Tag: science fiction

Episode 105 – Megastructures (Part II) – is now live!

Episode 105 – Megastructures (Part II) – is now live!

This week’s episode is the second installment in my series about megastructures. In the previous installment, we took a look at the Dyson Sphere, the concept that started it all, as well as variations like the Niven Ring and Matrioshka Brain. As promised, this episode examines some of the more exotic concepts for Dyson structures that could allow an advanced species to harness the power of its star. This includes the Alderson Disk and the Shkadov Thruster (pictured above and below).

Neil Blevins
Neil Blevins

These are all examples of megastructures that a Type II civilization (on the Kardashev Scale) could conceivably create. In part III, I hope to delve into proposed concepts that a Type I+ civilization could create someday (and that includes humanity). Some examples include a Space Elevator, an O’Neill Cylinder, a Stanford Torus, a Clarke Band, and more. As always, I will be referencing the artwork of Neil Blevins (and others) to illustrate what these fascinating concepts could look like. Follow the links below to learn more.

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My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks!

My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks!

A few months back, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. 

During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics (and she let me talk for as long as I wanted!) Here’s how she described our conversation:

“In this episode of AADYA Geo Talks, we explore the mind of a space journalist who has spent years unraveling the wonders of the universe. From the allure of dark matter to the search for extraterrestrial life, Matthew takes us on a journey through the most fascinating corners of space science. But here’s where it gets even more intriguing—science fiction has always fueled real-world space missions. “

Check it out, and watch it in segments if you need to! Also, visit the AADYA website to learn more about their education, outreach, and collaborative efforts.

Episode 92 of SfS is now Live! “The History and Future of Space Stations.”

Episode 92 of SfS is now Live! “The History and Future of Space Stations.”

Hello again, folks. It’s been a busy few months, what with the holidays and a few life-related events that have happened since. Unfortunately, I was unable to produce new episodes every week. Fortunately, that is now over, and I have not one but TWO new episodes ready to share! This week’s installment is dedicated to the history, development, and future of Space Stations. Cue the Blue Danube Waltz and the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey!

As I explain in the episode, the concept of space stations is time-honored and can be traced back to the early 20th century and the work of famed Russian aerospace engineer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who is considered the “forefather of rocketry.” Like most ideas pertaining to the future of humanity in space, he made the first recorded mention of a pinwheel station in space that would simulate gravity and have a natural environment that could provide oxygen.

Like rockets that used liquid propellants and other advanced concepts Tsiolkovsky originally proposed, his work went on to inspire the other “forefathers of rocketry”—Hermann Oberth, Robert Goddard, and Robert Esnault-Pelterie—many of whom went on to propose their own concepts. By the latter half of the 20th century, these ideas would bear fruit in the form of the Salyut space stations, Skylab, Mir, and the International Space Station (ISS).

With the decommissioning of the ISS scheduled for 2030, several nations and commercial space interests are working on proposals for successor stations. What will they look like, and how might they enable the migration of human beings throughout the Solar System as Tsiolkovsy predicted? Follow the links below to find out!

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Boltzmann’s Brainchild

Boltzmann’s Brainchild

His head was hurting. His mouth was dry. His entire body felt uninspired and feeble. He felt much the same a short while ago when he left the dinner table. How long ago was that? What time was it?

He’d left his watch upstairs and hadn’t the capacity to find a clock right now. But a quick pass by the hall window confirmed that the Sun was coming up. They were firmly in the AM, and he was forced to accept that it was no longer the previous evening.

No appreciation for time! Why was that?

Continue reading “Boltzmann’s Brainchild” →

Episode 91 of Stories from Space is Now Live!

Episode 91 of Stories from Space is Now Live!

Hello folks! This week’s episode is dedicated to my friend, Kim Bannerman Pigott, who suggested it. She, too, is a creative person, as is her husband, Shaun. Between the two of them, they do literature, art, and music; they do it all! I encourage everyone to check out their website, Fox&Bee Studio. The topic of this episode is “Are Wormholes Possible?” As any fan of science fiction knows, wormholes are regularly featured in the genre, be it novels, shows, movies, or video games.

Some examples include Carl Sagan’s Contact, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Event Horizon, Farscape, the Wing Commander franchise, the Descent: Freespace franchise, and many more. The concept often goes by different names (FTL, jump points, jump nodes, etc.), but the idea remains the same. Pass through a wormhole (natural or artificial), and you end up a few, or few thousand, light-years away.

Like warp or hyperspace, they are a key element in the world-building process, facilitating the kind of travel that would allow for First Contact, inter-species interaction, exploring new worlds, and the emergence of new branches of humanity. In most cases, franchises tend to steer away from the science and avoid any complicated or inaccurate explanations. However, sometimes authors and producers dip their toes in and attempt to rationalize them (not very well, in my experience).

But what does the science say? As it turns out, there is a basis in theoretical physics for wormholes that goes back over a century. Check out the links below to learn more…

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A Sneak Peak at Exogenisis!

A Sneak Peak at Exogenisis!

Hello again! I am going to do something I haven’t done in a long time here and share some creative writing I’ve been working on. In truth, I have done a lot of creative writing these past few years that I have failed to share here. I decided it was time to rectify this, and what better way to start than to share the first chapter of one of my current WIPs? It is titled Exogenesis, and it is a story that has taken a long time for me to realize!

I described this idea a short while ago in another post (“A Visit to the Ideas Folder“). In fact, I described two ideas, one titled Pilgrimage and the other titled Exogenesis. As I wrote at the time, Pilgrimage is a short story about distant origins and how future humans may come to trace their ancestry back to Earth. It is also the first chapter in the full-length version set in the same universe, titled Exogenesis. I am told that this is how many of the greats realized their first novels, so I decided to give it a try.

In any case, here’s the first chapter in full! A word of warning: there’s a lot of linguistics and semantic evolution in here, so some words won’t make a lot of sense at first sight. But I’m hoping the context will help resolve all that. Enjoy!

Continue reading “A Sneak Peak at Exogenisis!” →

Episode 71 of SfS – Voices of the Future: Frank Herbert – is now Live!

Episode 71 of SfS – Voices of the Future: Frank Herbert – is now Live!

This week’s episode picked up a series that I began long ago but then left untouched! Voices of the Future was intended to pay tribute to seminal thinkers and scientists who showed great insight and made some profound predictions about humanity’s future. The first installment was dedicated to the late and great Arthur C. Clarke. This week’s episode was dedicated to the man who literally wrote the book that made people “take science fiction seriously” – Frank Herbert!

In 1965, Frank Herbert released his best-known work, Dune. Over the next twenty years, he produced five sequels and died just a year after the release of the last installment: Chapterhouse: Dune. While much has been said about Frank’s social, political, philosophical, and historical commentary, what stands out for me all the years later was his predictions about humanity and AI. This was summarized in the event referred to as the “Butlerian Jihad,” which is part of the story’s deep background.

It was this event, which led to the Great Convention and its ban on AI, computers, and automation of any kind, that led to the power structure of the Imperium – with its absolute monarchy, feudal barons, religious proscriptions, and constant machinations and treachery. Basically, Frank appeared to present the Johad as something inevitable, which would have inevitable consequences. This nuance is completely lost in the prequels/sequels authored by his son and Kevin J. Anderson, who instead presented the Jihad as a cliche, humans vs. machines story.

This commentary and contrast are especially important today, amid fears about the development of AI and the often inarticulate (IMHO) existential concerns about it. Check the episode out below to hear more.

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Episode 55 – “The Firstborn Hypothesis” – is now Live!

Episode 55 – “The Firstborn Hypothesis” – is now Live!

This week, I decided it was time to get back into the Fermi Paradox! This time, I addressed the Firstborn Hypothesis, the notion that humanity may be the first advanced civilization to emerge in our Galaxy. Much like the Brief Window Hypothesis, I’m not sure it’s an official proposal. In fact, I’m pretty sure I assigned a name to a general idea that has been raised many times over the years and is considered one of the more obvious resolutions.

The name itself was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this series, “Firstborn” is the name of the advanced species that was the first civilization to emerge in our galaxy. These were the aliens that created the monoliths and tampered with human evolution in the distant past, and are contemplating whether they made a mistake (and need to correct it) in the present. If true, then humanity has a pretty massive responsibility before it! Tune in to hear more:

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Episode 48 – “Where Are All the Aliens? The Dark Forest Hypothesis” – is now Live!

Episode 48 – “Where Are All the Aliens? The Dark Forest Hypothesis” – is now Live!

This week’s episode was dedicated to another proposed resolution to the Fermi Paradox. This one was inspired by the novel of the same name, The Dark Forest, written by Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin. The book is the second installment in the Memories of Earth’s Past trilogy, which started with The Three-Body Problem. The concept is explained thusly:

“The universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds other life — another hunter, an angel or a demon, a delicate infant or a tottering old man, a fairy or a demigod — there’s only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them. In this forest, hell is other people. An eternal threat that any life that exposes its own existence will be swiftly wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization. It’s the explanation for the Fermi Paradox.“

I got an especially nice surprise while prepping this episode. While looking for possible links to include, I came across a link to the University of Edinburgh. On Halloween night in 2021, Dr. Anna Lisa Varri delivered a lecture at the Higgs Center for Theoretical Physics about the Dark Forest Hypothesis. Guess who she listed as her first source? ME! Or rather, the article I wrote for Universe Today about six months prior! How cool is that? Check it out below…

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Episode 37 of Stories from Space – “Where Are All the Aliens? The Planetarium Hypothesis” – is Now Live!

Episode 37 of Stories from Space – “Where Are All the Aliens? The Planetarium Hypothesis” – is Now Live!

This week, I got into another favorite proposed resolution to the Fermi Paradox. In 2001, famed scientist and SF author Stephen Baxter wrote a paper titled “The Planetarium Hypothesis – A Resolution of the Fermi Paradox.” Addressing Fermi’s question, Baxter suggested that the reason humanity hasn’t heard from advanced civilizations is that the Universe (as we know it) is a simulation.

To put it another way, what we see when we look up at the night sky is a giant virtual reality “planetarium” built by an advanced species to give the illusion of an empty Universe. The purpose of this could be to keep humanity contained, possibly for its own good or that of other species (i.e., intelligent life is dangerous), or to keep less-advanced species from developing too quickly and becoming a threat.

Like the Berserker Hypothesis, the idea is science fiction gold but admittedly unlikely (phew!) Another problem is that the hypothesis is untestable. While Baxter and other scientists suggested ways this theory could be tested (based on the principles of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics), critics have pointed out that the laws of physics themselves could be part of the simulation.

Personally, I think that the laws of physics and the fact that they make space exploration so challenging is the most compelling evidence for the hypothesis. What better way is there to control the growth of a species than to set the physics model to “extra hard”? If I were an advanced civilization looking to keep a species in the dark, this is precisely what I’d do! Check it out below:

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