Welcome back to another edition of our Science Behind the Sci-Fi newsletter!
With 6 month’s now behind us, we wanted to thank all of you for your support over as we got the Science Behind the Sci-Fi section of the company off the ground! Our mission of making science accurate games is important to us, and we really want to share the science behind them with our fans. So it really wouldn’t mean anything without people like you. Our audience group continues to grow due to all of your efforts to share us with your friends. Please help continue this by tweeting about us and sharing news from us on Facebook.
To all the first time readers out there, the goal of this newsletter is simply to highlight the science related activity behind the creation of the Science Fiction video games being developed by Broken Crown Games. We really appreciate everyone taking the time to read our stuff, and encourage everyone to jump on our forums and help in the effort of making science accurate games by simply chatting in our general discussion section. So without further delay, lets get this newsletter started!
Continuing with the trend from the last two newsletters, lets start with some special news:
- First off, let me name drop a little, and say I had the chance to have drinks with Buzz Aldrin this month! The unique opportunity came about during a black tie event in Washington, DC, which was put on by the Federation of Galaxy Explorers. And let me say, Buzz has some style! Sporting a maroon suit with a bow tie made of twisted metal – very cool.
- Also, our Astrobiology panelist, Jacob Haqq-Misra, has been working closely on the Lone Signal project, which after much effort has finally launched this month. So congratulations to all that contributed to that project, and for those of you that haven’t heard what it is, go check it out. The project gives anyone and everyone the chance to create a customized message that gets sent into space!
- Another cool update is that Robert Hampson, our Neuroscience panelist, is at it again! This month he was interviewed by podcast The Future and You. Take a listen!
‘Science Behind the Sci-Fi’ Panel Overview
- Science Focus: Paleobotany
- Author: Jamie Boyer
- Overview: Jamie takes a look at the root systems of early plant life on Earth in order to explain the important role root systems will play when attempting to grow plants on other planets.
- Up Next Month: How Plants Survive, Part 1: Leaves & Stems
- Science Focus: Neuroscience
- Author: Robert Hampson
- Overview: Robert continues to the second of three posts on the hypothalamus. This month, he breaks down the hypothalamus into its different regions and their respective functions.
- Up Next Month: Hypothalamus SSI: The Self-Healing Ability
- Science Focus: Astrobiology
- Author: Jacob Haqq-Misra
- Overview: In our sci-fi story, Saturn’s moon of Titan has become a habitable planet. So this month, Jacob focuses in on what is necessary to make that possible.
- Up Next Month: Titan’s Subsurface Oceans
- Science Focus: Astrophysics
- Author: Amitai Bin-Nun
- Overview: In the Broken Crown universe, human civilization decided to spread out across numerous worlds to prevent a species extinction due to a single cosmic event. This month, Amitai continues his ‘Dangers of Space’ posts with a focus on the potential dangers of asteroids and other near-Earth-objects (NEOs).
- Up Next Month: Dangers of Space: Stellar Life Cycles
- Science Focus: Physics and Science Journalism
- Author: Kate Greene
- Overview: Join Kate as she describes her experiences from inside the HI-SEAS, after 2 months in seclusion with only her 5 other crew members. Listen to her story as she tells you what its like inside a Mars simulation experiment.
- Up Next Month: Scott Viguie, also know as Dr. Geek, uses his PhD in Archeology and applies it to the science behind our game’s science-fiction!
This Month in Science
Just like last month, there are a ton of great things to showcase, and so few spots to highlight it all. Here are our selections for this week’s featured science news:
- After Amitai’s post above, I thought it was worth showcasing this article, which talks about NASA’s new mission to find ways to prevent asteroids from killing live on Earth, and their asking for your help. Help NASA stop killer asteroids!
- Just 22 light-years away (fairly close), scientists discovered 3 new planets in a stars habitable zone!
- One cool bit of news from our friends over at Astronaut.com is a video of flight engineer Karen Nyberg (currently on the International Space Station) talks about here work, as well as how her work effects her family.
- As a biomedical engineer with a degree in nanofabrication as well, this last bit of news is something I’m extremely excited about! All that ‘hypothetical’ organic chemistry has finally been proven correct after scientists uncover a way to see atomic structures!
Science Behind the Sci-Fi 