns Turn Out the Lights
Life after This Universe
Parting Comments
Acknowledgments
Notes
Glossary
Reading/Movie/Song List
Index
Everything starts as somebody's daydream.
—Larry Niven, science fiction author who has big dreams
Science was many things, Nadia thought, including a weapon with which to hit other scientists.
—Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars
Have you ever dreamed about voyages between worlds in starships fully equipped with faster-than-light warp drives? Have you ever dreamed about battling aliens from other dimensions, or traveling to a parallel universe to defeat your evil twin and rescue the princess or prince? How about a world where princesses and princes can't be differentiated by biology because gender is flexible?
I'm guessing that if you are reading this, then you must have. The good news is that although some of these dreams are unlikely, all are scientifically possible by extrapolating from today's technology.
The power of stories to inspire us has held true for all of human history. Today, science fiction has the ability to inspire breakthroughs that change our world. Companies used words like “robot” and “android” after they were popularized in fiction. Our STEM experts often say they were first inspired by stories they read when they were young.
This book exists to help you to understand a few of the more popular topics in science as well as how they are used (and sometimes misused) in science fiction. This book isn't only for science fiction fans who want to know more about the science behind the plot. This book is for the curious—anyone who wants to know more about the natural world and the universe of which they are a part. It's for the science geek in everyone.
Throughout each chapter, you will find a number of question marks. Many recent discoveries have led to questions that scientists never thought to ask before. Curiosity about our world drives fiction authors and filmmakers to
explore the realm of possibility. Besides, isn't science itself all about asking questions? Another thing to beware of is that this book contains spoilers. I only trend toward spoilage when it's necessary to make or fully explain a scientific point about something in fiction.
Science fiction is about change, a world (or worlds) yet to be. Science fiction can explore a hopeful world where problems are solved, or a dangerous (dystopian) world where problems are caused, or a world of existential threats such as drastic climate change or destruction by asteroid (chapters 11 and 21 might cause you some anxiety on these last two topics).
To paraphrase Mark Watney, the intrepid engineer-agriculturist of Andy Weir's novel The Martian: in the face of overwhelming odds, humans have scienced the shit out of a lot of problems. This book is packed with examples.
What if change is impossible, unlikely, or even unimaginable? By today's standards, it's difficult to imagine a time when the idea of a different type of future (socially, technologically, politically) would be alien. This is not a fantasy, however. It's human history.
There was a time when the things that our ancestors observed just didn't change all that much. The idea of wildly different futures didn't exist in the age of limited science. Plenty of fiction lurked about, including the magical thinking of fantasy, but stories about radically different tomorrows due to changes in technology, not so much. Back then, people usually didn't travel far from their towns or villages. Mostly they performed the same daily tasks that their parents and grandparents had, and they performed those tasks in the same way.
Enter the Industrial Revolution. The technology and social norms that arose during this period were radically different than they had been in the previous century. After this time, extreme lifestyle changes that occurred within a single generation became commonplace. During this new age, the common wisdom among the common people was that the future was going to be different. But different in what ways?
Welcome, science fiction. The entire category exists partially thanks to the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815. This event led to the volcanic winter of 1816, the so-called Year Without a Summer. Living through this year inspired one person to find a way to express a radical future.
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, her boyfriend Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr. John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont were all hanging out at a villa in Switzerland one of those chilly summer days. Because it was too cold to go outside, the friends challenged each other to write a ghost story (a magical thinking type of story).
Mary struggled to come up with an idea. Then one night as they sat around talking about the nature of life, a great concept hit her. On that night, Frankenstein's monster was born. Mary and Percy Shelley were married later that year. Mary Shelley completed her novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus in 1818. The book is possibly the first science fiction novel ever.
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