Science Fiction - Scene From The Future

 

A scene from the future!

“Nowhere!” 

Cried Saabir and he dashed into the underground enclosure. There he incessantly started screaming again: “Nowhere, nowhere, not even a trace today. It is nowhere!”

With these words, still hanging on the edges of his lips, he held a hand that stretched out from the first row of the crowd that had gathered around him, and gradually he pulled her towards him. And she too with gradual steps got closer to him, and both of them embraced. Then Saabir addressed the crowd with these words, that he spoke with tremendous control over the rate at which the words poured out from his mouth.

“The lake is there but the fresh water is nowhere! What shall we drink now and how will we find another fresh water source or an alternative that will compensate for this loss?”

On hearing these words the crowd sighed almost univocally, “With no water anywhere, what shall we do?” 

Moreover, with very low annual rainfall, there seemed little hope to replenish the lost and their only source of freshwater. In 2075 this is a common scene in human communities across the world.

But sometimes, science fiction novel-like ideas can be real saviours and in case of Saabir and his community, at least it is the only reality that offers them a second chance in the extremely hostile world. Where water is the new gold.

In 2075, Global warming is at its peak and the heat of the sun easily crosses 50 degrees mark on the mercury- In most of the places. Including many regions in Europe and America as well. But, like they say there is a flip side to everything. It is the same with Global warming too. 

It is due to the rising temperatures that few highly innovative scientific ideas have become possible and are the logical foundation of smart cities and smart technology in 2075, that is reinventing scientific concepts at a dramatic scale.

Saabir and his team are spearheading this movement of scientific change, where preservation of Earth’s ecosystem is the primary goal, and promoting lifestyles that support coexistence of humans with the Earth’s ecosystem that supports other life forms, including trees as well, is the sanctum of this premise of thought. Aimed at reviving the lost or depleted oxygen rich ecosystem of Earth.

Listed below are a few concepts that Saabir and his team are working on to build the smart cities of 2075 and beyond.

CONCEPT 1

1- Breathing oxygen

It is a well established fact that global warming is a direct outcome of increased levels of CO2 gas in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide that is responsible for trapping heat, results in direct increase of heat due to the increase in CO2 levels.

But Saabir and his team see it as an opportunity, a sort of blessing in disguise. 

Wondering how?

Carbon dioxide is a combination of a single Carbon atom that combines with two Oxygen atoms. That means, every CO2 molecule offers the potential to cultivate two Oxygen atoms. 

But how can we achieve this, can we replicate a photosynthesis-like energy generation model of plants and trees, and use similar chemical reactions to generate oxygen?

Is it doable, or is it a secret chemical reaction that can only be catalyzed by plants and trees?

Is growing trees the only solution?

Too many questions, and they shall remain questions with no answers as long as we do not try and possess the courage to fail. Because if we try and fail we at least know it does not work this way, and we should adopt a different approach. 

Based on their strenuous and mentally gruelling research, Saabir and his team have worked out a miracle-like scientific solution to this problem- By developing smart cities that breathe. Here is the best part, they breathe out oxygen, and that too in huge quantities.

Covalent bonding in Carbon Dioxide

Both Carbon and Oxygen are tugged in the eternal battle to achieve a stable valency. Perfect octet state i.e. 8 electrons in outer shell.

And here is where the real magic happens.

Carbon has 4 outer shell electrons and it needs  4 more to achieve the octet state.

Whereas.

Oxygen has 6 outer shell electrons and needs only two to achieve octet state.

As a result of this requirement to achieve octet state, two atoms from carbon bond with oxygen atom, as a result oxygen achieves 8 electrons in the outermost shell.

This bonding helps oxygen to achieve its stable state or so to say, a happy state. But the question is, can it be happier or is carbon atom unhappy, when it forms covalent bonds with oxygen? 

Because bonding between atoms to form molecules is like a relationship, where both have to contribute equally in order to achieve that perfect state of happiness. But when it comes to this bonding, the carbon atom is pulled by Oxygen to satisfy its need for stabilising its outer shell with 8 electrons. But what about Carbon? It is still unhappy and if its requirement to stabilise its outer shell by gaining 4 electronics is met, it will achieve the happy state that oxygen enjoys in CO2 molecules.

“Are you getting my point?”

This was Saabir’s question to his team and his girlfriend. And they all nodded their heads, until one of the excited team members asked him to explain it further.

Saabir is a strong proponent of artificially engineered atoms. By investing in this technology he proposes to react the artificially engineered atom with the CO2 molecules, whereby, a new reaction would lead to the release of Oxygen atoms and the Carbon atom will bond with this artificially engineered atom. Wherein the nature of the engineered atom will be neutral, and it will imitate the properties of the oxygen atom, but when it bonds with Carbon, it will not change the makeup of Carbon atom as such, it will only make it believe it has achieved valency of 8 electrons, with minimum changes to its basic structure. Therefore, the new molecule that gets created due to this reaction, will be like a free radical with neutral existence. It will have a pseudo existence of a CO2 or any other molecule, but in actuality it will just be an atom of carbon.

But for this reaction to take place, light and heat are needed and this is where Saabir has worked out a way to catalyse this reaction via precision engineered glass that is used on window panes, rooftops; and with sunshine and heat abundantly available in 2075, Saabir proposes to use these glass windows to work as leaves on plants and generate oxygen.

However, he still wants his team to think of better alternatives, that would ensure the byproducts of this reaction are not harmful in any way, and the smart glass windows, also need a sensor based trigger, through which they sense the concentration of CO2 in the outer ecosystem, and based on this calculation, these glasses trigger or block the reaction to generate oxygen. Because releasing too much oxygen into the atmosphere can have many negative impacts, It can cool the Earth to such an extent that fruit and crops that take 3 months to ripen will take more than 8 months to ripen, and few may never ripen at all. And there are many other hidden repercussions that can be devastating if not considered at the very outset.

Saabir knows this is something that still needs a well established POC ( proof of concept ) but according to him and his team, in nature there are many instances which prove it is possible to generate engineered atoms and molecules. Because in the end bonds are like human relationships, and atoms like human beings are hungry for bonds where interests of both are met. Based on this logic, he feels it is possible to create an atom, that will be like the holy grail of all atoms known to modern day Chemistry, because it will be the true “God Particle” that can infiltrate any molecule and achieve desired or engineered bonding to completely change/neutralise the nature of the molecule, with or without overhauling the structure of the atoms.

And this is a possibility that cannot be denied, many experts of chemistry may reject a concept of this sort, not because it breaks any laws of known chemistry or physics, but purely because it ventures into chemistry that is extremely brave and adventurous.

But a mind with evil intentions can create negative elements from anything, no matter how positive the scientific idea is. Similarly, chemistry which is brave and fresh like this concept, can easily be misused.

How?

Simple. I can take this God particle, infiltrate it into a particular region, and I can alter the very makeup of that ecosystem. Where now every Oxygen atom will be nothing but a Carbon Monoxide molecule. When that happens you can imagine what could be its repercussions. It will be warfare with God like powers designated to anybody with the know-how of this technology.

That is one reason, Saabir has not yet disclosed the main principle that would support this kind of reaction and create a precision engineered glass that breathes out oxygen just like leaves- And only a city with these features shall qualify to be the smart city that indeed is smart.

A city where a stream of water passes through the main park and where families have flower pots and few vegetables growing in earthen pots, is not a smart city. It is just a city that is mocking the very title, “smart city” because in a smart city even waste water is utilised, and nothing gets wasted. Just like the living creations in nature. 

If we look at nature, it is only humans who produce waste that is not biodegradable or waste that is harmful for the ecosystem. A smart city that is truly smart should be like a living organism fashioned based on the principles of nature, where God is the smart creator, and indeed God is smart. That is why the Holy Bible and the the Holy Quran refer to God as “all knowing.” And maybe it is this belief of the scientists too that echoes in their naming of the most mysterious particle of the universe, “The God Particle.”

And I think God is exceptionally smart, and no AI or quantum computer is capable of fathoming this level of intelligence, because God is selfless. And humans……… Hnmmmmn. I will let you decide that, because The Holy Bible says, “do not judge anybody, that is only for the God to decide.” So I will let every reader of this blog be a judge who does not judge others, instead, he/she judges his/her own self. By means of slight introspection, and I am sure if they do it well and with honesty, we will be able to reverse Climate Change and Global Warming as well. Because only then the universe shall unlock bigger mysteries and allow us to play God, on a trial basis at least. 

And maybe, manufacturing precision engineering and chemistry based smart glasses will be the first step in this direction.

CONCEPT II

Smart clothing. Although this is being tested and applied to manufacture nano technology based  clothes. Saabir wants to take it to the next level. 

Saabir and his team believe that smart clothing too is an integral component of an authentic and original smart city.

I am sure you remember the movie After Earth, where Will Smith and his son play the lead roles.

After Earth

After Earth Video on Smart Clothes

Now please do not tell me that you did not notice the smart clothing that reacted based on the external stimuli- When Will Smith’s son is cast against the bare elements of the alien planet, where everything wants to kill him.

Now you must be thinking that it was just a science fiction movie where anything is possible. But Saabir and his team believe concepts like this are possible in reality as well.

Humans have 5 senses that work as input channels for the brain. Based on the inputs received from these 5 senses, the human brain then produces a reaction that gets translated into action or a palpable reaction via the human body. And smart clothing should be able to simulate this logic.

Anyway, now let me get to the main point.

I am sure you are aware of the main groups of heat-resistant alloys: high chrome nickel austenitic alloys, also known as heat resistant stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, cobalt chrome nickel-based alloys, and molybdenum titanium alloys.

And Liquid helium that has a boiling point of -452 degrees F below zero; it is the coldest material known. It is also the only material on Earth that never exists as a solid, only as a cryogenic liquid and as a gas.

Now imagine a smart clothing based on nanotechnology that weaves two layers:

1- When the sensor embedded in smart clothing senses heat , it activates the heat resistant alloy as an active layer over the smart clothing, and the person wearing the clothing feels cooler

2- In extreme heat, the sensor triggers a micro thin layer of helium with an insulator base, so that it does not freeze the human body.

Now that is really smart. Isn’t it!

And smart clothing with these capabilities will be smart in the true sense of the phrase "smart city". Until we do that, let us continuously work to make our cities smarter and better to cope with Global warming, while reducing their carbon footprint to net zero.

Achieving a net zero level of Carbon footprint is possible only if we implement smart concepts without ignoring any component involved in the development of final product. We need to consider every part of the chain that contributes to the development of a smart city. It even includes considering where the labor force needed to build the smart city lives. If they live in traditional cities where the carbon footprint is skyrocketing, then the smart city where they are employed is not smart at all. Moreover, all humans are equal and we all should have access to fundamental joys that are necessary to lead a happy, fulfilling and comfortable life.

Saabir still cries, "nowhere nowhere!" But he does not stop there because he wants to reach somewhere, with his community and his girlfriend. And his belief that good change is always possible, only if we are not residing with people who fail to realise that the word "Impossible" actually means: IM Possible!

And as the writer of this blog post, and as a fond reader of science fiction novels, I side with Saabir and his community of men and women, who believe in God as much as they do in the God particle. Where the known normal is manipulated to achieve a still unknown reality called net zero carbon emissions. By employing technology that takes human thought into a zone where breeding concepts, like the ones discussed by Saabir with his team, can be accomplished.

But thank God, Saabir is not alone.

Concepts like decarbonising aviation are already gaining popularity.

And in my science fiction novel, They loved in 2075, I too have attempted to create a storyline that revolves around the essence of this blog post. It asks a few bold and direct questions that we ought to ask now. How will humans experience love in 2075? This science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075, navigates through the possibility of men and women falling in love with machines, without knowing they are robots imitating human emotions. Will you still dare to fall in love in 2075 or will you strive to tell the difference between a human lover and a robotic lover?

This Sci-fi novel tells the story of a man who falls in love with a real woman in 2075. And how he struggles to feel human and keep his emotional composition intact.

This Sci-fi story also aims at revealing why the man chose to love a real woman and not a never ageing and always beautiful woman with synthetic feelings. In 2075, this might be a choice we all will have to make. Especially our children!

And to achieve this level of foresight and innovation, it is important to step off the catwalk prompted science and innovation, because the true vogue of boundary smashing science lies in first thinking, and then doing the impossible. And trust me, it is possible, only if we dare to reinvent the ramp of scientific thinking for that perfect catwalk of science driven thinking!

So I present to you the ramp, in the form of these extremely challenging, but achievable concepts, and I offer you absolute freedom to invent your spell binding catwalk, and leave the community of pessimists stunned and wonderstruck.

Be the showstopper that you are born to be!