The Self-Styled Sci-Fi Supermen of the 1940s
Way before there were stans, there were slans. Too bad about their fascist utopian daydreams!
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Build Mental Resiliency in Young Readers
Science fiction offers readers a way to rethink social dilemmas.
Ray Bradbury on War, Recycling, and Artificial Intelligence
As the 21st century unravels, Ray Bradbury remains a fundamental figure of the sci-fi genre.
How Local TV Made “Bad” Movies a Thing
Weekly shows on local TV stations helped make the ironic viewing of bad movies into a national pastime.
“Mad Meg,” the Poet-Duchess of 17th Century England
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, shocked the establishment by publishing poems and plays under her own name.
Can Science Fiction Predict the Future of Technology?
Science fiction isn’t limited to predicting tech developments: It’s more broadly concerned with imagining possible futures, or alternative presents.
Socialist Sci-Fi Reimagined the Future
The 1960 East German film The Silent Star provided a significant cautionary tale for the Cold War era.
The Woman Behind James Tiptree, Jr.
James Tiptree, Jr., was a beloved sci-fi writer known for masculine prose and universal themes. Then her real identity was revealed: Alice Bradley Sheldon.
The Truth about Laser Guns
The U.S. and most other large militaries have been trying to develop laser weapons for decades. Has China created the first portable laser gun?
Remembering Stephen Hawking and Future Science
An original essay about the science of the future by the late theoretical physicist.