Blockbuster Science
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Hiroshi Sakurazaka. All You Need Is Kill. San Francisco: Haikasoru/VIZ Media, 2011. A soldier is trapped in a time loop, making changes to the timeline with each redo. Loosely the basis for the movie Edge of Tomorrow. (Chapter 5.)
Robert J. Sawyer. Hominids (the first book of the Neanderthal Parallax series). New York: Tor Books, 2003. Scientists discover a parallel Earth (Chapter 5) where Neanderthals are the last of the homo genus. It is the Homo sapiens who have gone extinct. (A twist on Chapter 8.)
Robert J. Sawyer. Rollback. New York: Tor Books, 2007. Genetic age reversal (Chapter 9) and the reason to stay so young: long delayed communication with an alien race. (Chapter 16.)
John Scalzi. Lock In. New York: Tor Books, 2014. This book includes viruses, virtual reality, and posthumanism. (Chapters 8, 9, and 10.)
Zvi Schreiber. Fizz: Nothing Is as It Seems. Bala Cynwyd, PA: Zedess Publishing, 2011. In this time-travel novel, a girl meets famous scientists. It has many examples of the science from various chapters.
Garrett P. Serviss. Edison's Conquest of Mars. Los Angeles: Carcosa House, 1947 (New York Journal serialization 1898). This story includes asteroid mining. (Chapter 12.)
Mary Shelley. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, 1818. This is about hacking life, nineteenth-century style. (Chapter 9.)
Masamune Shirow. Ghost in the Shell. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Comics, 2004. Japanese manga about identity and the interface between the human brain and technology. (Chapter 10.)
Dan Simmons. Ilium and Olympos. New York: HarperTorch, 2005; Harper Voyager, 2006. In these books posthumans recreate historic events. The story takes place on the terraformed planet Mars. (Chapters 8 and 12.)
Olaf Stapledon. Last and First Men. London: Methuen, 1930. Records a fictional history of humanity. (Chapter 21.)
Olaf Stapledon. Star Maker. London: Methuen, 1937. The first instance of what would later be called the Dyson sphere (Chapter 6). There is a description of the multiverse (Chapter 5).
Neal Stephenson. Cryptonomicon. New York: Avon, 1999. Computers and cryptography. You want more? Fictionalized Alan Turing and Albert Einstein drop in. (Chapter 13.)
Charles Stross. The Family Trade. (The first book of the Merchant Princes series.) New York: Tor Books, 2004. The series is about a drug-dealing family with an inheritable trait that grants the ability to travel between parallel Earths. (Chapter 5.)
Charles Stross. Glasshouse. New York: Ace Books, 2006. A twenty-seventh-century man agrees to an experiment. He wakes up in what appears to be the middle twentieth century in the body of a woman. There is also an interesting storyline about gender discrimination in the 1950s. (Chapter 9.)
Jules Verne. From the Earth to the Moon. Paris: Pierre-Jules Hetzel, 1865. Fictional use of light as a means of propulsion. (Chapter 17.)
Vernor Vinge. True Names. New York: Dell, 1981. This is an early example of a fully described cyberspace. It includes examples of the technological singularity. (Chapter 13.)
Kurt Vonnegut. Galápagos. New York: Dell, 1985. A question on the merits of the human intelligence in evolution. In the distant future, humans have evolved into sea creatures that laugh at farts. (Chapter 8.)
Andy Weir. The Martian. Self-published, 2011; New York: Crown, 2014. This is an example of surviving in a hostile environment relying on limited terraforming. (Chapter 12.)
H. G. Wells. The First Men in the Moon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. First published in Strand Magazine from December 1900 to August 1901. Space travel using a fictional material called cavorite that negates gravity. (Chapters 17 and 18.)
H. G. Wells. The Time Machine. London: William Heinemann, 1895. The Morlocks and the Eloi as our potential posthuman future. (Chapter 9.)
H. G. Wells. War of the Worlds. London: William Heinemann, 1898. Unplanned by humans, it is the common cold (a biological weapon) that saves the earth for humans. (Chapter 9.)
Kate Wilhelm. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. New York: Harper, 1976. Environmental changes and disease lead to biological manipulations and cloning. (Chapters 8, 9, and 11.)
Jack Williamson. “Collision Orbit.” Astounding Science Fiction 29, no. 5 (July 6, 1942). This short story contains the first use of the term “terraforming.” (Chapter 12.)
MOVIE LIST
10,000 BC. Directed by Roland Emmerich. Warner Bros., 2008. (Chapter 8.)
2001: A Space Odyssey. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1968. (Chapter 15.)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Warner Bros., 2001. (Chapter 13.)
Alien. Directed by Ridley Scott. 20th Century Fox, 1979. (Chapter 15.)
All You Need Is Kill (see reading list, Chapter 5).
An Inconvenient Truth. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Classics, 2006. (Chapter 11.)
The Andromeda Strain. Directed by Robert Wise. Universal, 1971. (Chapter 9.)
Another Earth. Directed by Mike Cahill. Fox Searchlight, 2011. (Chapter 2.)
Apollo 13. Directed by Ron Howard. Universal, 1995. (Chapter 17.)
Arrival. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Paramount Pictures, 2016. (Chapter 15.)
Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott. Warner Bros., 1982. (Chapter 9.)
The Butterfly Effect. Directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. New Line Cinema, 2004. (Chapter 5.)
Cargo. Directed by Ivan Engler. Atlantis, 2009. (Chapters 11 and 20.)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Columbia, 1977. (Chapter 15.)
Coherence. Directed by James Ward Byrkit. Oscilloscope Laboratories, 2013. (Chapter 2.)
Contact. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Warner Bros., 1997. (Chapter 15.)
The Day After Tomorrow. Directed by Roland Emmerich. 20th Century Fox, 2004. (Chapter 11.)
The Day the Earth Stood Still. Directed by Robert Wise. 20th Century Fox, 1951. (Chapter 15.)
Deep Impact. Directed by Mimi Leder. Paramount Pictures, 1998. (Chapter 21.)
Edge of Tomorrow. Directed by Doug Liman. Warner Bros., 2014.
Elysium. Directed by Neill Blomkamp. TriStar, 2013. (Chapter 11.)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Directed by Michael Gondry. Focus, 2004. (Chapter 20.)
Europa Report. Directed by Sebastian Cordero. Magnet Releasing/Magnolia Pictures, 2013. (Chapter 15.)
Ex Machina. Directed by Alex Garland. Universal, 2015. (Chapter 13.)
Fantastic Voyage. Directed by Richard Fleischer. 20th Century Fox, 1966. (Chapter 10.)
Forbidden Planet. Directed by Fred M. Wilcox. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1956. (Chapter 14.)
Gattaca. Directed by Andrew Niccol. Columbia, 1997. (Chapter 9.)
Gravity. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Warner Bros., 2013. (Chapter 17.)
Hidden Figures. Directed by Theodore Melfi. 20th Century Fox, 2016. (Chapter 13.)
Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Warner Bros., 2010. (Chapter 20.)
Interstellar. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Okotoks, Alberta, Canada: Paramount Pictures, 2014. (Chapter 1.)
Iron Man. Directed by Jon Favreau. Paramount Pictures, 2008. (Chapter 10.)
The Lawnmower Man. Directed by Brett Leonard. New Line Cinema, 1992. (Chapter 20.)
The Man from Earth. Directed by Richard Schenkman. Anchor Bay Entertainment/Shoreline Entertainment, 2007. (Chapter 8.)
The Matrix. Directed by the Wachowski Brothers. Warner Bros., 1999. (Chapter 20.)
Metropolis. Directed by Fritz Lang. UFA, 1927. (Chapter 13.)
Moon. Directed by Duncan Jones. Sony, 2009. (Chapter 9.)
Mr. Nobody. Directed by Jaco Van Dormael. Wild Bunch, 2009. (Chapter 3).
Oblivion. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Universal, 2013. (Chapter 9.)
One Million Years BC (1966 version). Directed by Don Chaffey. 20th Century Fox, 1966. (Chapter 8.)
The Perfect Storm. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Warner Bros., 2000. (Chapter 11.)
Planet of the Apes. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. 2
0th Century Fox, 1968. (Chapter 8.)
Robocop. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Orion, 1987. (Chapter 10.)
Robot & Frank. Directed by Jake Schreier. Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2012. (Chapter 14.)
Silent Running. Directed by Douglas Trumbull. Universal, 1972. (Chapter 11.)
Solaris. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Soviet Union, 1972.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Directed by Leonard Nimoy. Paramount Pictures, 1986. (Chapter 18.)
Star Wars. Directed by George Lucas. 20th Century Fox, 1977. (Chapter 10.)
The Terminator. Directed by James Cameron. Orion, 1984. (Chapter 14.)
Total Recall. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. TriStar, 1990. (Chapter 20.)
Twelve Monkeys. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Universal, 1995. (Chapter 9.)
Twister. Directed by Jan de Bont. Warner Bros., 1996. (Chapter 11.)
Woman in the Moon. Directed by Fritz Lang. UFA, 1929. (Chapter 17.)
SONG LIST
The B-52's, “There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon),” written by the B-52's, released July 6, 1979, on The B-52's, Warner Bros.
Barenaked Ladies, “History of Everything,” written by Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, and Tyler Stewart, released October 9, 2007, theme for television series The Big Bang Theory.
Blackalicious (featuring Cut Chemist), “Chemical Calisthenics,” written by Lucas Christian MacFadden, Timothy Jerome Parker, on Blazing Arrow, released April 20, 2002, Upper Cut Music.
David Bowie, “Space Oddity,” written by David Bowie, released July 11, 1969, on David Bowie, Phillips.
David Bowie, “Starman,” written by David Bowie, released April 28, 1972, on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, RCA.
Broadside Electric, “Ampere's Law,” written by Walter Smith, released May 14, 2002, on Live: Do Not Immerse, Walter Fox Smith.
The Buggles, “Living in the Plastic Age,” written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, released on January 14, 1980, on The Age of Plastic, Island.
Kate Bush, “Pi,” written by Kate Bush, released November 7, 2005, on Aerial, Columbia (US).
Jarvis Cocker, “Quantum Theory,” written by Jarvis Cocker, released April 3, 2007, on Jarvis, (US) Rough Trade Records.
Coldplay, “The Scientist,” written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin, released November 4, 2002, on A Rush of Blood to the Head, Capital (US).
Alice Cooper, “Clones (We're All),” written by David Carron, released May 1980, Flush the Fashion, Warner Bros.
Elvis Costello, “My Science Fiction Twin,” written by Declan MacManus, released March 8, 1994, on Brutal Youth, Warner Bros.
Cracker, “Show Me How This Thing Works,” written by David Lowery and Johnny Hickman, released on May 5, 2009, on Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey, 429 Records.
Thomas Dolby, “She Blinded Me with Science,” written by Thomas Dolby and Jo Kerr, released 1982, on The Golden Age of Wireless, Capital.
Thomas Dolby, “Windpower,” written by Thomas Dolby, released on March 1982, on The Golden Age of Wireless, Venice in Peril/EMI.
John Grant, “Outer Space,” written by John Grant, released April 19, 2010, on Queen of Denmark, Bella Union.
Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive,” written by Alexander Grant, Ben McKee, Josh Mosser, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds, and Wayne Sermon, released October 29, 2012, on Night Visions, Interscope (US).
Elton John, “Rocket Man,” written by Elton John, Bernie Taupin, released April 14, 1972, on Honky Chateau, Uni Records (US).
Tom Lehrer, “The Elements,” written by Tom Lehrer, released 1959, on More of Tom Lehrer, Lehrer Records.
Kate and Anna McGarrigle, “NaCl,” written by Kate McGarrigle, released 1978, on Pronto Monto, Warner Bros.
Oingo Boingo, “Weird Science,” written by Danny Elfman, released October 28, 1985, on Dead Man's Party, MCA.
Katy Perry, “E.T.,” written by Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Joshua Coleman, and Kanye West, released February 16, 2011, on Teenage Dream, Capitol.
The Polecats, “Make a Circuit with Me,” written by Tim Worman and Phil Bloomberg, released 1983 on Polecats Are Go! Mercury.
Monty Python, “Galaxy Song,” written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, released on June 27, 1983, on Monty Python's the Meaning of Life, CBS/MCA.
Queen, “39,” written by Brian May, released November 21, 1975, on A Night at the Opera, EMI/Elektra.
Radiohead, “Subterranean Homesick Alien,” written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway, released on June 16, 1997, on OK Computer, Capitol.
R.E.M., “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, released November 16, 1987, on Document, I.R.S.
The Rolling Stones, “2000 Light Years from Home,” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, released December 23, 1967, on Their Satanic Majesties Request, London/ABKCO.
Shriekback, “Recessive Jean,” written by Barry Andrews, Carl Marsh, and Martyn Barker, released March 4, 2015, on Without Real String or Fish, Shriekback self-released.
Sia, “Academia,” written by Sia Furler and Dan Carey, released January 8, 2008, on Some People Have Real Problems. Hear Music/Monkey Puzzle.
Soundgarden, “Black Hole Sun,” written by Chris Cornell, released May 4, 1994, on Superunknown, A&M.
Styx, “Mr. Roboto,” written by Dennis DeYoung, released February 11, 1983, on Snowblind, A&M.
They Might Be Giants, “My Brother the Ape,” written by They Might Be Giants, released September 1, 2009, on Here Comes Science, Disneysound/Idlewild.
They Might Be Giants, “Science Is Real,” written by They Might Be Giants, released September 1, 2009, on Here Comes Science, Disneysound/Idlewild.
absolute zero, 241, 280, 282
Adams, Douglas, 119, 249, 267
adaptation, 110, 226
AI. See artificial intelligence
albedo, 153, 164
Aldiss, Brian, 179
Aldrin, Buzz, 205
Allen, Woody, 127
Alpha Centauri system, 166
Alvelda, Phillip, 254
Amara, Roy, 249
Anderson, Carl D., 57, 289
Andromeda galaxy, 79, 93, 199, 290, 307
anthropic principle
strong anthropic principle, 87–88
weak anthropic principle, 87
anthropic reasoning, 88
antimatter engine, 24, 56–57, 62, 69, 223–24, 230, 289, 303
antineutrino, 215
Arctic Rising (Buckell), 153, 297
Aristotle, 237
artificial intelligence (AI), 24, 64, 171, 176–81, 185–86, 188–89, 194–95, 221, 254, 262, 270, 283, 299
Artsutanov, Yuri N., 219
Asimov, Isaac, 20, 175, 186, 189, 194, 299–300
introduced word “robotics,” 186
See also Clarke-Asimov treaty; Three Laws of Robotics
astronomical unit (AU), 79–80, 171
atom, oldest, 56
atomic theory, 53, 55, 57, 59, 289
augmented reality, 253, 259
Australopithecus afarensis, 112
bacteriophages, 132
Barjavel, René, 49, 288
Barrow scale, 97
Bates, Harry, 197, 301
BECs. See Bose-Einstein Condensates
Beggars in Spain (Kress), 127, 294
beta decay, 215
big bang, 24, 28, 36, 56, 71–77, 80–81, 84, 86, 88, 234, 240, 279, 290
black holes, 24, 33, 36–37, 64, 76–77, 96, 99–108, 202, 211, 266–67, 279, 282, 287–89, 293
evaporating, 65, 104, 289
spinning, 106
Bohr, Niels, 46
Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs), 236, 304
branes, 64, 74, 80, 290. See membrane theory
Briggs, Gordon, 190, 301
Burroughs, William S., 135
Byron, Lord
, 19, 176
Caesar, Sid, 255
Calabi-Yau space, 64
Cambrian Explosion, 116, 271, 294
Camden, Rodger, 127
Capek, Karel, 186
introduced word “robot” in science fiction, 186
carbon sequester, 151, 163
Card, Orson Scott, 27, 29, 210, 287
Casimir, Hendrik, 95
Casimir effect, 95
Cepheid stars, 70, 82
cerebellum ages slower than other parts of body, 128
CFCs. See chlorofluorocarbons
Chandrasekhar limit, 100
Chaotic Inflation, 88
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), 156
civilizations, 24, 91, 93–95, 97, 140, 197, 199–201, 205, 209, 214, 279, 292
Cixin, Liu, 64, 289, 297
Clairmont, Claire, 19
Clarke, Arthur C., 20, 25, 138, 175, 197, 219, 223, 283, 287, 295, 303, 308. See also Clarke-Asimov treaty
Clarke, Roger, 189
Clarke-Asimov treaty, 20
cloning, 130
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), 126, 294
CMB. See cosmic microwave background
cognition, 174, 181, 192
collapsing of the wave function, 43
companion star to the sun, 273
computer identification, 254
consciousness, 124, 141, 171–74, 178, 180–81, 258
conservation of energy, 280–81
Cooper, Joseph, 32
Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, 43–45, 48
cosmic inflation, 75, 77, 88
cosmic microwave background (CMB), 72, 75–77, 290
cosmic strings, 36–37, 288
cosmology, 24, 67, 69, 80, 86
crime-busting science, 133
CRISPR. See Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
cyanobacteria, 116
cybering, 141
cyberspace, 141
Daniels, Paige, 34, 288
dark matter, 75–76, 205, 233–34, 274
DARPA. See Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Darwin, Charles, 109
DC Comics universe, 83, 93, 137
decoherence, 44–45
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 254, 306
Delany, Samuel R., 226
Descartes, René, 171, 180, 185
devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), 111
DFTD. See devil facial tumor disease