Science fiction (sci-fi) concepts are those ideas that sound so far out or impossible to be true, such as parallel universes and time travel. Science follows strict rules to be considered a science. However, these very same laws also seem to allow these far-fetched sci-fi concepts, at least in theory, to be true. Here are some of the sci-fi concepts Live Science listed that could be possible in the real world.
1. Warp Drive
Artist's illustration of a warp drive.
An essential requirement for space adventure stories is the ability of characters to go from point A to point B at speeds faster than the light. According to NASA, people's attention started to turn to how the speed of light can be beaten after scientists have discovered a way to beat the speed of sound. Unfortunately, "Warp Drive" remains speculation to this day.
But writers of "Star Trek" perhaps saw a loophole in the cosmic speed limit, which inspired them to write about it in the novel and movies. Albert Einstein once explained that space could be distorted. Perhaps if the space around a ship is manipulated to subvert the speed limit, a warp drive could be achieved.
2. Wormholes
Another way of space travel is using wormholes as described by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity, Live Science reported. The theory said that two distant points in the universe could be connected in space or time via a tunnel called a wormhole. Ideally, it is shorter than the actual distance of those two points to make it some kind of a shortcut.
It is a common staple in sci-fi concepts that captured the imagination of many. Although scientists have deemed it highly unlikely, some scientists have come up with a way to construct a wormhole that is an improvement from previous theories. They said it could be possible that there are wormholes in the universe, but humans should find it using the new generation of gravitational-wave detectors.
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3. Teleportation
Human teleportation only exists in sci-fi movies and novels. For instance, characters in the Star Trek series would say the catchphrase "Bea me up" when they wish to be transported to other places and back to the Starship Enterprise. The series is portrayed as a convenient way of transporting people.
But in real-life settings, scientists just achieved another form of teleportation. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), teleportation is now available in the subatomic world of quantum mechanics. But instead of the teleportation type shown in the media, teleportation in the quantum world involves the transportation of information and not of matter.
4. Time Travel
Time travel via time machine has always captured countless science fiction writers. But this concept inevitably raises many logical paradoxes like the one in the "Back to the Future" movies. These paradoxes have made time travel an impossible concept, Live Science reported.
On the other hand, some scientists explained that physics dictates that it is possible to travel back when space and time are treated as a space-time continuum in which the two are inextricably linked. They said time could be distorted in the closed timelike curve, which means an object must spin fast enough that it will fold back the time and be able to time travel, at least in theory.
5. Parallel Universes
The Marvel franchise is one of the most famous science fiction series that uses the concept of parallel universes in which superheroes live in a whole multiverse of universes.
Today, many theories support the concept of parallel universes beyond our own. According to Space.com, the mysterious process of inflation and the Big Bang have made some scientists think that there could be multiple universes out there. But there could be no way that these universes can contact each other.
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