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Category Archives: Could this Happen?
Double Take: NASA’s Twin Study
In the sci-fi novel Time for the Stars, Robert Heinlein explores something called the “twin paradox,” an Einstein-inspired thought experiment involving the splitting up of identical twins. One rockets off into space while the other remains on Earth. Even though … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged NASA, space, twins
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New Man’s War
In John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, the home planet’s military consists of old folks who join the fight because they have nothing left to lose. Of course, they can’t just battle as is—they need some pretty serious upgrades first. They … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged avatar, captain america, DARPA, old man's war, super soldiers, synthetic organisms, transhumanism
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Cop A Feelie
In Brave New World, there’s all kinds of fun to be had. There’s Centrifugal Bumble Puppy, rudimentary sexual games for the young ones in school, and, of course, there’s the feelies. The feelies aren’t exactly virtual reality—based on Huxley’s descriptions, … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged brave new world, haptic jacket, huxley, sensory fiction, technology, virtual reality, wearable technology
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Robots Can Get Themselves Together
Replication, including molecular assemblers and nanofactories, while impressive in and of itself, is also the first step to self-replication, an often apocalyptic trope in science fiction. Grey goo is perhaps the most dramatic end-of-days self-replication scenario, involving robots that consume … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged Distributed Flight Array, M-Block, MIT, replication, robots, self-assembly, self-replication
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It Only Takes One Shot
On Fringe, Walter Bishop frequently saves the day and the victim of the genetic mutation of the week with a single dose of a furiously concocted formula. And while simply watching the show means I’ve long suspended my disbelief, every … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged brain, cerebellum, down syndrome, fringe, hedgehog, hippocampus, injection, mice, walter bishop
1 Comment
The Hyperloop: Getting Citizens Out of Southern California at 700 mph
Could This Happen doesn’t really try to predict the future–at this point, there isn’t much I think won’t happen if given enough time. Still, when one of my post on a particular invention or innovation is followed by a major … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
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I Think I’d Prefer My Beef Uncultured, Thanks
Could This Happen (who happens to be a vegetarian), has been following the possibilities of artificially created food, including 3-D printed pastries and burritos and lab-produced meat. Now, the latter possibility has been officially taste-tested. Food scientist Hanni Rutzler said … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged 3D printing, agriculture, burger, environment, Google, greenhouse gas, lab-grown, Mark Post, meat, PETA, Sergey Brin, synthetic
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Pacific Rim’s Jaegers Reflect a Departure from Hollywood Norms
In addition to the question of whether it’s possible to create mecha robots, my Slate piece addresses a cultural “could this happen?” question–namely, could we accept robots as companions rather than competitors?
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged androids, anime, Asimov, Hollywood, jaeger, Japan, jobs, love plus, mecha, pacific rim, replacement, robots, slate
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Wag the Dog, Sci-Fi Style
I recently read that 20% of Americans don’t believe we really landed on the moon in 1969. Apparently, the conspiracy theory has gained steam over time—why haven’t we returned since the Apollo missions? How can that American flag wave in … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged astronauts, Capricorn One, conspiracy theory, Elvis, Hawaii, Hi-Seas, hoax, Mars, mission, moon landing, NASA, simulation, space food, space program, star trek, Tang, volcano
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