Tag: medicine

More Science, Less Fiction, Man-Made Molecules

More Science, Less Fiction, Man-Made Molecules

Science and molecules go “hand in hand”.

Science is my passion. And by hand in hand I’m talking about the right and left.  My first full length novel, Paradox: The Alien Genome, was first an ember from Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, a morsel from one of his The Incredible Universe science episodes. He discussed in some detail the nature of chiral molecules, their ‘handedness’, and how on Earth amino acids natural link up and tweak one direction, while the molecules that link up as sugars link in the opposite direction. He said he’d like to read a book about astronauts on a planet where the spirals were reversed.

science - caraway or spearmint?
Same molecule, different flavors?

So I wrote it.  (By the way, Dr. Tyson, I’d love to send you an autographed copy!) And it was a journey of discovery as I researched DNA and chiral bonds. Thalidomide is a chiral molecule. Unbeknownst to its creators, if they could force the molecule in the other direction, it would not have caused birth defects in fetuses back in the late 50s. I found long and detailed information about this and I nearly took a vacation from my novel to investigate the science further.

Synthesized Proteins

Most molecules are chiral. We can make these things in the laboratory and change them, creating totally new things but with the same atomic structure. A couple months back, I received a link to an article about two MIT chemists, Zachary P. Gates and Brad Pentelute, who could synthesize millions of novel, non-natural proteins to be used as drugs against Ebola and other viruses. They call it Xenoprotein etching. Critically, these man-made structures don’t have to be kept refrigerated. This enhances not only their shelf life, but also their potential use. They can be delivered “in the field” where disease lurks. People wouldn’t have to travel to clinics or doctors. In developing populations, transportation is not always available. When time is of the essence, days could mean lives.

MIT Chemists Synthesize Proteins. 

Why Science Matters

I had to reflect on their ingenuity and how their work ‘mirrors’ (sorry, I couldn’t resist) to some degree my imaginary DNA splicing Malaria vaccine that replicated itself into the haploid cells of the children of vaccinated humans. Through some complex biochemical, yet founded in reality, sci-fi technobabble, this leads to sterility. Humans were unable to create a molecule that was reversed (and which divided, not like sugar which is static). They embarked on a hunting trip in space that lasted two years. They hoped to finding living creatures with this reversed chirality in their DNA. If you’ve read the novel, you know the rest. If not, I won’t give spoilers.

Nevertheless, this article proves once again that no matter how far-fetched of a thing a science fiction writer can dream up, it might very well be possible. We may not be able to transverse space faster than light, but perhaps in the future. I’m sure the Greeks and Romans 3000 years ago never thought of flying commercially, or to another planet. Technology hadn’t come far enough. It’s barely been 100 years since we abandoned the horse and buggy for fossil fueled vehicles. And don’t forget the saying of the Boomer Generation: If we can go to the moon, we can (fill in the blank with any impossible task, like, cure cancer, go solar, stop war).

That’s what makes writing science fiction so much fun. I like to think we are more enlightened and educated enough to leap beyond our current civilization, to question all that we are, and what we could be. I refer to the forward thinking sci-fi, not the, apocalyptic, dystopian, doom and gloom, an earth ruined by war sci fi. And a wise person once said – “Be careful what you ask for. You might get it.” I certainly hope so!

Based on Reality

If you’re a Star Trek fan,enjoy the tales of Michael Crichton (Jurrasic Park, ER, Congo), the works of Isaac Asimov, you may discover just what you’re looking for here.  Do you like hard sci fi, medical missions, runaway bacteria, asteroids, and aliens?  You will enjoy my two series, The Pioneer Missions, and the as yet untitled full length novels about an intrepid star ship captain who finds his soul mate in an alien . Find all my work here.

 

A recent review

A recent review

Shameless plug: another 5 star review of Paradox. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? Click the picture and get the e-version instantly! Read it? Rate it! Read more stories with many of the same characters: Jackson, Quixote, Rianya, Bala, Lee, Watson, Bailey, Dukvita, the Kiians, and a new species coming up – the Zlogers!

 

If you long for the days of Gene Roddenberry’s soulful Star Trek, or hope the Avatar movie might one day become a reality, then you are in for a treat with H.S. Rivney’s Paradox: The Alien Genome. The suggestion of a genetic cure from the world beyond captivated my imagination, as did the author’s writing style. For me, the vivid, unique descriptions illuminated this space odyssey to movie-screen proportions. A healthy dose of dialogue keeps the pace at warp speed with lots of techie jargon. But what really impressed me was the author’s sophisticated scientific knowledge—I would believe her to be an astronaut or a physicist in a previous life to dream up the concepts presented throughout the novel. The author creates a totally convincing world from ecosystems to geology, animal species to alien beings. One graphic scene was tasteful, accurate and evocative. But there’s a touch of intrigue and danger, as well as a softer side to this story, too. A great ending wraps up this exciting futuristic journey after traveling back to a nostalgic era of Kirk, Spock, and Sulu— I highly recommend the ride!

Patti Cavaliere, author of 5 star rated “Looking for Leo”, click me!

Novissimus: Space Station One

Novissimus: Space Station One

spacedock-st-06
Earth Station with Star Trek’s Enterprise

I’ve been debating whether to release Novissimus or Symbiosis next. I wrote Novissimus during the black out time between first draft and revisions of Symbiosis. Would love to hear your thoughts. Novissimus is a novella episode prequel to Paradox, about 24,000 words.

Novissimus, Space Station One, Quantum Quandaries;   Mission VIII, October 9, 2154

Novissimus orbits Omicron Nu fifteen light years from Earth in the opposite direction of the galactic center. It’s medical facilities are unsurpassed, and its arboretum legendary. When Captain Jackson is assigned to call a research team off Luyten’s Lepus for a new mission, that is to pick up live vaccines from Novissimus, the leader of the research team is furious and not afraid to show it.

Funny things happen on the way to Novissimus, or rather, not so funny. They can’t afford the time delays; the live vaccines are only viable for 100 days. In addition to the medicine, dozens of proton microscopes and an electromagnetic image chamber are also part of the cargo. Silverado Six’s population is depending on the S.S. Linus Pauling to arrive before a planet-wide outbreak of Altairian Fever becomes an epidemic.

Thomas Jackson meets Dukvita for the first time, a Pegasi with a rogue, if not an entrepreneurial, spirit and a well armed cargo ship. Novissimus becomes the scene of the crime where not only are lives at stake, but an extraordinary discovery becomes a weapon of mass destruction.jaguar

Don’t forget to check out another prequel adventure of Captain Jackson and the S.S. Linus Pauling, Gamma Ray Games, a novella episode where Jackson must investigate the sudden appearance of a thorium reactor on a pre-industrial world.

Both Novissimus and Gamma Ray Games will be made available together in one paperback this summer.

Abducted by Aliens

Abducted by Aliens

No, actually, I’m still here. I’ve been working on the next two (yup, 2) books coming out soonjaguar. Another novella, a prequel, and another novel, the second of three beginning with Paradox. Of course, Captain Thomas Jackson leads the adventures, and Quixote makes his appearance in both stories as do a few other memorable characters on the bridge and among the crew.

Novissimus: Space Station One, is Earth’s first space station, a collaboration with three other space faring species, set in motion around the fifth planet of Omicron, an orange star seventeen light years from Earth. The mushroom shaped orbiting facilitynovissimus-cover is known for its magnificent arboretum that acts as a complete biological component of the station, as well as its state of the art medical facilities and top notch space vehicle repair services.

Going from a dark star planet filled with fossils, the Linus Pauling is called to Novissimus to collect medical equipment needed on Silverado Six, which is fighting an outbreak of Altarian Fever, a virulent pneumatic virus that needs not only the equipment, but a live, attenuated vaccine, in stasis. Little did they expect the fossils they collected would be so much trouble, and so much help, in completing their mission.

Symbiosis: Titans of Cassiopeia, is set one year after the end of Paradox, The Alien Genome. Captain Jackson, Rianya, and Zalara return to Earth only to be sent back into space with a new, faster ship, the S S Maria Mitchell. Taking doctors on an errand oyersiniaf mercy to Eta Cassiopeia’s fifth planet, they stop at its fourth planet to collect a unique artifact that can’t be explained by anything other than as proof of time travel! Upon arrival at the fifth planet, and with confirmation that Pegasi are in the area, the artifact begins to shed some light on the centuries-old problem of antibiotic resistance causing an entire population to suffer, and die.

We’re introduced tomriyquito Dr. Jane Ferris, a human with a curious ancestry. The remnants of radical genetic manipulation show in her face that startles most people, at first. When Captain Jackson is taken hostage on the planet, Rianya is taken ill with the bacteria on the Maria Mitchell in orbit, and neither knows the peril of the other. Are Pegasi and Kiians colluding for profit or just innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire? The key is held in the data banks of an abandoned space ship from the future, confirmed by a beautiful stone in the pilot’s pocket, and the information it reveals changes Tom and Rianya’s family forever.

Coming soon on Kindle and in Paperback. Follow me on Twitter @hsrivney or Facebook From the Stratosphere, or Goodreads author HSRivney

musgravite-1200x822

Goodreads Giveaway

Goodreads Giveaway

gilesemooncoverStarts today! runs through the end of January – enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Paradox: The Alien Genome. Share with those who love Hard Science Fiction, this will take you from the vastness of our galaxy to the microcosm of molecules!  Castaway astronauts may never see Earth again, which is a shame since what humanity needs most is all around them.

Enter to Win!

#amwriting #sciencefiction #startrek

Looking for Something? Search the Site

Privacy Policy

Get in Touch