Putting the “Science” into “Science Fiction” – Virtual Reality

 Virtual reality is a common fact of life in many works of science-fiction, allowing people to enter into a computer-generated world and interact with it as if the virtual world was just as authentic as the real one. The simulated worlds these virtual reality (or VR) systems create are often

Putting the “Science” into “Science Fiction” – Fusion Power

 The modern world runs on electricity and the demand for power continues to grow every year. As demand grows the non-renewable resources we rely on, mainly fossil fuels, are used at an accelerated rate while the production of renewable energy has not increased as quickly as people hoped. Scientists are

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Ultra Boy

 Ultra Boy is a character from the DC Universe's Legion of Superheroes, a group from the 30th to 31st centuries who solve crises in their own time and sometimes travel to the present when modern superheroes are outmatched. One of Ultra Boy's primary powers is his ability to see through

Harper Government’s Disdain For Science

 In recent years, science in Canada has come up against an increasing disdain for evidence-based decision making and a disappearing commitment to transparency. In brief, evidence-based policy-making in Canada is under attack and it is orchestrated by our own federal government. In the absence of evidence, government policy is increasingly

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Thor

 Humanity has been fascinated with the awe-inspiring power of lightning since its earliest days, a fact that is clearly illustrated by the Norse peoples having a deity specifically dedicated to lightning and thunder. The modernized version of this character, Marvel's Thor, is an important and powerful member of the Avengers

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Hover Vehicles

 Hover vehicles have shown up in many works of science fiction and taken many forms, including the hover tanks of the Battlezone series, Halo's motorcycle like Ghost, and the well known Snowspeeders from Star Wars. Although they are portrayed as being used in different roles and being built with different

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Professor X

 Professor Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, is the founder of the Marvel X-Men team and is one of the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel universe. Telepathy is the ability to perceive another person's thoughts, often by hearing or seeing them, and is a fairly common ability in

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Wolverine

 Wolverine is one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes, and is one of the few widely known superhero characters who hails from Canada. Although Wolverine is famous for his claws and adamantium skeleton, his most impressive power is his ability to rapidly heal from almost any injury. Wolverine's "healing factor" goes

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction”: Plasma

 Much like lasers, plasma weapons are a staple of modern science fiction that rarely have a description of how they work. The plasma mentioned throughout science fiction is nothing like that described in medical television shows, and is commonly considered to be the fourth state of matter, alongside gasses, liquids,