Science and Science Fiction

Often in human literature, there are connections with science and technology, some of that day and some which does not exist. Most people know of the classic examples of futuristic sci-fi, things like Star Wars, Star Trek, and pretty much any super hero movie. They can be very entertaining to watch and to get caught up in the stories of a different world, but it can be interesting to examine the actual technologies within the movies themselves and look at the real world possibilities.

We've talked before about Star Wars and the most recognizable technology in the Saga, the lightsaber. They are working on a state of matter similar to the lightsaber, which frankly I think is just awesome. The lightsaber wouldn't have much of an impact on your daily life besides the fact of how ridiculously cool it would be to have one. Another technology from Star wars would be the many different types of speeders and star ships. In the world of space travel today, some companies such as SpaceX are planning for commercial space travel, which means you could pay to go to space just for the experience. Obviously this isn't the same as a star fighter battle in space around the forrest moon of Endor, but its a step in the right direction. Some of these ships in Star Wars also have the ability to travel through hyperspace at light speed, which we know through the laws of physics is impossible. So if you were hoping to be able to activate the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon at some point, I wouldn't could on it.

In Star Trek, the Enterprise has a similar function as light speed, called warp speed. Warp speed is said in the various Star Trek series to be achieved when matter is mixed with antimatter creating plasma which when circulated through the warp drive creates a bubble around the ship which allows it to travel at speeds greater than light. Again, as far of we know the cosmic speed limit of light cannot be broken, but the technology described by Star Trek is very interesting. The matter/antimatter interactions which they describe sound very cool, I have no idea if they are possible or not, but the theory is very intriguing. The other thing about Star Trek are the interactions with new forms of life all over the galaxy, and how these interactions go. This goes along somewhat with my last post about the possibilities of life in our universe. If you haven't seen Star Trek I encourage you to try an episode or 2 from any of the different series' or one of the movies, they can be very intriguing.

Finally, obviously most super heros couldn't actually exist, but things Batman of Ironman, where there are mostly just inventions, are the coolest to me. They show how creative people can be, and even though it is all fiction, it shows the possibility of where we might get. Obviously I don't literally mean the possibility of the Dark Knight guarding our streets, but all of science fiction is meant to show the possibility of where science may take us.

I think its important to keep this inventive, creative, wondrous side of science in the forefront of the minds of those pursuing it. When studying science, its easy to see things as static, and always exactly how they are taught. But the aim of science is new ideas, new innovations, and new technologies from the knowledge we have attained. To do this we need to keep our minds open to new ideas, no matter how far out there they are. We have to remember there was a time it was considered blasphemous to say the world was round. Ideas lead to discovery, no matter where the idea comes from. You never know what idea will lead to the next break through.