this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2026
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[–] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 26 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Science fiction is full of examples like that, because it's authors extrapolating what future science might look like. Sometimes they make accurate predictions, and sometimes, their predictions are the reason the technology is developed in the first place!

Communications satellites, mobile phones, robots, video chat, the internet...

All of them appeared in science fiction long before they actually existed!

As for how many of them exist because of the science fiction? Who knows... I don't think it's even possible to know, because so many scientists become scientists after growing up on science fiction, and at that point, the lines are pretty blurry :)

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

A lot of sci-fi authors research real science for their stories as well. So they write about something that builds on reality then engineers and scientists read their stories and push reality further.

[–] Patnou@lemmy.world -2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Wish the medical industry did that.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not quite...science fiction writers are often close to scientists and get ideas from them. Not the other way around.

Most sci-fi writers read Science and Nature journals.

[–] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

Sure, when they're adults, the science fiction writers get ideas and knowledge from the scientists. But when they're kids, before they become a scientist, those future scientists (and future science fiction writers) are often exploring their love for science through the medium of science fiction! And those visions of possible futures that those kids encounter shapes the perspective they carry with them in to adulthood