homehome Home chatchat Notifications


One in five Brits believe lightsabers are real. Science or Fiction?

While a number of today’s science innovations which most of us take for granted, like airplanes, automobiles, computers or space flight, have been outlined by imaginative science fiction writers before they were possible, it seems there’s a concerning blurred line between what has actually been made possible by science and what is of the realm […]

Tibi Puiu
March 18, 2011 @ 9:17 am

share Share


While a number of today’s science innovations which most of us take for granted, like airplanes, automobiles, computers or space flight, have been outlined by imaginative science fiction writers before they were possible, it seems there’s a concerning blurred line between what has actually been made possible by science and what is of the realm of science fiction in the minds of some Britons.

One in five Brits, for example, believe that the light sabers like the one any sane child of the last century has witnessed in the epic Star Wars flicks are real – a statistic furnished by Birmingham Science City, revealed in a survey, launched at the start of National Science and Engineering Week (11-20 March). According to the survey:

• More than a fifth of adults believe light sabers exist.
• Almost 25 percent of people believe humans can be teleported.
• Nearly 50 percent of adults believe that memory-erasing technology exists.
• More than 40 percent believe that hover boards exist.
• Almost one-fifth of adults believe they can see gravity.

“We commissioned the survey to see how blurred the lines between science fact and fiction have become,” said Pam Waddell, director of Birmingham Science City.

“While films and TV can be acknowledged as creating confusion, it is also worth highlighting how advanced science has now become, and many things deemed only possible in fiction have now become reality or are nearing creation due to the advancements of science,” she added.

If you’d like to test your knowledge of science fiction and fact, take this very short Birmingham Science City quiz, and then compare your answers to how 3,000 others did.

National Science and Engineering Week runs through March 20 in the U.K.

share Share

Could This Saliva Test Catch Deadly Prostate Cancer Early?

Researchers say new genetic test detects aggressive cancers that PSA and MRIs often miss

This Tree Survives Lightning Strikes—and Uses Them to Kill Its Rivals

This rainforest giant thrives when its rivals burn

Engineers Made a Hologram You Can Actually Touch and It Feels Unreal

Users can grasp and manipulate 3D graphics in mid-air.

Musk's DOGE Fires Federal Office That Regulates Tesla's Self-Driving Cars

Mass firings hit regulators overseeing self-driving cars. How convenient.

A Rare 'Micromoon' Is Rising This Weekend and Most People Won’t Notice

Watch out for this weekend's full moon that's a little dimmer, a little smaller — and steeped in seasonal lore.

Climate Change Could Slash Personal Wealth by 40%, New Research Warns

Global warming’s economic toll may be nearly four times worse than once believed

Earth Might Run Out of Room for Satellites by 2100 Because of Greenhouse Gases

Satellite highways may break down due to greenhouse gases in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere.

Kawasaki Unveils a Rideable Robot Horse That Runs on Hydrogen and Moves Like an Animal

Four-legged robot rides into the hydrogen-powered future, one gallop at a time.

Evolution just keeps creating the same deep-ocean mutation

Creatures at the bottom of the ocean evolve the same mutation — and carry the scars of human pollution

Scientists Found a 380-Million-Year-Old Trick in Velvet Worm Slime That Could Lead To Recyclable Bioplastic

Velvet worm slime could offer a solution to our plastic waste problem.