Science Needs Science Fiction

I came across this Tweet when I was reading this article on Yahoo the other day about the The 10 Greatest Tweets, and it reminded me of how important Science Fiction has been to the field of science and innovation. Clearly Commander Hadfield was a fan of Star Trek to some extend growing up in order for him to create this awesome response to Captain Kirk's Tweet!

Throughout the last century or so, science fiction writers have been stoking the imaginations of everyone. Their amazing stories contain inventions and feats of science that seem almost impossible for those living in the times they were released. Jules Verne wrote about Captain Nemo who traveled the oceans in a nuclear powered submarine. Isaac Asimov whose writing about robots is responsible for the word "robot" becoming part of our vernacular.

The ideas these men put to paper were pure fantasy at the time, but today we have robots that help us in everything from industry to vacuuming! There are nuclear submarines that stay submerged for months on end traveling the world's oceans. These ideas that were once a dream, have been made possible by those scientists that have devoted themselves to creating the advances in thinking and technology to make these things possible.

Ok... I admit it. I am a geek. I have always loved books and movies about space and all things Science Fiction. Heck... last night I ordered some DVDs from Amazon. Children of Men, Prometheus, X-Men: First Class, and Star Trek. (Yes I know it is close to Christmas, but it was a great sale and I have Amazon Prime!)

 All of these movies delve into scientific topics like genetics and exploring the mysteries of space. Sure they are mixed with plenty of fantasy and many scientific inaccuracies, but they all inspire the imagination to think about these topics in new and unusual ways. This inspiration is what our students and children need to help motivate them to explore the real scientific fields of today, in order to help us discover the ones of tomorrow.

How many of us watched Star Trek and saw Captain Kirk communicate with the Enterprise from the surface of some strange planet with his communicator? Or watched Bones scan someone for injury or illness with a hand held scanner or machine?

When the shows hit the airwaves, these activities were pure fiction. The field of X-ray technology and radiology for medicine were in there infancy and we had do dial numbers on a strange rotary device in order to place a phone call.

In a few decades ,well within the life span of the actor that played Captain Kirk, we have seen medical technologies that can scan the inside of our bodies with amazing detail without breaking the skin. How many of us possess a smartphone capable of sending messages around the world or even from space?

Just think what the future scientists who are watching and reading the science fiction of today will discover and invent. Live long and prosper.