Today on Fact or Fictional, Veronica talks to Dr. Ronald Mallett about technology based upon a ring laser's properties within the context of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. What does that mean? TIME TRAVEL! We look at the time travel showcased in the movie Looper and try to figure out if it could ever be real.
Veronica talks to Dr. Tomas Cizmar from the University of St. Andrews about tractor beam technology.Dr Cizmar is currently developing a miniature version of a tractor beam together with his colleagues from the Institute of Scientific Instruments in the Czech Republic. Don't worry, you won't be beamed by aliens anytime soon... well, we hope not!
Could virtual reality be the next big thing in gaming? What would it look and feel like anyway? Veronica headed to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco to find out and try out the Oculus Rift. The virtual reality helmet is getting a lot of buzz for what it will bring to the gaming experience. Watch Veronica try it out and chat with Oculus founder Palmer Luckey on Fact or Fictional. You might notice the show's new look. What do you think? Let us know!
Veronica chats with dragon expert, Professor Peter Hogarth from the University of York, UK, about the possibility of dragons ever existing and how dragons have been incorporated into culture, from creation myths to HBO's hit series, Game of Thrones. I mean, Komodo Dragons are a thing... but will they ever fly and breathe fire? Find out!
Fans of HBO's hit show Game of Thrones will quickly tell you that "Winter is coming." It's a mantra used on the show to predict extremely long, Ice Age-style winter seasons, sometimes lasting over 20 years. Could we ever see these kinds of extreme, extended winters in real life? Veronica visited the Exploratorium in San Francisco and chatted with planetary physicist Paul Doherty to figure out if our own planet could endure such bitter seasons. Is winter coming for us? You may be surprised.
How realistic is Iron Man's suit? This week is very exciting to finally have the one and only, master of mods and tech builder Ben Heck, on the show. Ben and Veronica discuss all the crazy features of Tony Stark's superhero suit as well as similar suits of armor being tested by the US military. Could we soon see an army of soldiers in Iron Man suits? What will the Iron Man suit look like in upcoming movies? All that and more
Can learning kung fu with be as simple as a brain download away like in the popular movie The Matrix? Neo sure made it look simple as he seemingly defied gravity battling Morpheus mid air. Is there any truth to the technology? Will we ever be able to download a skill directly into our brain without breaking a sweat? You may be shocked at the answer. Watch and find out!
On this episode of Fact or Fiction...what was I talking about again? Veronica gets a chance to sit down with Anthony Carboni to discuss the possibility of amnesia in movies like Memento, Finding Nemo, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Can we completely forget who we are? Watch and find out!
It's 2154, the world is in ruins, and the privileged live in...space? This is the case in the new Neill Blomkamp film, Elysium. Today Veronica talks with Space Habitat designer Kristian Von Bengtson about Elysium, and the Stanford Torus design it is based on. Find out if a Stanford Torus is in our future!
Is the chemistry genius Walter White really all he is cracked up to be? Veronica Belmont gets a chance to sit down with chemistry PhD Jovana Grbic and find the truth behind Breaking Bad's chemistry! Is Walter's RV jump starting trick actually possible? What's the deal behind exploding fulminated mercury? Watch and find out!
With growing numbers of Closed Circuit Surveillance cameras, do you know who's watching you? This week Veronica speaks with security consultant Aditya Sood about CCTV technology, as seen in the upcoming conspiracy thriller, Closed Circuit. Find out if CCTV is as widespread as it appears, and who is actually watching!
Is it possible for all male mammals to go extinct? What's threatening the Y chromosome? This week Veronica speaks with science author Sam Kean about this concept from the graphic novel, Y: The Last Man. Find out if something could really rid the earth of all male mammals...except for one man and his monkey!