Case Study A Theory Of Love: De Clérambault's syndrome In McEwan's Enduring Love When reading fiction, the reader prepares to experience a product of the author's imagination, including characters, encounters and locations that do no exist. When reading fantasy and science fiction, we expect to be
Atoms Three Quarks For Muster Mark! What's in a name? The naming of scientific principles and discoveries can be a challenging one. The need to convey concise information through a name must be balanced with the likelihood that the
Astronomy Path Of The Valkyries The aurora has long been a source of myth and legend, a mysterious light show in the heavens. There are still aspects behind this phenomenon that are a mystery and its infrequent appearances
Bioengineering Ghost Heart Decellularisation methods could provide organs to relieve an over-subscribed waiting list for solid organ transplant and reduce the demand for immunosuppressive drugs. (This is an abridged version of an article I wrote in
Ghosts Unfinished Business Many of us, at some point in our lives, have witnessed a 'ghostly' encounter. It may have been resolved - revealed as the trailing fingers of a tree's branches in the wind, or
Bioengineering Community, Identity, Stability - Social Control In Huxley's 'Brave New World' Ridley Scott has had a successful relationship with Science Fiction, notably through the 'Alien' series and his adaptation of Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' into the cult-classic 'Bladerunner'. He has
Supernatural Devil On Your Back - Sleep Paralysis Have you ever woken to find you're unable to move or call out, maybe with the feeling that there is someone else in the room? If so, you may have experienced a condition
Bioengineering Growing Meat In A Laboratory, Part II This is Part II in a series of articles about in vitro meat and how it has been portrayed in fiction. You can find Part I here, or jump straight in if you're
Bioengineering Growing Meat In A Laboratory, Part I We live in a world of injustice, where millions of people in the Western world are overweight and suffering from related health problems while millions more are starving. Farming of livestock is criticised
Alternating Current Concerning Tesla Last week saw the commemorative birthday of a man who has made many invaluable contributions to science, yet was sadly poorly recognised for his efforts during his lifetime. The 10th July 2014 marked
Harry Potter Of Sirens And Selkies, Part II This is Part II of an article covering the science of mermaids. In Part I, I noted the depiction of mermaids through history and identified some biological features of humans that would help
Atmosphere Conquering The Red Planet Dutch Project ‘Mars One’ has gained media attention recently for its ambitious plans to colonise Mars in just under a decade’s time. (Please note that this is an abridged version of an
Harry Potter Of Sirens And Selkies, Part I All the prominent creatures of mythology seem to go through a period when they are in vogue, usually thanks to a YA (Young Adult) readership providing a cult-like and enthusiastic following for a
Advanced Technology Es Gibt Ein Haus In New Orleans - If The Axis Powers Won, Part II Following the discussion in Part I of alternative history games and novels that depict a world in which the Axis powers won World War II, I intend to investigate the reality of German
Kate Atkinson Es Gibt Ein Haus In New Orleans - If The Axis Powers Won, Part I If anyone has wondered why the blog, and 'Novel Ideas' in particular, has been quiet over the past couple of weeks, my only excuse is that I was taking a break, over which
Science Fiction Welcoming A Children's Laureate An average day working at the Scottish Book Trust feels like quite an indulgent and exciting experience, as I get to talk about, and encourage other people to get involved in, two things
Aldous Huxley My Kindle May Start Accumulating Dust... For quite some time I've been in possession of a Blackwell's gift card but haven't been in an area with a branch locally. So during my lunchbreak from work at the Scottish Book
Astronomy Summer In The Seven Kingdoms To inhabitants of George R R Martin's fictional world of Westeros, the seasons seem to hold not just practical, but symbolic significance. The Starks repeat ominously that 'Winter is Coming' and the ruling
Attractor Beam You Left Spacedock Without A Tractor Beam? Tractor beams have been a common feature of science fiction literature and films for most of the last century. Popularised by images of the Starship Enterprise grasping an enemy ship with beams of
Antarctica Rivers Of The Underworld At the edge of the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of East Antarctica can be found a phenomenon so striking in appearance that it would appear to be a feature only
Dracula Vampires Will Never Hurt You Depictions of vampires over time have ranged vastly, from a decaying zombie-like figure kept alive only by draining the life force of other beings, to the dangerously intelligent and charismatic vampire of modern
Atwood Playing Prometheus Bioengineering has experienced vast developments in recent years, providing solutions to a number of real-world problems. Genetically-modified crops can help solve food shortages, gene therapy has been instrumental in providing relief for sufferers
Tolkien The Tinkerbell Deception Having followed the fairy fire in last week's post, it's time to come face-to-face with the creatures behind the Will-o'-the-wisp. Depictions of fairies in recent popular culture have been preoccupied with the plausibility
Tolkien Following The Fairy Fire Ghostly lights witnessed only in the dead of night around swamps and marshes are the type of sight that would naturally prompt supernatural or magical explanations, especially in a time before science could
Atmosphere Permission To Land Dutch Project 'Mars One' has gained media attention recently for its ambitious plans to colonise Mars in just under a decade's time. On the 11th Jan this year, it was announced that 3