Bill Webber

Bill Webber asked Neil deGrasse Tyson:

Gm Neil...in your opinion, what are "the best" sci-fi books for people actually trained in science? I loved "Contact" (of course) and recently did a google-search on my question above. As a result I'm currently reading "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin. FWIW my undergrad degree was in Physics/Astrophysics...

Neil deGrasse Tyson Three Body Problem is a good one. Don't forget to see my overview on the actual 3-body problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GfID...

Otherwise, I'm a bit old-school. Sci-fi seems to make great short stories. One from Isaac Asimov comes to mind: Nightfall (1941), and two from Arthur C Clarke: The Sentinel (1951) and the Star (1955), I think about those often, the first of which served as taproots for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Also, Philip K, Dick's Minority Report (1956) and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968), both of course becoming films, the second as Bladerunner (1982).

-NDT

More Answered Questions

Lisa Munroe

Lisa Munroe asked Neil deGrasse Tyson:

I'm curious what you'd think of microscopic aliens visiting earth? Other than bacteria or viruses catching a ride on a meteoroid to us, this idea may only be realized in the realm of science fiction. Still I think it's an interesting thought that a microscopic earth life form might have the scientific advances of another civilization shared with it while humans are too busy on their phones to realize it.

Joshua Cheng

Joshua Cheng asked Neil deGrasse Tyson:

what does science say about 42? In hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, it states 42 is the meaning of life. Could you use science to elaborate it more?

G.G. Melies

G.G. Melies asked Neil deGrasse Tyson:

Do you think there is a silent, stealth race between superpowers (maybe Jeff and Elon too) to get hold of Psyche 16 first?

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