Science is Everywhere

 

 

Science is everywhere; science is the phone in your pocket, the house that you live in, the grass that you run on, the vitamins you take in the morning, the movies you watch, and everything in between. Science seeks to answer questions about the way that the world works. "Science is, in one sense, our knowledge of all that — all the stuff that is in the universe: from the tiniest subatomic particles in a single atom of the metal in your computer's circuits, to the nuclear reactions that formed the immense ball of gas that is our sun, to the complex chemical interactions and electrical fluctuations within your own body that allow you to read and understand these words. But just as importantly, science is also a reliable process by which we learn about all that stuff in the universe" (Understanding Science, 2014).

 

 

Understanding Science. 2014. University of California Museum of Paleontology. 9 April,  2014 <http://www.understandingscience.org>.

Image- European Southern Observatory public image

Fact or Fiction

 

 

Science fiction is a genre of fiction that explores concepts of science and technology in futuristic settings. The science and technology often seems impossible or at the very least improbable. Science fiction of the 1940s-50s broadcast images of space exploration, aliens, computers that talk, and travelling communication devices. These concepts were pure fantasy in at the time, and now most of that science fiction is now science fact. So where can we draw the line between fantasy and reality? "A fact is described as something that actually exists, a reality, a truth whereas fiction is described as without basis in reality, a fantasy. These concepts apply in science and what is more is that it is possible to move from a fantasy to a fact in some cases when new discoveries are made and what was a fiction can be proved to be a fact. Remember, all scientific theory is just that - theory. However, if you keep throwing different experiments at the theory and it holds up, you have more confidence. However, one day could come that an experiment is undertaken that disproves the theory" (Science Fiction vs Science Fact, 2014).

 

Science Fiction vs Science Fact. (2014). Retrieved April 9, 2014, from Sci-Fi Science: The True Science Behind Science Fiction: http://www.scifiscience.co.uk/themes/factvsfiction.html

 Image- Ysangkok at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

How Do I Know What is Real?

 

How do I know what is real? Great question, and the answer is, look it up. Researching the concept discussed in the book or movie is the best way to learn more about what part, if any, of the science is real. Dr. Ian Hocking, an author of science fiction, said "In my novel Déjà Vu, I describe an 'Einstein-Rosen bridge' (a point of connection between two areas of space-time) and its use as a time machine. Now, I have made several changes to the way the time machine works, and these changes are not possible within the rules of Einsteinian physics. (An Einstein-Rosen bridge should have two entrances at either side, and the best way to have your hero travel in time is to accelerate one to a speed that approaches the speed of light -- but don't try that at home.) Much of my science is this context is technically inaccurate... but accurate within the 'universe' of Déjà Vu. That universe is defined only by its relation to the notes of meaning I want to strike during the story" (Hocking, 2006). It is clear from this quote that sometimes authors use aspects of real science, but alter the reality or capability of that science as the need arises for the contiuity of the story. The best way to determine fact from fiction is science fiction is to do the research.

 

Hocking, I. (2006). The Science in Science Fiction. Retrieved from SF2 Concatenation: http://www.concatenation.org/articles/hocking~science~sf.html

Image- Museum of the History of Science, Oxford creative commons

Common Science Concepts in Science Fiction

 

Science fiction focuses on elements of science that will intrigue the reader and make the science seem more like fantasy. The authors of works of science fiction, whether book, comic, or screenplay, want to create a story that takes the reader into another reality. Science fiction writers most often base their other reality on elements of this reality. Two of the most common Biology elements that are enhanced, altered, or used as a template for science fiction are:

1. Mutations

2. Viral Disease

 

Photo by George Pimentel creative commons

Mutations

 

What is mutation? The word mutation means a change in the genetic composition of a cell. According to Learn.Genetics, "People commonly use the terms "mutant" and mutation" to describe something undesirable or broken. But mutation is not always bad. Most DNA changes fall in the large areas of the genome that sit between genes, and usually they have no effect" (University of Utah Health Sciences, 2014). Most often mutations go unnoticed, or take so long to evolve that the change is gradual and again mostly unnoticed. On rare occassions a mutation can cause a serious disease or even death. 

 

Mutation is a common theme in science fiction; consider the following stories:

1. X-Men

2. The Hunger Games

3. Time Machine

4. Star Trek

5. Fantastic Four

 

These stories are just a few examples of mutation in science fiction. But is it really possible to be hit by a radiation cloud that turns a person invisible, or to be born with a different set of DNA that allows a person to possess certain powers? The answer to that question is not a simple one; the discovery of mutations and how DNA can be altered are relatively new sciences. What we do know is that "Mutation creates slightly different versions of the same genes, called alleles. These small differences in DNA sequence make every individual unique. They account for the variation we see in human hair color, skin color, height, shape, behavior, and susceptibility to disease. Individuals in other species vary too, in both physical appearance and behavior" (University of Utah Health Sciences, 2014). 

Mutations can cause changes in an organism that can cause a complete physical transformation in a matter of just a few generations. But what causes these mutations? Mutations can be caused by a simple error in the translation/transcription process of DNA instructions, or it can be caused by environmental factors. "Radiation, chemicals, byproducts of cellular metabolism, free radicals, ultraviolet rays from the sun—these agents damage thousands of nucleotides in each of our cells every day. They affect the nucleotides themselves: converting one base to another, knocking a base off its backbone, or even causing a break in the DNA strand" (University of Utah Health Sciences, 2014). 

In Fantastic Four the characters were hit by a radiaton cloud and each of their genes mutated in a different way; is this a possibility. While radiation can cause mutations it is unlikely to happen so quickly; however, we know very little about how our bodies might react to a radiation cloud in space. 

Science fiction writers take the concept of mutation and imagine what would happen if...

 

University of Utah Health Sciences. (2014). What is Mutation. Retrieved from Learn.Genetics: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/variation/mutation/

 

image-public domain

 

Viral Infection

 

Viral infection may seem more like medical reading than science fiction, but it is a very common theme in many novels, comic strips, and movies. What could possibly make viral infection interesting? What if the virus turned people into zombies, or what if the virus was carried by a monkey, or what if the virus was the cure? In order to better answer this question, a virus must be defined.

"Viruses are responsible for a range of diseases, including the common cold, influenza, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and Ebola. The sole selfish function of a virus is to infect a host (e.g. a human) then use this host to make more copies of its own DNA. It does this by entering a host cell and hijacking its DNA-making machinery, forcing it to make more viral DNA. However, it doesn’t stop there. Once the host cell has made sufficient viral DNA the virus then commandeers the host cell’s other machinery to create more intact viruses which “bud off” from the infected cell ready to infect its neighbours"(The brain bank, 2012).

The whole purpose of a virus is to infect a host; and to replicate its own DNA, so can a virus heal like the one in Planet of the Apes or I Am Legend? Shockingly the answer is yes. These movies have some very sound science behind them, in spite of the fiction. Gene therapy is a science that involves meshing DNA, that includes DNA from viruses with that of humans, in order to heal. Where science fiction truly becomes fictious is when the virus becomes a cure all for a multitude of diseases; in reality, gene therapy would only attack one single gene. 

According to the brain bank, movies like I Am Legend take certin aspects of reality and true scientific concerns and amplify them. "In the films, the therapeutic virus mutates back to its virulent form, or an even more virulent one. It then spreads a fatal disease throughout the population, causing a global catastrophe. One of the concerns about using viruses for gene therapy is that this nightmare scenario might come true. This possibility is currently under intensive study within controlled research environments. Although current research has found that recombination and a return to virulence may be possible for certain viruses, this may not be the case for all viral vectors used in gene therapy" (The brain bank, 2012).

Next time you have a cold imagine what would happen if your cold were amplified and mutated in such a way that it could wipe out and entire nation; then perhaps you have your on science fiction story. 

 

The brain bank. (2012, August 4). Science Fiction vs. Science Fact. Retrieved from The Brain Bank Science Blog: http://thebrainbank.scienceblog.com/2012/08/04/science-fiction-vs-science-fact-the-use-of-viruses-to-cure-disease/

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.04.2014

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