Writer Ted Chiang on AI and grappling with big ideas
Ted Chiang was recently awarded the PEN/Faulkner Foundation's prize for short story excellence. He sat down with NPR to talk about AI, making art and grappling with big ideas.
science fiction
Could 3 Body Problem's aliens exist? The science behind Netflix's new hit
Before the '3 Body Problem' became a bestselling book and a smash TV show ... it was a physics concept, with big implications for how we understand planetary orbits. In this episode, we learn about the science behind the screen. Plus, why it's plausible a nearby, mysterious planet could hold life.
This story is part of Short Wave's Space Camp series about all the weird, wonderful things happening in the universe —check out the full series.
Curious about other science behind the things you love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
This story is part of Short Wave's Space Camp series about all the weird, wonderful things happening in the universe —check out the full series.
Curious about other science behind the things you love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 is a classic sci-fi adventure
Beloved characters and eye-popping special effects return in this adventure-of-the-week format.
Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA crashed into an asteroid to test planetary defense
NASA successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in a test of planetary defense. Now it will determine whether the mission was able to alter the asteroid's course.
NPR's Petra Mayer receives posthumous science fiction award
NPR Books Editor Petra Mayer posthumously receives the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Review: 'Horizon Forbidden West' brings a personal saga to a primal post-apocalypse
A personal journey underpins a new video game about a post-apocalyptic American West reclaimed by nature and stalked by bestial robots.
'Becoming Superman' Chronicles The Life And Career Of J. Michael Straczynski
While the prolific Hollywood writer's career is well-documented, his personal history has been a mystery. His memoir is painful and inspiring, infuriating and full of hope, humorous and depressing.
Once 'Ball Lightning' Gets Rolling, This Sci-Fi Mind-Bender Shines
The novel is Chinese writer Cixin Liu's first in English since his "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy. And that series' radical creativity returns in this tale of scientific striving — eventually.
Artists And Criminals: On The Cutting Edge Of Tech
Sci-fi authors like William Gibson foresaw what the Internet would bring. Inspired by their visions, NPR's Laura Sydell set out to see what artists and criminals think about and do with technology.