A SCIENTIFIC PRIMER

WORDS: DR STUART CLARK

GETTY IMAGES X2, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, NETFLIX X3

T HIS MONTH, A NEW TV ADAPTATION OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST (AND ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE) SCI-FI BOOKS FROM THIS CENTURY L ANDS ON NETFLIX. IT’S A THRILLING STORY ANCHORED BY IDEAS AND BREAK THROUGHS FROM THE CUT TING-EDGE OF SCIENCE AND TECH. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN’T READ THE THREE -BODY PROBLEM YET, HERE’S A GUIDE TO THE SCIENCE ON SHOW

THE SOURCE MATERIAL

The sheer scale of Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body Problem and its two sequels, The Dark Forest and Death’s End, is extraordinary. Known collectively as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, it’s a masterpiece of science-fiction story telling in which the Universe itself is as much a main character as the humans, aliens and artificial intelligences that the readers encounter.

From the detection of an extraterrestrial signal to the eventual fate of the Universe, Liu’s story is both an exuberant investigation into the cracks that have appeared in modern science and an exploration into the unexpected grandeur of the Universe that our most current theories seem to have revealed. He then mixes in a solarsystem’s worth of ‘what ifs’ to bring it all to fictional life. Originally published in 2006 as a serial in the Chinese magazine, Science Fiction World, it became an instant classic. Although it appeared in book form in China in 2008, an English translation would have to wait until 2014, but its impact was immediate as it won the Hugo Award – the Oscars of the science-fiction literary world – for best novel.

Cixin Liu, the Chinese author of the masterly sci-fi novel, The Three-Body Problem

Now, it has been turned into a Netflix television series by David Benioff and DB Weiss, the creative pair behind the wildly popular Games of Thrones adaptation.

One of Liu’s greatest talents has been exploring ideas that were emerging in the popular-science zeitgeist. For example, a reason why the tiny micro-animals known as tardigrades, or water bears, are so fascinating is their ability to dehydrate in times of hardship. Liu expanded on this ability and made it the defining characteristic of an intelligent race central to his story.

He also honours great works of science popularisation. The classic 1962 book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, is something of a catalyst for the events of The Three-Body Problem. Carson’s book was an exposé of the environmental harm caused by artificial pesticides in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was instrumental in fostering the environmental movement in the United States and bringing about the ban on the infamous pesticide DDT in the 1970s.