Technically Fiction
Finding facts in the fantastic
- Brain
Could the magic of memory manipulation ever become real?
Someday, technology might be able to help people better hold onto memories or forget bad ones.
- Health & Medicine
Can you really die of a broken heart?
Death by heartbreak doesn't just happen in stories. In real life, severe stress can cause takotsubo syndrome — a sometimes fatal heart problem.
- Tech
Move over Iron Man, exoskeletons are getting real
Real-world wearable devices help people stay safe at work and accomplish everyday tasks.
- Plants
Plant and fungi parts help robots level up
Fusing machines with plants and fungi isn’t just sci-fi. A new generation of biohybrid devices could someday help in agriculture or energy production.
- Animals
To clear loops, Sonic the Hedgehog must hit the right speed
Most animals don’t run through loops. Sonic would need the physics behind roller coasters and race cars to clear one.
- Animals
Werewolves could learn from other critters when to hunt
Werewolves aren’t the only creatures that undergo transformation under the full moon. But could weak werewolves be at risk of becoming prey?
- Space
Spacecraft need an extra boost to travel between stars
Star Wars makes space travel look easy by breaking the laws of physics. Off-screen, the technology for spacecraft to reach other worlds doesn’t exist yet.
- Earth
Superman’s kryptonite doesn’t have a true equal on Earth
Though not quite kryptonite, some Earth minerals can glow under ultraviolet light. Excited electrons cause these real-life power stones to light up.
- Tech
Where are the flying cars?
Flying cars are a common sci-fi trope, and engineers have the technology to make them. So where are they?
- Animals
Phoenixes aren’t the only creatures to survive the flames
Although a phoenix that burns and lives is a myth, many living things on Earth don’t mind hot temperatures.
- Planets
The desert planet in ‘Dune’ is pretty realistic, scientists say
Humans could live on the fictional planet Arrakis from Dune. But thankfully giant sandworms probably could not.
- Tech
Could we build a mecha?
In the movies, mechas come equipped with all kinds of abilities. But real giant robots would first have to master simpler actions, like walking and jumping.
