“What if?” becomes “Could this?”

Could we reanimate dead tissue?

Could we replicate beings with DNA extracted from fossils (or elsewhere)?

Could we create a drug that allows us to sleep, unharmed, for months or years?

In the last few decades, we’ve learned that the answers to these kinds of questions is rarely, if ever, simply “no.”

In 1945, Arthur Clarke proposed the idea of a communications satellite that would remain in a fixed position over the earth. Half a century ago, Isaac Asimov wrote about the rise of the robot. In 1865, Jules Verne described visiting the moon. At the time of publication, all of these developments seemed unlikely at best and laughable at worst.

At the beginning of the year, NASA invited science fiction writers to attend a brainstorming symposium about interstellar travel and the possibility of settling among the stars, and Intel recently commissioned science fiction writers to imagine, transform, and write about future applications and advancements of existing technology. Science fiction inspires science.

Each time I read or watch something new, I think, could this really happen? Most often, it’s not a matter of if, but when. Attempting to answer the question means relying on research that invariably becomes quickly obsolete.

Rather than hunting for temporary answers, this blog will raise questions, make connections, and explore technologies forecast and demonstrated in science fiction. Hopefully, this blog will encourage readers to think about the future, the ways the world will change, and what their role in it will be.