The world of science fiction has shown us many wonders: alien intelligences; faster-than-light (FTL) travel; dematerialisation transporter devices; bigger, brighter, louder weapons; machine intelligences taking over the world; Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming a successful U.S. politician… This list barely scrapes the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the developments shown in what we consider to be science fiction are quite clearly preposterous and might more properly belong in the realm of fantasy. To the best of scientific knowledge, it is never going read more