Using the Program Guide of the World Science
Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland in August 2019 (to which I will be unable
to go (until I retire from education)), I will jump off, jump on, rail against,
and shamelessly agree with the BRIEF DESCRIPTION given in the pdf copy of the
Program Guide. The link is provided below where this appeared on page 5…
When scientists write science fiction
Write what you know. That bit of advice has
been handed down to new writers with great regularity, but what does it mean
for writers whose day jobs are in the science and technology fields? What
advantages or challenges do they face when writing with a science background?
What does it take to walk in both worlds?
Dr Douglas Van Belle: SF author, children’s author, and author of the
world's bestselling introduction to politics textbook.
Kali Wallace: PhD in geophysics, author of
speculative fiction, YA and children’s novels.
Corry L. Lee: science fiction and fantasy author, physicist,
award-winning science teacher.
Dr David L Clements: astrophysicist, SF writer.
OK – so I sort of know something about this, because I’m a scientist,
too. And an award-winning science teacher. Hmmm…WHOA! I wanted to see if I
qualified as a scientist and discovered that it all depends on WHO makes the
definition:
Merriam Webster – “…a person learned in science and especially
natural science : a scientific investigator.”
Wikipedia – “…someone who conducts scientific research to
advance knowledge in an area of interest…In classical antiquity…philosophers
engaged in…natural philosophy…[since] the 19th century (coined by the
theologian, philosopher, and historian of science William Whewell)…[today]…many
scientists have advanced degrees…and pursue careers in…academia, industry,
government, and nonprofit environments…”
The Science Council – “…someone who systematically gathers and uses
research and evidence, making a hypothesis and testing it, to gain and share
understanding and knowledge….[in addition, their]…use of statistics
(Statisticians) or data (Data scientists); what they’re seeking understanding
of…where they apply their science…However all scientists are united by their
relentless curiosity and systematic approach to assuaging it.” They DO note: “If
you’re professional scientist, click here to find out about becoming a
Registered or Chartered Scientist, Chartered Science Teacher, or Registered
Science Technician.” (https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-a-scientist/)
Maybe THIS is why we’re having so much trouble with “commoners”
connecting with the science community. The definitions are so different (and
even contradictory – according to the Science Councils first definition, I’m
not a scientist; but they toss me a bone in the addendum…
There’s even a separate classification called “citizen scientist”, defined
as “…public participat[ion of individuals who volunteer] in the scientific
process, addressing real-world problems in ways that may include formulating
research questions, conducting scientific experiments, collecting and analyzing
data, interpreting results, making new discoveries, developing technologies and
applications, and solving complex problems. In crowdsourcing, organizations
submit an open call for voluntary assistance from a large group of individuals
for online, distributed problem solving.”
I do NOT have any PhDs (though I do have a MS in School Counseling) and
30 or so years of teaching science, including several projects where I and my
classes gathered data for research organizations both public and private; and I
have participated in two studies – one regarding familial heart disease and one
as an experimental subject in a study looking at Vitamin D3 and the onset of
diabetes.
Am I a scientist? Some would say, “Yes!”; some would say, “Well…”; some
would say, “Absolutely not.” Citizen scientist, for certain.
So, would I qualify as a scientist writing SF? I think so. I use
concepts from current science sites as well as established classical science
and speculative science (FTL for example). For example, in a story in the
current issue of ANALOG, I posit genetic engineering advancing to the point at
which not only do we engineer Humans into what we want (Lois McMaster Bujold
did this with Taura in the VORKOSIGAN Universe), we manufacture entirely
unlikely life forms from a patchwork of unrelated organisms.
CHEAPALIN is made from the genes of different organisms:
Cellulose – “…[an] organic polymer or biofilm, a
syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and
often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy
extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substances
(EPS)…which are typically a polymeric conglomerations of extracellular
polysaccharides, proteins, lipids…”
Heme – iron “gripping” protein to hold the
metal in a stable matrix.
Eel – from electric eel cells to create a current
passing through the iron microfines.
Ameba – allow the generation of a heavy “shell”
protecting the surface.
Peat moss – survives well in wet soils and also
produces oxygen and absorbs water, the
cells create a tightly knitted organic pad to hold the CHEAPALIN components
together.
Alfalfa – bacteria in the roots fix nitrogen in
the soil rather than the road depleting soil beneath it.
Achromobacter –marine members of this species are capable of
degrading hydrocarbons. While they lack some important enzymes related to
glycometabolism of carbohydrates, they contains abundant proteins directly
related to petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5552670/)
Leukocytes – a cell circulated in the body that “eats”
foreign substances; all are amoeboid with a nucleus.
Iron microfines – microscopic iron bits
Notothenioidei – fishes able to survive Antarctic water
temperatures because of the presence of an antifreeze glycoprotein in blood and
body fluids.
Noctilucan – a costal bioluminescent species consisting of
one member (that glows when disturbed).
“Once they begin to grow, they’re programmed to organize into layers,
some metabolizing the asphalt’s hydrocarbons, enhanced chlorophyll and alfalfa
genes creating energy through photosynthesis and roots that grow through the
road to return nitrogen to the soil and pull up micronutrients. A
semi-transparent cellulose skin protects the whole thing while remaining flexible.
The Notothenioidei genes keep cellular fluids from freezing during Minnesota
That was the science. Has it been done? Nope – but the Human insulin my
wife used to take is “…biosynthetic recombinant ‘human’ insulin or its
analogues. Recombinant insulin is produced either in yeast (usually
Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or E. coli.” Relatively speaking, it’s an easy
process. Engineering/synthetic biology is “…the ability to genetically modify
biological organisms [in order to]…to harness the power of living systems for a
variety of manufacturing applications, such as advanced therapeutics,
sustainable fuels, chemical feedstocks, and advanced materials. To date,
research in synthetic biology has typically relied on trial-and-error
approaches, which are costly, laborious, and inefficient.”
It is “now mature enough to provide solutions to a range of societal
problems…” in such ways as creating “Genetically engineered trees that provide
fire-resistant lumber for homes. Modified organs that won't be rejected.
Synthetic microbes that monitor your gut to detect invading disease organisms
and kill them before you get sick.” (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190619134832.htm).
A review of the story noted, “It's hard to accept the premise of a
living chunk of road wandering off in search of iron, but the story is a
pleasant enough thing to read, if you don't take it too seriously.” Which is
fine – no beef from me!
HOWEVER, as a scientist (at least a citizen scientist), I believe that
our ability to create something like CHEAPALIN is virtually certain, especially
in the eventual post-petroleum world (for which I created my chimera-creature).
I DID have the pleasure once of instructing a student who recently got his PhD in
physics with his doctoral thesis: “Elucidating the structural dynamics of
SERCA-PLB regulation by electron paramagnetic resonance”; as well as and
another who presented a few years ago on the subject of “The effect of Garcinia
kola extract on the T-cell composition and
function in experimental type 1 diabetes”. She has since entered her
PhD program…
So, I had a small hand in fostering two “real” scientists; I know of at
least two other MDs who also passed briefly through my science class. Does that
make me a scientist? Not, but it certainly makes me an ACCESSORY to a scientist!
The session would certainly have been interesting, but its value for me
has been in sparking deep thought about me and my role in the world of science.
One last thought, I HAVE seen at least one scientist who became an
award-winning writer succumb to the opinion that anyone who ISN’T a PhD on his
level is an idiot – and who has, after allowing his politics to completely
overtake his “story”, dropped off the map of “award-winning” scientist/SF
writers…
A cautionary tale if ever I saw one.
Program Book: https://dublin2019.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ProgrammeScheduleWeb.pdf,
https://dublin2019.com/whats-on/programming/programme-schedule/
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