Only Red Herrings

  O ver the years, our understanding of the universe has changed drastically with every scientific breakthrough paving the path to a clearer picture.  Even today, there is much left to be known about our cosmos.  But that’s of no consequence to our illustrious poets, writers and artists. They have the creative freedom to imagine a world which defies the laws of physics and can weave countless stories around it, turning it into a legend. Venus is one such world. Venusian Knowledge Today Today, any six-year-old would be only too happy to regale you with their knowledge of earth’s twin sister.  Venus is the second planet from sun, they would tell you, with an all-knowing smirk, and it’s the hottest planet in the solar system, with a thick atmosphere full of carbon dioxide.  Oh, and don’t you try to visit it, they add, warningly. It’s very unsuitable for life. Why does the six-year-old know so much? It’s because space agencies from around the globe have contributed ...

T eleportation is an essential element of pop sci-fi, simply because we can all agree that waiting for our protagonist to travel for centuries across galaxies to fight the final battle would be quite a drag. Today, this fantastic form of transport is found amply, especially in video games, where they are often referred to as “Warps.”  Wormholes are also picked as a convenient way for the bedazzling protagonist, but that’s a story for another day. The roots of teleportation, at least as it was first introduced to mankind, lies in the fantastical realm of imagination. Imagination! Tachypomp, and other books The first written mention of our hero can be found in a 1874 book, ‘Tachypomp’ where the titular device makes matter travel at an infinite speed. In 1877, The Sun published a short story from this very book called, The Man Without a Body, in which Edward Page Mitchell writes about ‘matter transfer’. A man apparently discovers how to rearrange the atoms of his cat’s body and send ...