fact or fiction
Is it science fact or science fiction? Futurism presents both sides to determine the truth.
Buried Screwball Facts About Nikola Tesla
Travel anywhere outside the United States and the name of Nikola Tesla is known. Ask the average person on an American sidewalk? They’re apt to recall the 80’s rock band. Or they’ll nod and mumble about Elon Musk’s motor company.
By Matt Cates9 years ago in Futurism
Is Transhumanism The Answer To Death?
There is one thing we know for sure about our future, we are all going to die. Ray Kurzweil and the transhumanist crew may disagree. They argue technology is the key to immortality. But for those still hooked into a biological perspective the future ends with old age, probably sickness, and death.
By Jasun Horsley9 years ago in Futurism
Can Scientific Theory Prove Philosophical Ideology?
Philosophy was once the domain of the purely speculative—the nearly abstract. A well-known philosophy department posed the question, "What is human?" The questions were too complex. The answers available only to God. That is, if there is a God.
By Joshua Samuel Zook9 years ago in Futurism
Sci-Fi's Obsession with Ancient Egypt
At first it sounds contradictory; isn’t science fiction all about what the future holds? But in looking back to a time before toothbrushes and iPads and breakfast cereal, you can get really philosophical without all the minutia that threatens to dominate life today. (Notice that I said you can, not that you have to - some of these films are just here to have fun.) If you love Ancient Egypt AND aliens and spaceships and futuristic weapons, now you can have both in one magical sandy pyramid-shaped package.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Futurism
Robert Helms 'Guinea Pig Zero'
Our country’s pharmaceutical industry demands rigorous testing of potential drug agents, human trials that sometimes drag on for weeks or months. Test subjects must often monotonously return to get blood drawn, abstain from normal activity, or keep meticulous notes about their side effects. But, at the end of the trial, it’s a quick couple thousand dollars in your pocket. This is precisely the kind of work that draws those on the margins of society, those who are willing to dose themselves with the latest psychiatric concoction and live in a confined clinic for a few weeks. And we need them—these guinea pigs. Without reliable test subjects, America doesn’t get its drugs.
By Kelly Bourdet9 years ago in Futurism
'Star Wars' Planets' Real Life Counterparts
Have you ever looked up at the sky at night, wondering what the meaning of life is, how all that planets and stars and dark holes and comets came to be? In something so huge and unknown, what is the possibility of fictional stories like Star Wars having real life planet counterparts? Well if you did, you are not the only one. Probably every real fan of the saga wondered that at least once in their life, envisioning how those planets look like and maybe even what species might live there. Star Wars has inspired many generations to dream, fantasize and imagine distant worlds and aliens, spurring the interest in astronomy and science, not just in special effects. So, for all those who wondered about this, but could find the answer due to the infinite nature of the universe, here are some of the Star Wars planets real life counterparts.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Craziest Sci-Fi Movie Fan Theories
Are you prepared enough to hear some of the most absurd, mind-boggling, craziest sci-fi movie fan theories? I guess if there ever was a fertile ground for weird and over-imaginative theories to flourish and gain a lot of popularity it was only logical to happen among the fans of the sci-fi genre. I mean, if you enjoy watching movies in which reality is by definition a pretty flexible concept, why wouldn’t you also enjoy stretching it a little bit more? Anyway, some of these craziest sci-fi movie fan theories actually have some solid arguments, so why not hear more about them?
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
What Happens to Your Body When Exposed to Space?
We've all seen that movie: where some unfortunate guy gets sucked out of an airlock and is thrown from his spaceship into unknown space. What is the first thing he does? Struggle to breathe. This is followed by panic, while blood oozes out of his eyeballs and ears. Until finally, his slow death ends, and all we're left with is a frozen corpse. Yuck.
By George Gott9 years ago in Futurism
Can Memories be Transferred by Eating Them?
There’s an episode of J.J. Abram's cult favorite Fringe where Olivia chugs a beaker full of chopped up worms. Walter, the stereotypical absent minded professor-slash-mad scientist wonders, "Can memories be transferred by eating them?" Walter remembers an experiment that transferred memories between worms by chopping them up and feeding them to each other. In the context of the show, Walter’s worm shake seems like one of many implausible examples of “fringe” science, like pyrokinesis or interdimensional travel. But 50 years ago these experiments actually happened, blurring the lines between fact and fiction and igniting one of the fiercest controversies in the history of neuroscience.
By Christina Agapakis9 years ago in Futurism
How Pixar’s 'Wall-E' Predicts the Future
Self-driving cars. Humans glued to the screens of their devices. Trash everywhere. One company to rule them all. Sound familiar? Either you just watched the 2008 Pixar hit Wall-E, or you simply looked at the ever-changing world around us. Debuting at a time when the economy hit its lowest point since the Great Depression, the dystopian society surrounding everyone’s favorite hardworking robot scared many with its foreboding predictions. But before humans actually admit that Wall-E predicted the future and director Andrew Stanton’s garbage-covered, humanless Earth of the year 2805 becomes a reality, we must take action for the sake of our planet.
By Jake Aronskind9 years ago in Futurism
