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Most recently published stories in Futurism.
Science of Identical Twins
“Double your pleasure, double your fun” couldn’t be more true when it comes to identical twins. Starting with the moment your obstetrician tells you, “There are two of them,” your life is never the same. Twins are double the fun and doubly amazing. Aside from the remarkable science behind them and the totally random happenstance of their creation, the very fact that two people can have identical faces and DNA is just miraculous. Here you have two babies who have spent nine months keeping each other company in the womb and then, upon being released into the world, continue to amaze all those around them. Parents of twins have reported identical sleeping positions, finding their twins sleeping in the same bed; As babies, when they would nap in the same crib, and even if they started out on opposites sides, they would always end up holding on to each other, most likely as they did in-utero.
Stephanie GladwellPublished 8 years ago in FuturismCan 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.
Christina AgapakisPublished 8 years ago in FuturismStar Trek Voyager's Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman maintains a reputation as one of our hottest and no holds barred comedians. She’s the gal with the chuckles, plus a definite point of view. With an attitude and an act ranging from no limits brashness to speculating on the very origins of the human race, Silverman’s comedy holds something outrageous or just plain out there for everyone. She’s now firmly ranked in the same rarified female, funny air as Kathy Griffin, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Ellen DeGeneres, and Roseanne Barr. Silverman is well known as a funny lady now, but back in the 90s, she was a serious scientist! Though only guest starring in a two part episode, she became an active part of UPN’s Star Trek: Voyager’s crew, as she fought the evil Ed Begley Jr!
Will StapePublished 8 years ago in FuturismCoolest Sci-Fi Armor
In the 1932 novel, A Conquest of Two Worlds, Edmond Hamilton faced the dilemma of humans surviving the crushing gravity of Jupiter. His solution was to don his adventures with an inflexible metallic clothing that supported them from the massive planet’s pull. Similarly, Robert Heinlein clad his warriors in an enhanced exoskeleton to battle alien bugs in Starship Troopers (1959). Building upon these foundations, technologically advanced armor—mechanical or organic in nature—is a staple of science fiction. Whether employed as a defense against super powered enemy attacks, or aggressive weapons of offense, sci-fi armor often an author’s solution of choice. Therefore, without further ado, we present to you our list of the coolest sci-fi armor of all time.
Richard HaynesPublished 8 years ago in FuturismSci-Fi Movie 'The Black Hole'
Ηe's portrayed Nazi butchers by the dozens, gangsters and conmen... With the sci-fi movie The Black Hole, actor Maximilian Schell added a mad scientist to his cinematic rogues gallery.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismGreatest Sci-Fi Authors of All Time
Readers of science fiction sometimes neglect to do our homework, don’t we? We fail, at intervals, to learn more about the creative geniuses slaving over their typewriters and keyboards to provide us with our daily amusement. That ain’t right! The greatest sci-fi authors have given us so very much, these authors; Through their painstaking labors, they’ve allowed us countless hours of reading pleasure as well as plenty of genre fodder to debate with our friends. Thus they deserve better. They deserve our respect, our affection, and for the intent of this article, a few moments of our attention as we rut around in their history to explore the factors and forces which forged them into the stars they became!
Matt CatesPublished 8 years ago in FuturismAmerica’s Election 2016—the Presidential Candidates & the Starship Captains
Politics… The Fantastical Frontier… These Are The Voyages Of Election 2016. Its Seemingly Never Ending Mission… To Explore Strange New Candidates… To Seek Out New Gaffes And New Attack Ads… To Boldly Go Where Nobody Politically Viable Nominee Has Gone Before…
Will StapePublished 8 years ago in FuturismBest Telescopes for Astronomy
Deciding which telescope to buy can often be confusing, especially if you are buying for someone else or if you're new to astronomy and are looking for something entry-level. Whether you're checking out some of the best astronomy books for beginners, or consider yourself an expert along the lines of the pioneers of astronomy, the guidance of this list of the best telescopes for Astronomy will demystify the key to choosing the perfect telescope for your price range.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in Futurism'Saturn 3' Was the Weirdest Sci-Fi Movie
In March of 1977, the late John Barry approached producer/director Stanley Donen with an idea for one of the weirdest sci-fi movies ever pitched, which contained elements of both the Frankenstein tale and the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Donen liked the idea and offered to raise the money for Barry to make the film. Donen then took the story to Lord Lew Grade and Martin Starger, whom he hoped would back the project.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismFunniest Sci-Fi Comedies
While there have been dozens of great science fiction dramas, sci-fi comedies are inherently harder to pull off. A writer and director have only a couple of hours to introduce a premise like time travel, lay out the rules and demonstrate how they work, and make it accessible enough to a general audience that the jokes actually land. That it isn’t as easy as it looks is evident from the number of mediocre and outright-terrible sci-fi comedies that litter the history of sci-fi film.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismGovernment UFO Cover Ups
Approaching the moon during America’s historic 1969 space mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin could hardly believe their eyes. As they squinted through the windows of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, each of them spotted two unidentified flying objects and what appeared to be a long cylinder hovering above the lunar surface.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismHow Star Trek’s Most Sexually Charged Movie Scene Was Nearly Lost
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock continued the original feature film’s loose trilogy started by Nicholas Meyer with Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982), and while it’s not as critically praised, it’s a landmark in Trek canon for several compelling reasons. Much is made over Spock’s ‘resurrection’ - after Leonard Nimoy was lured back to Trek’s fold with directing his first major motion picture –– but there’s an underlying texture of sexuality which nearly overshadows Spock returning to life. Indeed, the racy moment was initially deemed so risqué or plain silly, that Paramount Pictures executives nearly kept the sexually charged scene on the cutting room floor.
Will StapePublished 8 years ago in Futurism