In 1964 the film director Stanley Kubrick wrote to Arthur C Clarke asking if he had any good ideas that would help Kubrick to make the "proverbial good science-fiction movie". The end result was 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most admired and influential films ever made. Science fiction it might have been, but Star Wars or Star Trek it was not. All the same, the year 2001 entered the public consciousness just as surely as George Orwell's 1984 had done. More than three decades on from its first release in 1968 - the year before the first Moon landings - the public's fascination with space has waxed and waned, and waxed again, while physicists have shown no sign of tiring of science fiction.
Indeed, it is now possible to study for a degree in science and science fiction. Rest assured that this degree course at the University of Glamorgan in the UK does not involve watching videos and reading SF novels all day (note that science-fiction buffs do not approve of the term “sci-fi”). Rather the course involves modules on science – such as stars and stellar evolution, quantum mechanics and the like – and complementary modules on science-fiction themes that “focus on the relationship between science, culture and society”. As Brake writes: “Our aim is to produce graduates who not only have a dynamic and pluralistic understanding of the nature and evolution of science but can also critically develop and communicate ideas about science and its cultural context.”
The cartoon series The Simpsons – which features the adventures of Homer Simpson, an accident-prone safety inspector at a nuclear-power station, and his dysfunctional family – is certainly part of our cultural context as we enter 2001. Stephen Hawking has called The Simpsons “one of the cleverest shows on television”, and has even “appeared” in an episode. In his article, Robert P Crease analyses how science is presented in the programme, including the episode in which Homer’s underachieving son Bart spots a comet heading for Springfield, their home town.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, astronomers and space scientists have yet to find any evidence for Earth-bound comets, or anything resembling what happens in 2001, but they have made impressive progress in finding planets orbiting around stars other than the Sun. In his feature, Andrew Collier Cameron reports how some 50 giant planets have now been detected outside our solar system. So far, none of these planets resembles our Earth – indeed, it is not surprising that most resemble Jupiter, which is much larger and therefore easier to spot. However, there are ambitious plans on both sides of the Atlantic to use networks of infrared telescopes in space to search for Earth-like planets.
But what of any intelligent extraterrestrial life trying to make contact with us? Well, we are not trying too hard to make contact with them – save the message plaque that Carl Sagan designed for the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, or the movie Contact. However, spare CPU capacity on desktop computers all over the world is being harnessed to search for extraterrestrial intelligence in radio signals arriving from space as part of the imaginative SETI@home project (setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/).
Stanley Kubrick’s last film was called Eyes Wide Shut. As the space-science community enters 2001, it is clear that it has its eyes wide open.
Down to Earth physics
Back on planet Earth, meanwhile, physicists continue to apply their skills to a wide range of challenges in industry. In this issue you can read about ultrasound in the brewing industry (see article) and how road safety could be improved by including sensors in car tyres (see article). The careers article about healthcare (print version only) confirms the range of opportunities available to versatile physicists.
