Five Scientific Discoveries That Need to be Movies
Looking for some inspiration or a subject matter you can really sink your hooks into? If so, all you have to do is take a look at some of the many real world scientific discoveries that have taken place over the past few years. There have been a number of massive breakthroughs that are so astounding, they’re just waiting to be made into the next box office breaker. Below are five scientific discoveries that could be/should be turned into fascinating films that capture the world’s imagination.
#1 – 9th Planet Discovered
That’s right. The idea of a 9th planet or “Planet X” has been part of the science fiction cannon for a long time. Originally the idea was that there was a planet, similar to ours, directly across from us on the other side of the moon. It was perfectly synced in the sun’s gravitational pull so that we could never see it. Science’s current hypothesis is that there is indeed a 9th planet but it’s not across the sun from us, it’s deep in space, beyond Pluto. If this turns out to be true, imagine the opportunities for stories. New aliens, new potential conflicts. What will a 9th planet do to the global economic system? What if that mysterious 9th planet ends up being a mirror image of ourselves, our doubles, living on the other side of the moon?
#2 – 211 New Species Discovered
Monster movies alive and well and continue to be a box office boomers. Yet, no one has made a movie that draws from the very real fact that new species are constantly being discovered. 2016 was a record year with the discovery of a whopping 18,000 new species. Now can’t you just see the premise: the brilliant, hardworking, and often-overlooked protagonist pulls yet another late night to catalog the new finds, including a deep water snail-like creature that, upon closer inspection, seems to have the power to regenerate new cells, any kind of new cell, once it’s attached to a host i.e. a lab rat, a rabbit, a fish, and even a human arm. What could happen next? The brilliant, overlooked scientist becomes convinced his discovery will change the world? Will his hubris get the better of him? Is the world ready for such a finding? What could go or will go wrong?
#3 – First New Antibiotic In 30 Years
Antibiotics have been over used in the past 50 years. As a result, many diseases have become immune to them. Well did you know that a powerful new antibiotic (Teixobactin) has been recently found in the dirt? That’s right, it lives in the soil. Now, what if this antibiotic isn’t exactly what we think it is? What if a global pandemic hits and the EPA rushes through vetting the newfound antibiotic since nothing else has the power to stop the disease. But what if that disease were to combine with this new antibiotic in an unexpected way? What if there’s one researcher at the EPA who puts his/her life on the line in order to stop the rollout of the new drug? You’re off to the races now.
#4 – Bionic Lenses 3x Stronger than the Human Eye
What if the government had contact lenses that gave you eyesight that’s three times stronger than that of someone with 20/20 vision? Well, all of that looks like it’s about to come true. New contact lenses which are primed for military application are around the corner. Now, what if you were the whistleblower government agents want to silence? How can you hide from an enemy that can see you ten miles away? Start writing your movie right now because superpower eyesight is going to become reality very quickly.
#5 – Young Blood
Scientists have been experimenting with using young mouse blood on older mice by means of a transfusion. And guess what? It’s helped the old mice with improved cognition, health problems, and chronic diseases. Doesn’t that sound like the jumping off point for a modern vampire movie? What if in order to live a longer life, a community of older folks banded together and started kidnapping younger people, tapping them for their blood? What if you were to place it in a post-apocalyptic society in which resources are completely degraded and the only way to live longer is to feed off of the young?
Many professional writers make it a point to stay up on the latest news in science knowing real-world scientific discoveries are rife with leaping off possibilities for great and timely films which rouse our imaginations, address our fears, and enable us to feel a sense of catharsis when the good guy triumphs over evil or when human goodness beats back the darker forces that stir within.
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