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How Science Fiction Informs and Inspires EMSO Innovation

September 24, 2025 · 55 min

Show notes

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller looks at innovation in EMSO and how ideas get from whiteboard to the battlefield through a new lens: science fiction.


Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, tells host Ken Miller that scientists are indebted to science fiction writers, as the genre gives people interested in science and technology a way to theorize about promising technologies years, decades, or even centuries in the future.


She says the genre is an incubator for new ideas and has led to innovative breakthroughs from scientists like physicists Richard Feynman and Kip Thorne. Beyond its scientific impact, the genre also allows cultures from all over the world to see the real world as one of possibility.


To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

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