fact or fiction

Is it science fact or science fiction? Futurism presents both sides to determine the truth.

The Dead Zoo: Triceratops
Triceratops always seemed like a friendly dinosaur to me. I’m not exactly sure why. It couldn’t have been because of Uncle Beazley. That dinosaur was before my time, and I didn’t encounter him at the National Zoo until after I was already grown up. Jurassic Park couldn’t have been it, either. I wish I could have given the sick Triceratops a hug just like Alan Grant did, but I was already ten before I dragged my family to see the epic cinematic dinosaurs. There must have been something else.
By Brian Switek9 years ago in Futurism
Technology, and the Future of Criminal Justice
A recent New York Times article highlighted a system and part of the criminal justice system that most people aren’t aware of; Risk Management Systems and their use in sentencing convicted offenders, predicting recidivism rates, and even working to the likelihood of children to become criminal offenders later in life. Tools such as these are based in the sciences of Predictive Analytics, Behavioral Analysis, Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning.
By James P.9 years ago in Futurism
Bizarre Creatures that Would Look Totally Normal In a Sci-Fi Movie
When people think about all the different animals that have been discovered on Earth, it's hard to pin down a standard "earth look" that we should expect of creatures. That being said, we definitely can tell when an animal looks alien to us.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart9 years ago in Futurism
Are You Aware Of What's Out There?
This world has so many secrets, stories untold, and only a small few can see into those secrets well enough to explain one hundred percent what is truly going on. Is it a mind game? Is it truly happening? How do I make it stop? If these are your questions, I can give you answers.
By Olivia Colley9 years ago in Futurism
Memories and "State"
One of my personal reasons for staying awake most nights is down to the fundamental question of "Do Atoms have memory function?" We know they have a 'state', but how far does that 'state' or memory capacity go?"
By Denise Gregory9 years ago in Futurism
Why Time Travel Is So Enjoyable
Time travel is my favorite kind of science fiction – precisely because it’s almost certainly impossible. Not like travel to other planets, which makes great science fiction, but we're already beginning to do in reality. Or artificial intelligence and robots, which also makes for great science fiction, but we're also already beginning to do, a least little. But time travel is different because it's so likely impossible – as far we know, we're not doing any of it today, and have never done it. As far as we know, no one from the future has yet to pay us a visit. And because time travel is so likely impossible, seeing how time travel stories can work, can make sense, anyway, is a special kind of fun.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Futurism
The Fourth Dimension
The science of Time! Long before H.G. Wells penned "The Time Machine" man has always been intrigued by it's concept. From DiVinci, Nostradamus, to Newton, to Einstein all have implied that the existence of a fourth dimension does exist. In many ways, Wells's narratives of his novels actually have come into existence. Like Jules Verne, science fiction of the 1800's has become today's reality.
By Dr. Williams9 years ago in Futurism
Connecting the Simulation Theory and Transcension Theory
As scientists gather more evidence, the idea that we are living in a simulation is beginning to look less like a fringe theory among sci-fi nerds and more like a legitimate explanation for the universe. The simulation theory, however, might end up connecting yet another fringe theory that attempts to explain the seeming silence of the universe -- a silence generally referred to as Fermi’s Paradox.
By Matt Swayne9 years ago in Futurism
Mars May Have Once Had Rings, and Could Have Them Again in the Future
Saturn is, of course, famous for its exquisite ring system, but other planets have rings as well - Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune all have them, they just aren't nearly as prominent. Now it turns out that Mars may also have once had rings, and could have them again in the future.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
The Great Energy Coverup
The year was 1885 when trade journals especially in the electrical sciences were predicting free electricity and free energy in the foreseeable future. Incredible discoveries about the nature of electricity were just beginning. In doing so they would illuminate the world. If there was ever one person who advanced mans knowledge of the use of electricity it was Nikola Tesla, the original innovator for wireless electricity. This, at a time when history books acknowledge Thomas Edison as the great inventor of electricity.
By Dr. Williams9 years ago in Futurism
Discovering Power
Science is similar to a good book. You latch on to a subject, you study it, and every time you blink, there’s something new—new research or studies, new medicines, new therapies, new technologies, new, new, new. It’s like opening Ulysses, reading the word “contransmagnificandjewbangtantiality,” and coming up with a new meaning every time. Don’t pretend that’s not your new favorite word.
By RJ Plant9 years ago in Futurism
The Scale of Hardness in Science Fiction
Some years ago, I had the idea of grading science fiction according to the degree of scientific realism. It was very obvious to me that, for example, the Discovery One spaceship in 2001 A Space Odyssey was far more realistic than the Star Destroyers, X-Wings, and Tie-Fighters of Star Wars.
By M Alan Kazlev9 years ago in Futurism