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How could Doctor Who influence space exploration?

by Josef Kafka

Time and space, exploring the beyond and uncovering the big secrets of the Universe; these are some of the fundamental mysteries sitting at the heart of science's quest for knowledge and discovery. One question raised time and again is, how much does science fiction drive the search for scientific fact? When does fantasy bleed into reality?

The longest running TV science fiction series is Doctor Who, the BBC institution which has enthralled and entertained viewers since 1963. But over all these years, how much influence has the show had on real life science, and where possibly could inspiration be taken from the regenerating Time Lord in the future?

Sonic screwdriver

The Doctor's trusty sonic device has been with him for large parts of his travels – effecting sound waves to do anything from opening doors and breaking glass, to defeating Cybermen and Daleks. 

In real life, scientists have been able to go a long way towards recreating the Time Lord's tool of choice. A clever band of physicists from the University of Dundee have taken equipment which was originally designed for use in ultrasound surgery and created a DIY sonic screwdriver.

They demonstrated it by using a beam of sound to lift a 10cm rubber disk – proving the theory that this was possible, as well as exciting Whovians around the globe that maybe one day, car and house keys will be replaced with a sonic device which can also be utilised in the event of alien attack. We won't hold our breath just yet, though.

TARDIS

The Doctor's trusty ship, the TARDIS, is famously bigger on the inside that it is on the inside – a useful feature which anyone would love to call upon when extended family come over to stay.

But is this possible in real life? In the TV show, this is explained as the inside of the spaceship being in 'another dimension'. Differing dimensions are a subject found in theoretical science, but it will certainly be a long time until physics is able to utilise them to improve the storage in your car boot, or how much you can carry in your rucksack.

Weeping angels

Don't worry: you won't find the actual weeping angels in real life – a statue is not going to come to life and attack you when you're not looking!

No, the real science here is the ability to stop a process under observation. The weeping angels' ability to never move (become quantum locked) when being looked at is replicated by Uranium, or indeed other unstable particles.

The particles do not decay when observed – and no-one yet has the faintest clue how this happens. Really cool science though, which won't scare you half as much as a weeping angel.

So Doctor Who can be seen as more than just a televisual phenomenon. Both influencing science as well as having much in common with scientific thinking and discovery both theoretical and physical, The Doctor – famous for his thirst for knowledge and discovery – would be proud.

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