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Author Archives: jrenstro
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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Here to Serve
The Star Wars cantina scene demonstrates how awesome it would be to sidle up to a bar (preferably on some kind of bounty hunting mission) and order a drink from aliens. Attack of the Clones features a robot waitress, which … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged ai, attack of the clones, china, conveyor belt, dalek, Dalu, ipad, itray, Japan, order, replacement, robo-waiters, robot restaurant, south korea, star wars, thailand, tips, waiters, Yo Sushi
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Space For All
In 1945, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke published a paper suggesting that we put satellites in geostationary orbit. 18 years later, America launched Syncom 2. Soon, there will be one more satellite in the Clarke Belt, roughly 26,000 miles … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged ARKYD, arthur clarke, kepler, kickstarter, NASA, Peter Diamandis, planetary resources, satellite, space exploration, telescope, Virgin Galactic, zach braff
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Terminate This!
In science fiction, robots have been solving cases and apprehending criminals for a while. From Robocop to Terminator to THX 1138 the idea that robots may replace police officers has in recent years begun the transition from fiction to fact. … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged afghanistan, bomb, bomb defuser, Boston, boston marathon bombing, drones, howe and howe, IED, iraq, iRobot, law enforcement, military robots, packbot, police robots, robocop, robot combat league, SWAT, terminator, THX 1138, tsarnaev, warrior, watertown
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Which One of these Girls is Not Like the Others?
Since we can’t make the day longer, other than by adding leap seconds here and there, cloning ourselves would seem like the next best thing…unless it’s not. Find out about recent advances in human cloning by reading my article on … Continue reading
Posted in Could this Happen?
Tagged clone, cloning, DNA, Dolly, embryo, ethics, orphan black, reproductive cloning, slate, stem cells, therapeutic cloning, transplants
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