Studio 360: Flying Cars and Tricorders: How Sci-Fi Invented the Present

From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to George Orwell’s 1984 to Spike Jonze’s Oscar-nominated Her, artists have imagined what the future will look like. In this week’s episode, Kurt Andersen explores how science fiction has shaped the world we’re living in right now. The inventor of the cell phone gives credit to Star Trek’s communicator; International Space Station superstar Chris Hadfield explains the ups and downs of space; and science writer Carl Zimmer says the giant sandworms of Dune got him interested in life on Earth. And we answer the age old question: where’s my flying car? [Broadcast Date: January 25, 2014]