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About This Quiz
There's a startling amount of technology out there that was actually conceived of by a science fiction writer. You're probably going to touch at least one device today that some marvelous nerd read about in Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, or Issac Asimov and said to him or herself, "You know, there should really be a real version of that!"ÂÂ
From the 3D printer to instant messaging to the heads-up display to a rather new heat ray (thankfully non-lethal in its current iteration), there are all sorts of devices around us that entered a fiction writer's imagination before they were made flesh.
Doctor Who is no exception. Even though it relies on an awful lot of "bad" science - something that inherently afflicts any show that has time travel as a major plot point - it's not actually all as magical as it looks. Some of the technologies used by the Doctor are plausible, even if they weren't when the show first aired in 1963.
That means it's time to find out if you can identify them! Is the sonic screwdriver just a fun gimmick, or a real device? Could a room be bigger on the inside? Might we cause a crack in space-time? It's time to find the answers.
The Flux Capacitor
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
The Flux Capacitor, while alluded to in the Doctor Who episode The Shakespeare Code, does not appear in Doctor Who, nor does it have any basis in science.
Chameleon Circuit
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
Indeed, the Chameleon Circuit, famously broken on The Doctor's TARDIS, is a thing of fiction, until he breaks through the barrier between worlds to enter ours.
A bit of each
Neither
The Planet Gallifrey
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
In 2013 Kepler 47 system's planet HD 106906 B was found, a planet orbiting around two suns. There was a petition to name the planet Gallifrey.
Neither
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Time and Relative Dimension In Space
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
According to the very real, and very ironically named scientific paper Traversable Achronal Retrograde Domains In Spacetime (TARDIS), the TARDIS of Doctor Who is at least scientifically possible, if implausible.
Neither
FTL Engine
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
FTL engines (or drives) appear in the Canadian science fiction show Dark Matter, and are neither on Doctor Who, nor are they based in any real science.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol
Definitely science
Hypertext transfer protocol is "an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, and hypermedia information systems." It's represented by HTTP:// at the left side of your web browser's URL window.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
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WOTAN Computer System
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
The idea of WOTAN may have been science fiction in 1966, but since then artificial intelligence has become a very real thing, with AIs building other AIs; breeding in effect.
Neither
The Cybermen
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
While organ transplants and bionic body parts are very real, the wholesale replacement of the human body and diminishing individualism, as a result, are a Whovian invention.
A bit of each
Neither
Sontarans
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
While non-human bipedal aliens who speak English are scientifically possible, they are highly unlikely.
A bit of each
Neither
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A sonic screwdriver that can control machines
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
While the sonic screwdriver of the Whovian universe can modify and operate nearly any device, there is a sonic screwdriver IR remote that can be set to control any device that uses infrared signals to operate it.
Neither
Pocket universes
Definitely science
Indeed, inflationary theory and pocket universes originate in science, not Who.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
Quark Star
Definitely science
The concept of a collapsing neutron star turning into a star made of Quarks, the constituent parts of neutrons, is from theoretical physics, not fiction.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
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Nanogenes
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
While nanomachines are theoretically possible, they don't exist quite like this yet.
A bit of each
Neither
The Medusa Nebula
Definitely science
The Medusa Nebula is planetary nebula on the edge of Canis Minor, in the constellation of Gemini. It's real.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
The Medusa Supernova
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
The Medusa Supernova is totally made up. It exists in neither science, nor the Whovian universe.
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The Medusa Cascade
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
The Medusa Cascade sits at a rift in space and time, and is the site of many battles between the forces who would dominate all of reality. It's not real, and it's from Doctor Who.
A bit of each
Neither
"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Scientists have shown that there is actually a space-time fabric to the universe and that if it bends far enough, time travel is possible, meaning that time is not necessarily linear but is more of a big ball of... well you get the idea.
Neither
The bees are disappearing!
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
While the disappearance of bees on Doctor Who may be colorful, in reality, colony collapse disorder may be the result of bee-illnesses due to certain pesticides, an incursion of invasive species, and the transportation of varieties of bees to far-flung parts of the world they did not come from.
Neither
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TARDIS Translation Circuit
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Google Pixel Buds can do this, and while they don't do it as well as the TARDIS, it's a massive first step.
Neither
Binary Vascular System
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
While very few people have ever been born with two hearts, certain heart transplants are done by grafting a new heart onto a partially functioning old one, giving the patient two hearts.
Neither
A crack in space-time!
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
According to string theory, the fabric of the universe could actually have tiny cracks in it, but it's nothing to worry about because they would be very small, and even a big one might not actually affect anything.
Neither
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The Pandorica Paradox
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
This is actually a writerly paradox, one that exists because plot demands The Doctor get out of the Pandorica, and has no basis in science.
A bit of each
Neither
Etheric Beam Locators
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
In the first Doctor Who Red Nose Day Special "The Curse of The Fatal Death", The Master explains that the Daleks' bumps are etheric beam locators, and so he had two grafted onto his cheat. These things are totally fictitious.
A bit of each
Neither
Iron Catastrophe
Definitely science
The Iron Catastrophe was the time during the formation of The Earth, when the iron descended into the core of the planet.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
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Thorium
Definitely science
Thorium has been a reactor fuel for ages but was never fully embraced by America because it has no use for making nuclear reactions, only power stations.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
Robot Dogs
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
While K-9 could do a lot more than just walk on four legs, scientists have built quadrupedal robots, a huge step towards walkers that could take the place of wheelchairs, jeeps, and stretchers.
Neither
Gondwanaland
Definitely science
Gondwanaland is the scientific term for the super-continent that existed in prehistory before continental drift started.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
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Emesis
Definitely science
Emesis simply means the act of vomiting, and is not some foreign planet of ant-people.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
The Invisible Enemy
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
While The Doctor's brain was infected with a brain parasite that had to be confronted by miniaturizing his companion, real brain parasites can cause personality changes as they consume brain tissue.
Neither
Zectronic Energy Beam
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
The word Zectronic doesn't really mean anything.
A bit of each
Neither
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Scientifically speaking, words are the same as numbers.
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
In The Shakespeare Code, The Doctor and Martha Jones meet The Bard and the Carrionites, a race of aliens who appear as witches and use words for their science, as opposed to math, making it a form of science that appears as magic. Still, their big spell references the numeric coordinates of their homeworld.
A bit of each
Neither
The Bootstrap Paradox
Definitely science
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
The Bootstrap Paradox or Causal Loop is a paradox theoretically caused by time travel. The example given by The Doctor is a music lover traveling back in time to have Beethoven sign a book of his music, only to find that Beethoven never existed. The book of music is cast aside, found, and thus the world gets the music of Beethoven, but that, of course, begs the question, where did the music come from?
Neither
Enema Pan Beetle
Definitely science
Indeed, this beetle is a real thing named by Johan Christian, an 18th century etymologist.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
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Borborygmus
Definitely science
Borborygmus is just a fancy word for the sound made when your stomach is grumbling.
Certainly of Whovian origin
A bit of each
Neither
You Got:
/35
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