Sci Fi

First there's news of a real-life Star Trek Tricorder, and now our science fiction fantasies continue to become reality with word that scientists in Scotland have created their own version of Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver, the device he uses to scan alien beings to check their universal origins and get out of his infamously sticky situations.

Researchers from Dundee University created a machine that uses an ultrasound transmitter to rotate an object rather than just push it, similar in theory to how the Doctor's screwdriver uses sonic waves to manipulate objects. Scientists have long believed ultrasound beams could be used to lift an object but just had to find a way to bring the physics theory to life. The abilities to twist the waves used in medical ultrasound activities could make the science more effective, changing the course of surgical procedures.

The scientists hope the new discoveries in ultrasound beams will be used towards noninvasive ultrasound surgery and manipulation of cells; while Doctor Who fans like myself just want to one day pick up a sonic screwdriver at a store and move along with saving the universe.

Photo Source: Doctor Who Facebook

This month the American Library Association updated its list of frequently challenged books for the 2011 year, and one wildly popular novel is making its way up the rankings of this infamous list. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which first appeared at number five of Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books in 2010, is now third on the list for attempts to remove its contents from school curriculum and library bookshelves. The complaints against the books include text that is anti-ethnic and anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult scenes, and violence.

Despite First Amendment protection, banning or attempting to challenge books has a long history, with many cases even making it to the US Supreme Court. As the American Library Association explains: "books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Science fiction and fantasy books often contain these themes that some find questionable, whether it's alien life forms, magical powers, or mystical worlds. In honor of Banned Books week, we're rounding up the most challenged science fiction and fantasy books according to the ALA. Browse the list below!

• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling — The stories of the wizarding world are seen by challengers to have occult and violent themes.
• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer — Its movie stars may provoke pandemonium, but critics of the book say it's too sexually explicit.
• His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman — The series beginning with The Golden Compass is often decried for its anti-religious viewpoints.
• The Giver by Lois Lowry — Despite the book's message of freedom of choice, criticisms are made for the fictional dystopia's bleak family outlook.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — Offensive language, racism, and insensitivity are often cited in challenges to the future dystopian novel.
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury — The tale of a future world where the printed word is banned and systemically burned was criticized for offensive language.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle — Children's search through space and time for their vanished father is often challenged for the inclusion of supposed witches.

Follow the break for more challenged books of the last 20 years.

Fans at the weekend's Doctor Who Convention were the first to get a look at the trailer for series seven, and thankfully now we can all share in the sci-fi magic. Watch as The Doctor winds up in an American-style Western complete with a sheriff badge, a pistol-wielding Amy Pond, and yes, even a Stetson-clad Timelord. Watch a preview of what appears to be the most explosive Doctor Who episode yet below!

Want to a Death Star to call your own and to preside over galactic domination? That'll be a cool $852,000,000,000,000,000. According to a group of Lehigh University economics students who calculated the total, that's 13,000 times the world's entire gross domestic product.

The student team researched all necessary business practicalities in determining the real-world cost of the Empire's famous weapon. The Death Star's size and mass was compared to a modern-day battleship since they would both be built of steel. A planet-sized weapon like the Death Star is estimated to be much, much larger than a naval ship on Earth. Plentiful raw material is crucial for Death Star fabrication — however, finding enough steel on this planet is unlikely. According to the Lehigh students, at today's steel production rate, it would take over 833,000 years to produce enough to steel to start the project.

Thankfully, for those on the side of the Rebel Alliance, the Death Star remains a work of fiction.

Picture Source: Etsy User Harshness

Does sitting down with your favorite sci-fi novel, fantasy movie, or comic book sound better than dropping a boatload of cash on a Valentine's Day dinner date? You're not alone. These 10 geeky date ideas are two things — awesomely cheap and easy to pull off for your kindred sci-fi and/or fantasy nerd. Cheers to you!

1. Throw a Star Wars party for two.
2. Make some Lembas bread together and watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
3. Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
4. Bake some geeky sweets using Star Wars-themed cookie cutters.
5. Gift a geeky cookbook and try out a recipe together.
6. Create your own cocktail and top it off with nerdy ice cubes.
7. Take in a killer sci-fi classic at your local drive-in.
8. Make a pink Captain Picard cake to celebrate Valentine's Day and your mutual love for the captain who is number two in your heart.
9. Make some Earl Grey tea and watch a Star Trek marathon.
10. Rewatch the first season of Game of Thrones or start a book club for two and reread the series together.