Science fiction remains an alien dimension of the history of science. Historical and literary studies of science have become increasingly attentive to various "literary technologies" in scientific practice, the metaphorical features of scientific discourse, and the impact of popular science writing on the social development of scientific knowledge. But the function of science fiction and even literature as such in the history of scientific and technological innovation has often been obscured, misconstrued, or repudiated owing to conventional notions of authorship, influence, and the organic unity of texts. The better to address those close encounters where scientific practice makes use of speculative fiction, this essay proposes that we instead analyze such exchanges as processes of appropriation, remixing, and modification.
Due primarily to technological advances over the last decade, quantum research has become a key priority area for science and technology policy all over the world. With this manifesto, we wish to prevent quantum technology from running into fiascos of implementation at the interface of science and society. To this end, we identify key stumbling blocks and propose recommendations.
Green nanotechnology promises high-tech solutions to global ecological challenges. Focused on environmental risks and economic growth in the here and now, the promotional discourse of green nanotechnology firmly rejects science fiction. However, the extent to which green nanotechnology forecloses science fiction actually impedes its own green aspirations. Drawing on the novels of Kim Stanley Robinson—particularly the Mars trilogy and the Science in the Capital trilogy—this essay proposes that the successful confluence of environmental politics with molecular science (green nanopolitics) depends on practicing science fiction in the real world, cultivating a green futurity already in the present.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.