Community Contributor

BuzzFeed

Can you tell which words are Science and which are Fiction?

Science Fact Or Fiction?

Though a popular go to for sci-fi writers, a tachyon is a real particle in physics that always moves faster than the speed of light. It was named by physicist Gerald Feinber in 1957.

Tachyon

A geodyne was a space craft engine in Jack Williamson's 1936 novel, The Cometeers.

Geodyne

A cryostat is a device used to maintain samples or devices at low (cryogenic) temperatures of -238°F (-150°C) or lower. This is most commonly achieved by using a fluid bath such as liquid helium.

Cryostat

A Topopolis was conceived by Pat Gunkel and mentioned by Larry Niven in "Bigger than Worlds" and is a tube-like space habitat, rotating to produce artificial gravity on the inner surface.

Topopolis

An ansible is a device used for instantaneous communication across the distances of space which first appears in Ursula K. Le Guin's novel Rocannon’s World. She derived the word ansible from the word 'answerable'.

Ansible

Also known as "self-replicating programs", a quine is a computer program which takes no input and produces a copy of its own source code as its only output. The term "quine" was coined by Douglas Hofstadter in honor of the philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine.

Quine

A vortex tube, or more specificaly a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, is a mechanical device that separates a compressed gas into hot and cold streams. The device has no moving parts and the the hot and cold stream can reach temperatures of 200°C and 50°C respectively.

Vortex Tube

Fuligin is a material the color of which is blacker than black featured in The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe.

Fuligin

Positronic fist appeared in Isaac Asimov's robot short stories in 1939 to describe the brains of artificially intelligent robots. At the time of writing the positron was a newly discovered particle and so the buzz word positronic — coined by analogy with electronic — added a contemporary gloss of popular science to the concept.

Positronic

Morphogenetic refers to the biological development of normal organic form in an embryo. Morphgenesis is one of three fundamental aspects of developmental biology along with the control of cell growth and cellular differentiation.

Morphogenetic

About BuzzFeed Community

Community Brand Guidelines

BuzzFeed Community

Sorry, this content is <i>no longer</i> supported.

BuzzFeed Community Guidelines

BuzzFeed Community Leaderboard

BuzzFeed News has breaking stories and original reporting on politics, world news, social media, viral trends, health, science, technology, entertainment, and LGBTQ issues.

All the best animals on the internet. The snuggle is real.

BuzzFeed has breaking news, vital journalism, quizzes, videos, celeb news, Tasty food videos, recipes, DIY hacks, and all the trending buzz you’ll want to share with your friends. Copyright BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.

BuzzFeed News | Breaking News | Original Reporting | News Analysis

Animal Pictures and Videos - Adorably from BuzzFeed

Name

Thanks for subscribing!

Stay up to date with our latest BuzzFeed video. Enter your email to subscribe!

Oops! Upload an image or add text to submit.

BuzzFeed has the hottest, most social content on the web. We feature breaking buzz and the kinds of things you'd want to pass along to your friends.

Science Fact Or Fiction?

Share This Article