From black holes to 3D printers and from CERN to Nike – science fiction has sparked real-life scientific advancements. Igniting curiosity for science in young learners is what we do at Scientists in School, and the stories around us every day can be a catalyst for breathtaking innovation.
Below, we’ll explore how having the scientific tools to investigate familiar fictions can lead to invention and discovery.
Science Inspired by a Story
In these two scientific breakthroughs, researchers took inspiration from science fiction stories they knew and loved.
Former CERN scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee credits a sci-fi story as inspiration for his invention of one of the most impactful technologies of all time: the world wide web. An Arthur C. Clarke story sparked his curiosity for what could be achieved by connecting computers on a grand scale. Without this breakthrough, we wouldn’t have the internet as we know it.
More recently, a team of biologists have been working on cell transparency – as seen in some squid species – in human cells! In their paper’s introduction the team mention inspirations from history and fiction, including the sci-fi classic The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.
This scientific study could be a step in helping us understand biological systems more deeply by allowing scientists to see into cells and systems. In the meantime, your young scientists can take a peek into the inner workings of the human body in our Every Body Moves workshop!
Life is Stranger than (Science) Fiction
Sometimes real life begins to resemble fiction in surprising ways.
In 1987 the classic sci-fi tv show Star Trek first aired an episode where a character walked up to a box on the wall, stated a food, and that meal materialized as if out of thin air. This imagined technology was called a replicator, and it was a fictional machine that could create any food in its index.
While replicator technology may not exist, 3D printers are getting more advanced! Current 3D printing technology even includes food printers, so the replicators of Star Trek may yet come to the real world.
Fun fact! Star Trek predicted more future technology. Over its many iterations the TV show predicted the likes of automatic doors, hand-held cell phones, and video calls.
Science Fiction Brought to Life
Stories can even be the direct cause of new scientific advancements.
For the film Interstellar, the black hole physics on display were as real as you can get. The filmmakers funded real scientific work to model the black hole in the film, advancing the field and making for spectacularly accurate scenes. The researchers even published two different papers from the work they did on Interstellar!
If you’ve got a space obsessed young learner, our workshop Our Place in Space explores Earth’s relationships within our solar system.
In 2016, Nike set out to engineer the self-tying shoes that appear in the Back to the Future franchise. Why? Because that imagined technology could have applications for people with disabilities and trouble with fine motor function – like the film’s star, Canadian legend Michael J. Fox.
Nike succeeded! They developed wearable technology to create the futuristic shoes worn by Fox’s character and all 89 pairs created were sold to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The shoes prove that you don’t have to go all the way to the future for accessible clothing to be possible.
Today’s students can do hands-on engineering to learn about building accessibility. In our All Systems Go! workshop, kids build an assistive hand device like those created by biomedical engineers to aid with fine motor skills.
Any Young Learner Can Be a Young Scientist
The stories we love can have a huge impact on the real world. At Scientists in School, we help students connect the stories that spark their creativity to real world science.
We give kids the tools they need to not only recognize the science all around them but engage with new ideas and concepts in real time. With these skills any of our young scientists could be inspired by a story to invent a new technology or uncover a facet of the universe!
Scientists in School is a Canadian science outreach charity dedicated to sparking children’s interest in STEM through hands-on discovery. Explore our workshops and help us turn your young learners into young scientists.
