Re: It is not just Physics that Should be Hard in Hard SF

On 10/7/2024 11:43 AM, Don wrote:

Ahasuerus wrote:

Robert Woodward wrote:

I think authors mess up biology quite often in Science Fiction/Fantasy.
For example, IMHO, genetic engineering will be much more difficult than
some authors assume because an individual's DNA isn't the blueprint but
the assembly instructions.
>
Also, I have seen stories where advanced bio-technic civilizations use
bacteria (or multicellular organisms) to wreck havoc on our type of
technology. Essentially, they are speeding up rust and other forms of
degradation by one or more orders of magnitude. This, unfortunately,
requires one of more orders of magnitude more power at the cellular
level (probably greater amounts of stored energy as well).
>

The other day a PharmD wrote
(https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/1fj0aon/books_that_feature_speculative_but_accurate/):
>
science fiction ... is very sophisticated when it comes to
engineering, astronomy and physics, but when it comes to
biochemistry, medicine and pharmacology, I've yet to encounter
any fiction that gets it right.
>
My response was:
>
Are you, by chance, familiar with Knoll's Law of Media Accuracy
(https://effectiviology.com/knolls-law/):
>
everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true, except for
the rare story of which you happen to have firsthand knowledge
>
or the similar Gell-Mann amnesia effect
(https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_Amnesia_effect)?

 Robin Cook's mentioned at the reddit link. My followup pertains to Cook.
 Edgar Allan Poe (EAP) invented.....

[snip]
Cook is a trained M. Have you tried F.Paul Wilson's medical-related thrillers? He's a DO.
__
Kevin R
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