By James L Hill (aka JL Hill)
Science fiction writers have always been out in front of the technology. But with new technologies and advances coming out almost daily we have to work really hard to just keep pace. We were writing about recumbent DNA, gene-manipulation, and cloning. Biologists have since cloned a sheep, combined the DNA for spider’s silk with goat’s milk, and perform testing for inherited diseases, parentage, and ancestry. What was a Brave New World is becoming just another day in the old laboratory.
We have always been able to look to space and dream up some fantastic places. Astronomers have built satellites and the Kepler Space telescope to discover some 134 confirmed exoplanets in 76 stellar systems and over 3000 unconfirmed. And some of these planets are amazing even if they are uninhabitable like hot Jupiters. These are planets the size of Jupiter that orbit their star at a distance like Mercury. However astronomers estimate as many as 40 billion Earth-size planets in the habitable zones of sun-like stars exist in the Milky Way galaxy. We have our work cut out for us.
We came up with rocket ships, submarines, and robots. Engineers built them. We thought up wireless communications and now there is blue tooth. Maybe science has caught up with us. Then again maybe it was never a race. When writers think of what is possible it inspires scientist to make it happen. And when scientists come up with exciting new discoveries, writers like to take it and push it to the next level. There are plenty of good ideas coming from both sides. Together we will work to come up with solutions energy problems, like solar towers or fusion power cells. Can you image a day when a watch-size battery using hydrogen fusion technology powers everything from your flying car to the cities you live in? Or pushing the boundaries of gene-splicing to give humans photosynthesis capabilities to end world hunger? Sure we may all turn a shade of green but scientist will probably figure out a way to make it work.
Science fiction writers have always been out in front of the technology. But with new technologies and advances coming out almost daily we have to work really hard to just keep pace. We were writing about recumbent DNA, gene-manipulation, and cloning. Biologists have since cloned a sheep, combined the DNA for spider’s silk with goat’s milk, and perform testing for inherited diseases, parentage, and ancestry. What was a Brave New World is becoming just another day in the old laboratory.
We have always been able to look to space and dream up some fantastic places. Astronomers have built satellites and the Kepler Space telescope to discover some 134 confirmed exoplanets in 76 stellar systems and over 3000 unconfirmed. And some of these planets are amazing even if they are uninhabitable like hot Jupiters. These are planets the size of Jupiter that orbit their star at a distance like Mercury. However astronomers estimate as many as 40 billion Earth-size planets in the habitable zones of sun-like stars exist in the Milky Way galaxy. We have our work cut out for us.
We came up with rocket ships, submarines, and robots. Engineers built them. We thought up wireless communications and now there is blue tooth. Maybe science has caught up with us. Then again maybe it was never a race. When writers think of what is possible it inspires scientist to make it happen. And when scientists come up with exciting new discoveries, writers like to take it and push it to the next level. There are plenty of good ideas coming from both sides. Together we will work to come up with solutions energy problems, like solar towers or fusion power cells. Can you image a day when a watch-size battery using hydrogen fusion technology powers everything from your flying car to the cities you live in? Or pushing the boundaries of gene-splicing to give humans photosynthesis capabilities to end world hunger? Sure we may all turn a shade of green but scientist will probably figure out a way to make it work.
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