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Courtesy Paramount Pictures Time's arrow: Thanks to a pumped-up "3-D fax machine," a group of whiz kids takes a quantum leap to 14th-Century France in Timeline.
Like it or not, Michael Crichton is teaching Americans about science, even if we don't all read his books. The Jurassic Park-size genius has a knack for casting emerging technologies in novels that ultimately get made into cinematic thrillers – from The Andromeda Strain of 1971 to Timeline, which hits theaters November 26. Timeline vividly depicts the allure of quantum computing and the exploration of parallel universes, giving viewers just enough hard science to seed party conversations with impressive tidbits. But Crichton is a cautious evangelist: Each of his tales is a sermon on the law of unintended consequences. Like Bill Joy, whom he's name-checked in interviews, Crichton sees a future forged equally by the hand of man and the hammer of the gods.
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Prey (movie in 2005 or later, based on 2002 book) THE PLOT: Predatory swarm of microparticles wreaks havoc
THE SCIENCE: Nanotech, genetic engineering, self-optimizing software agents
ARE WE THERE YET? No. Molecular assemblers are still just in petri dishes. But keep an eye on Zyvex's NIST ATP project (www.zyvex.com).
FURTHER READING: The Foresight Institute's clearinghouse of nanotech news, Nanodot.org
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Timeline (movie in 2003, based on 1999 book) THE PLOT: Students travel through space and time to 14th-century France
THE SCIENCE: Quantum computing, parallel universes
ARE WE THERE YET? No one has built a useful quantum computer yet – though early versions are out there (squint.stanford.edu).
FURTHER READING: A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to a Quantum Computer, by George Johnson
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Jurassic Park (movie in 1993, based on 1990 book) THE PLOT: Dinosaurs bred from prehistoric DNA escape island theme park
THE SCIENCE: Genetic analysis, cloning, chaos theory
ARE WE THERE YET? Cloning process works, but it has yet to be perfected. Remember Dolly?
FURTHER READING: CNN.com; search for "cloning the extinct Tasmanian tiger" and "cloning the extinct woolly mammoth"
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Sphere (movie in 1998, based on 1987 book) THE PLOT: Strange cargo on sunken alien spaceship drives researchers batty
THE SCIENCE: Space travel, underwater habitats
ARE WE THERE YET? Don't hold your breath for black hole travel or a machine that allows the subconscious to manifest real objects.
FURTHER READING: A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking; The Universe Below: Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea, by William J. Broad
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The Andromeda Strain (movie in 1971, based on 1969 book) THE PLOT: Virus from outer space starts plague on Earth
THE SCIENCE: Bacteriology, microsurgery, germ warfare, electronic body analyzers for roboticized checkups, jumpsuits.
ARE WE THERE YET? Sure seems like it
FURTHER READING: www.aids2002.com, planpro.jpl.nasa.gov
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