Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction

by David Siegel Bernstein

Overview

If you've ever wondered how much real science goes into movies like Gravity, novels like The Martian, and television shows like Doctor Who, this is the book for you. Written by an author who is both a data scientist and a science fiction writer, this entertaining and accessible book uses popular science fiction movies, stories, and TV shows to explain the science behind popular narrative concepts like time travel, lightsabers, AI, genetic mutation, asteroids, cyborgs, black holes, alien invasion, the zombie apocalypse, and more. What could be a more fun way to explore the world of science than through its use-accurately or fantastically-in science fiction entertainment: movies, books, and TV shows? Learn about relativity through Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and the movie Interstellar; black holes and wormholes in connection with Contact and Planet of the Apes; theories about the origin of life as reflected in Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; computer science and artificial intelligence in reference to A.I. Artificial Intelligence; and much, much, more. Written with wit, clarity, and a great sense of fun, Blockbuster Science will inspire science fiction fans to get excited about real science while also putting an engaging pop culture spin on science for any curious reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633883697
Publisher:	Prometheus Books
Publication date:	10/10/2017
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

David Siegel Bernstein has written two science fiction novelettes and many short stories for various science fiction magazines and anthologies. He works as a managing consultant for BLDS LLC, where he applies mathematical and statistical modeling to discrimination and civil rights matters. He previously worked at LECG and the Center for Forensic Economic Studies in Philadelphia.

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction
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Excerpted from "Blockbuster Science"
by .
Copyright © 2017 David Siegel Bernstein.
Excerpted by permission of Prometheus Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"The book covers everything, with a truly encyclopaedic ability to fire example after example from science fiction to illustrate the science being discussed…. Because this book is all about the science of science fiction, there are examples that blur the line between the two and really capture the imagination…. If you are looking for a primer on a wide range of sciences and a wide range of science fiction, then Blockbuster Science is your hitchhiker’s guide.” —Nature Physics “David Siegel Bernstein’s charming and engaging book is a whirlwind tour of the mind-bending ideas and discoveries at the heart of modern science. Reality is often stranger than fiction; Blockbuster Science is a welcoming guide to anyone who wants to explore the ever-expanding boundaries between proven science and inspired speculation.”   —Andre Bormanis, television writer and producer, and science consultant for the Star Trek television and film franchise “It’s always scarier if it’s possible, and Blockbuster Science takes the ‘fiction’ out of science fiction. Brilliant, weird, and unnerving. Highly recommended!”   —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times–bestselling author of Patient Zero and Mars One

From the Publisher