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Speculative Fiction
Andy Weir’s novel blends humor, scientific rigor, and human ingenuity to make science fiction feel believable and thrilling.
Some sci-fi aliens are wildly implausible. Others aren’t so far-fetched.
Speculative evolution explores the strange paths natural selection might have taken — and what that means for humans.
In post-apocalyptic fiction, imagined futures turn today’s political and cultural tensions into geography.
Before we can build the future, we have to imagine it.
Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)
What happens when scientists "write what they know"? Some amazing science fiction stories.
As we shape our future we should ask: Which interpretations of classic sci-fi fables hold sway with today’s powerful tech leaders?
Many beloved fantasy adventures take place in worlds that bear a striking resemblance to our own.
“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
Six visionary science fiction authors on the social impact of their work.
Sci-fi enthusiasts have long hoped that a substance called antimatter might experience gravity opposite that of ordinary matter. It doesn't.
Finding a tiny planet around bright stars dozens or hundreds of light-years from Earth is extremely difficult.
To this day, one cult believes that Lemuria was real, and that its people left us the sacred wisdom to revive their advanced civilization.
The concept of the warp drive is currently at odds with everything we know to be true about physics.
Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.
John Templeton Foundation
From forgotten Hollywood movies to Frank Herbert’s "Dune," science fiction illustrates some of our deepest fears about technology.
Jules Verne wrote about gasoline-powered vehicles, weapons of mass destruction, and global warming more than a century ago.
Take a trip through these master-crafted fantasy societies and ask yourself: Could I actually live there?
X marks the spot. The Dutch town of Ommeren has been swamped by detectorists armed with shovels looking for $20-million treasure.
Venerated astrophysicist Carl Sagan entertained the possibility.
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Darwin, Descartes, and Maxwell all believed in these science ‘demons.’
John Templeton Foundation
Each of us carries our own version of the Multiverse in our heads.
The answer to this question depends on how you define "freedom."
What if intelligence can thrive without consciousness?
Do the laws of physics place a hard limit on how far technology can advance, or can we re-write those laws?
A new paper combines two concepts from the edges of astrophysics: Dyson Spheres and black holes. A Type III civilization could combine them.
We've fooled ourselves before with galaxies that look just like this one. The evidence we have simply isn't strong enough.
Many first-hand accounts from the golden age of piracy were grossly embellished, meaning it's extremely difficult to separate Blackbeard the legend from Edward Thatch the person.
In scientific theories, the Multiverse appears as a bug rather than as a feature. We should squash it.