Tag: Science

Book Review: “Rise of the Rocket Girls” by Nathalia Holt

February 24, 2019

Rise of the Rocket Girls promised an intersection of two of my favorite non-fiction genres: science, and the too-often-overlooked impact of women in history. I expected a book comparable to Radium Girls, which portrays its subjects as memorable personalities in a suspenseful narrative; or Code Girls, the captivating account of female cryptologic analysts during WWII. … More Book Review: “Rise of the Rocket Girls” by Nathalia Holt

A Brief History of How Stephen Hawking Inspired My Sci-Fi

March 14, 2018

The shiny black hardcover jacket winked in the sun, mysterious as a unit of dark matter. I lifted the book from the sale table outside Borders Books & Music and flipped its pages. Elementary particles…wormholes…the uncertainty principle…reading this before I head off to college will make me sound smarter when I get there, right? And … More A Brief History of How Stephen Hawking Inspired My Sci-Fi

The Science of “Syzygy”: Genetic Engineering

July 23, 2017

“Just take a bite.” She appraised him suspiciously, then dropped her jaw like a snake and bit into the pitaya’s flesh. “What is this?” she mumbled around ravenous bites. “It’s called a pitaya. Tons of vitamin C and calcium. Our scientists blended in genes from a legume to—.” A wet mouthful of pulp flew across … More The Science of “Syzygy”: Genetic Engineering

The Science of “Syzygy”: Terraforming

February 28, 2017

“How can you terraform long-distance?” “Robots and microbe bombs.” A gleam of enthusiasm lit Ash’s face. “It’s really cool. Our scientists engineer microorganisms that can build up the atmosphere and fix nitrogen in the soil—.” “More gene hacking.” Skye sniffed. “Didn’t you learn anything from Spores?” “Yes. That organisms can thrive even in harsh environments … More The Science of “Syzygy”: Terraforming

Sci-Fi Strikes Back: How Genre Fiction Can Combat Scientific Censorship

January 30, 2017

No longer content to misshelve his favorite fictions in the non-fiction section of our national discourse, our new Librarian in Chief now wants to ban the entire 500 class of the Dewey decimal system: science. Last week the Trump administration issued a so-called “gag order”  banning federal science institutions—including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Agriculture, and Department of … More Sci-Fi Strikes Back: How Genre Fiction Can Combat Scientific Censorship

Farewell to Leading Ladies of Science and Sci-Fi

December 28, 2016

As if 2016 hadn’t already stolen enough of our beloved icons, this week we said goodbye to a pair of women who changed the face of science and science fiction, respectively: astrophysicist Vera Rubin, whose work confirmed the existence of dark matter, and actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in Star Wars. Rubin made tremendous … More Farewell to Leading Ladies of Science and Sci-Fi