And now, a few items to prove that real science is overtaking
science fiction at an astounding rate.
Remember that scene in the episode of Star Trek, The
Original Series, when Captain Kirk steps to a bank of receptacles in the
wall and orders a chicken sandwich and coffee from the replicator (only to be
served a plateful of fluffy Tribbles)? Well, a similar food reproduction system
may be coming to an automat near you (without the furry interlopers, of
course).
 |
| So close to replicator tech--just leave out the tribbles. |
Catherine Lamb reports in TheSpoon.tech
that the Israeli company Redefine Meat has developed a 3D printer that can produce
a beef-like meat substance from plant-based materials. The company can build
the printer for the relatively low cost of $100k. The idea would be to sell the
machine, then supply the buyer (food distributors or producers, for example)
with plant-based material packs to make the meat products. Currently Redefine
Meat is focused on beef, but is researching how to create tuna, pork and other “flavors”
as well.
Why stop there? “Replicated” vegetables and grains would be
just as desirable in space, or even in isolated environments on earth where
storage and/or refrigeration space is at a premium—the research stations at Antarctica,
for example, or on remote islands. And imagine the advantages on the International
Space Station, or if we establish an outpost on the moon or on Mars.
Of course, we Trekkers are not surprised that the writers
who envisioned the cellphone, the iPad and the MRI would inspire yet another
tech marvel. But, hey, I never really thought I would be clairvoyant
when it came to the science in my books.
My Interstellar Rescue series characters use a
system of stable wormholes to get around the galaxy. The entrances/exits to
these tunnels in space/time are called Jump Nodes in the books and act on
surrounding space like mini-black holes. In the series, one of these Jump Nodes
exists on the very edge of our own solar system, hidden from our technology, but
making Earth an easy target for the slave-trading bad-guy aliens.
 | |||
| A stable wormhole--the jump node method of interstellar travel. |
Well, guess what? Scientists have found a mysterious object
they have tagged “Planet 9” in the outer reaches of our solar system. Some
scientists believe the object may be what is known as a “primordial black hole,”
that is, one formed in the aftermath of the Big Bang. The hole, if it exists,
may be no bigger than a bowling ball and would not be detectable by visible-light
or infrared telescopes. Scientists arguing for the existence of the object base
their hypothesis on anomalies in the orbits of asteroids, comets and other
bodies beyond Neptune, according to the report in NBCNews.com.
The only problem is, no primordial black holes have ever been seen before,
though they theoretically might exist.
An alternate explanation would be that a huge, undetected
planet is causing the gravitational variations. Says a coauthor of the study,
James Unwin of the University of Illinois at Chicago, “The discovery of a giant
planet in the outer solar system would be an extraordinary discovery. But the
discovery of a primordial black hole would be immense and even more
spectacular.”
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAYS TO MY CO-BLOGGERS
Congratulations to both Sharon
Lynn Fisher for the debut this week of The
Absinthe Earl (The Faery Rehistory Series Book 1) and to Laurie Green
and her co-authors for the fabulous success of Pets
in Space® 4. If you haven’t gotten your copies of these great books (one a
fantasy/alternate history romance, the other a continuation of the SFR series),
better get in line.
Cheers, Donna
Information for this post drawn from: "Redefine Meat Raises $6M for 3D Printed Meat Alternatives." by Catherine Lamb, TheSpoon.tech, September 11, 2019.
As Spock would say, "Fascinating."
ReplyDeleteAnd between our two series, this solar system certainly has its share of stabilized inter dimensional phenomenon. :)
P.S. Forgot to say, thanks so much for the Book Birthday wishes. Pets in Space 4 has certainly exceeded all expectations for us authors, and judging from the early feedback, for the readers, too.
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