Doctor Who is not COMPLETELY fictional

Image from wikipedia.com

This article covers arguably one of my favorite topics to swoon over-Doctor Who.  I will be completely honest in saying that my intense interest in studying the solar system and beyond came pretty much single-handedly from watching Doctor Who (and maybe a teensy bit by my mom making me watch old Star Trek re-runs with her when I was a kid…).  So it’s been fun for me to gain a lot more “science-based” understanding of the universe that, in my mind crazy David Tennant-filled dreams, was filled with aliens from all over the universe both time and space-wise attacking our home planet of Earth.  Now that I now a bit more about astronomy, I was curious about how accurate my favorite show was in describing some scientific phenomena.  While I know that alien life hasn’t been discovered yet by scientists here on Earth, I was hoping at least some other aspects of the show were factual and not telling lies just purely for entertainment.

The article above confirms my hope!  Obviously, in a show that has aired over a span of 50 years, the science discussed on the show will advance as the knowledge astronomers gain increases/changes, but this article discusses some notable accuracies in the topics discussed in the series.  From discussion of the Big Bang, formation of our moon, and dinosaur extinction among many other topics, there is some serious science talk going on, which is accurate as far as scientists know!  This makes me feel a bit better about indulging in hours and hours of Netflix watching of my favorite shows, knowing that I am getting at least a bit of real science in the midst of a lot of science fiction.

Some pretty extreme(“ophiles”)

Image from wikipedia.com

That above picture is of a water bear, one of multiple really cool extremophiles discussed in this article.  The article makes a really cool comment about how we are lucky that water bears, and the same probably holds true for other extremophiles as well, are so small.  Otherwise, it is likely that these creatures would rule the planet.  They are nearly invincible it seems, being able to withstand such extreme conditions.  The water bear specifically can live without food or water for 120 YEARS.  Humans on average can’t even LIVE 120 years total, let alone go that long without food or water.  They can withstand pressures grater than six times those found in the oceans, can survive happily at temperatures just barely above absolute freezing, and can also withstand radiation to levels hundreds of times higher than humans can.  The article even says that these creatures can survive in the vacuum of space.  NOW I see why we wouldn’t want these creatures to be any bigger than the half a millimeter they are..without a doubt they would rule our world and possibly many other worlds in our solar system.

This was just the coolest and most extreme creature this article mentioned, but there are many more too!  Including ones that thrive in environments filled with sulfur and emit seriously acidic waste products.  Discovering creatures like these sure changes my view a LOT about how we define life and the possibility of finding it on other planets!