Mission to Earth

Figure 1. Cover art by Bruce Jensen

 I previously read some parallel universe stories by Keith Laumer and now, several years having passed, I was willing to try to read one more of his novels. Here is a one-line blurb for The Long Twilight provided by Jim: "It has manipulative aliens, robots, apocalyptic storms, broadcast power and brutal cops - a smorgasbord of action and adventure."

Ancient Aliens. I'm a sucker for stories about technologically advanced aliens who came to Earth long ago. I tried to read the original version of the story that was published in the March, April and May 1969 issues of Galaxy magazine under the title of "And Now They Wake".

I Really Tried. I trudged through most of the first third of the story in the March issue, but then I completely skipped the April installment and then I skimmed the concluding segment (May) until I reached the "big reveal" at the end of the story when a nuclear power plant is being tapped by "aliens" for energy... energy that might destroy all life on planet Earth!

Fig. 2. Interior art by Jack Gaughan

 A 7 Page Story. The great thing about serialized stories in Sci Fi magazines is that before the final segment, there is a summary of the previous parts of the story. My advice: read the one page summary of Parts 1 and 2 of the story and then skip to page 187 and read the final six pages of the story. That's right, this could have been a seven page short story.

What about the illustrations? Sometimes the interior art for old Sci Fi magazines is worth the price of admission. Not so for "And Now They Wake".

The Viking Empire (northern hemisphere)

 There are no Swords in Science Fiction. But wait! You ask: if this a story about alien visitors to Earth then who is the dude with the sword (in Figure 2)? Well, the "aliens" came to Earth 1,200 years ago and even though most of the story is set in the late 20th century, there are flashbacks to the Vikings.

 Viking Empire. Maybe in an alternate version of Earth there was a vast "Viking Empire" which spread to include all of the planet closest to both the North and South Poles. Maybe at some time in the past, Skangana might have included places like Minnesota, before they later fell under the sway of other nations. In any case, the "alien" spaceship that came to Earth 1,200 years ago ended up hidden inside a Minnesota hill.

Swords in the Ekcolir Reality

 Again, Why Swords? Upon discovering that humans live on Earth, the commander of the "alien" spaceship that came to Earth 1,200 years ago was appalled by the idea of turning Earth into a Galactic Navigation Beacon™. However, the sentient spaceship was intent on completing that mission. So the human commander scuttled the spaceship, stranding himself on Earth. But all was not lost. He moved in with a cute red-headed Viking woman and started making babies.

 Two Cosmic Giants. For "And Now They Wake", Laumer imagined some sort of system by which the "alien" spaceship could transmit power into the bodies of its crew. There was apparently only 1 way to stop the sentient spaceship from following its orders and creating the Galactic Navigation Beacon™. Disable the spaceship. That did not kill the commander of the "alien" spaceship, but left him weakened, without power derived from the spaceship.

cover art by James Warhola

 Power Beams. Why do I put "alien" inside quote marks? Well, these "aliens" are human and they can impregnate Earth women. Well, they are super-humans who are immortal because they can rapidly regenerate tissues. To do so, all they need is energy and dietary protein. When a new nuclear power plant opens up that magically transmits power directly to customers by means of "beams", the "aliens" can tap into that source of power. For 1,200 years, the two "aliens" on Earth did not have that ready source of energy, so they were immortal (see the white hair in Figure 1), but not super-human. For a time, they lived among the Vikings, using the names Thor and Loki.

 Evil Robots. These "aliens" fly around the galaxy in intelligent spaceships. When the nuclear power plant goes online, the robotic spaceship starts tapping into all that energy and is ready to complete its mission on Earth. Yes, even after a 1,200 year pause, the spaceship still wants to complete the original the mission: turn Earth into a Galactic Navigation Beacon™. 

in the Ekcolir Reality
Original cover art by Paul Lehr

 Earth, the Lost World. Sadly, the robot spaceship's mission to activate the Galactic Navigation Beacon™ will incinerate all life on Earth. So, drama... Apparently, a million years ago, a shipwrecked crew from the Galactic Empire was stranded on Earth... giving rise to Earth humans. Sadly, the robotic spaceship seems to have amnesia and it does not realize that it has been on Earth for 1,200 years and so maybe it is not longer important to turn Earth into a Galactic Navigation Beacon™ and also: Earth is inhabited, so why use an inhabited planet as your Galactic Navigation Beacon™ and not a dead world like Venus? Robot spaceships don't ask such questions because: plot.

 Apocalyptic Storms. There is "only" one storm, but it is enough. Apparently to create a Galactic Navigation Beacon™ you need to first create a tornado, which turns into a hurricane which creates a giant whirlpool which allows you to go down to the sea floor and tunnel into the interior of the planet so that... BEACON.

in the Ekcolir Reality

 Too Long. "And Now They Wake" is too contrived and too long. Having now read several of Laumer's stories, I can see a pattern. Laumer could write endlessly about soldiers playing with their guns (look at the fancy ray-guns in Figure 1). What about the poor science fiction fan who does not want to read about soldiers and their guns? If you are not interested in military affairs then you are better off not reading a story like "And Now They Wake". Too much of the text is devoted boys and their death toys.

 Frag Slug Guns. If you enjoy military Sci Fi and feel that you have not gotten enough mayhem from "And Now They Wake", be sure to read "Killerbot!" by Dean R. Koontz, also in the May 1969 issue of Galaxy. I think this story is about a future war between North America and Europe in which humanoid robots go into crowded places such as movie theaters and commit mass murders because... war.

in the Ekcolir Reality

 Apollo. Before departing from the May 1969 issue of Galaxy, I feel obligated to mention that in the lead editorial for that month, Frederik Pohl reported that the majority of people in the United States were not supporters of spending tax dollars on a space program. This was on the eve of the first manned Moon landing. Pohl called for cooperation between nations on space exploration as a way to put an end to national rivalries and wars.

 Coloured. Also in the May 1969 issue of Galaxy was "Coloured Element" by William K. Carlson and Alice Laurance. This is a kind of joke story about a measles vaccine that causes people to turn various colors according to their blood type.

1973. After the invention of nipples.
interior art for "Experiment" by Alicia Austin

 Experiment. Having never heard of William K. Carlson, I also read his story "Experiment" in the August 1973 issue of Vertex. This is a story that literally goes nowhere with a couple who find themselves inside an unexplained research facility where they are the experimental animals.

It is good for me to read stories such as "The Long Twilight" because they force me to think in directions that I would otherwise never move. In this case, the idea of alien visitors to Earth who receive energy  transmitted to them from their spaceship made me think about the source of energy for the nanites in replicoids that are composed of femtobot components. Maybe there is an energy source for the femtobots and the energy that they need can be transmitted to them. I asked Claude to consider this science fiction problem. This conversation with Claude is a continuation of the conversation that started in this other blog post.

Me: Claude, invent an imaginary science explanation for the source of energy that could power these femtobots. Feel free to invent new types of imaginary fundamental particles and forces for this science fiction scenario.

Claude: Let me propose an energy framework for the femtobots based on a new family of fundamental particles and their interactions. I'll build this explanation step by step, starting with the basic particles and working up to their practical application.

 At the most fundamental level, I propose the existence of a particle called the "chronion" (χ). Chronions exist in a quantum superposition between our normal spacetime and what we might call "temporal space." This dual nature allows them to interact with both regular matter and with special quantum fields that exist in temporal space.

The key to energy generation lies in the interaction between chronions and another hypothetical particle called the "omega-hierion" (Ωh). When an omega-hierion encounters a chronion, it catalyzes what we can call a "temporal cascade." During this cascade, the chronion briefly shifts fully into temporal space, where it encounters an extremely high-energy quantum field called the "chi-field" (χ-field).

The temporal cascade creates a fascinating energy cycle:
1. The chronion absorbs enormous amounts of energy from the chi-field
2. As it shifts back into normal spacetime, this energy is released in a highly controlled manner
3. The omega-hierion captures and channels this energy
4. Special hierion-based structures within the femtobots can store and utilize this energy

What makes this system particularly efficient is that the chronions aren't consumed in the process - they continue to cycle between the two spaces, acting as energy transporters. The omega-hierions serve as both catalysts and energy channelers, while remaining stable throughout the process.

To make this more concrete, imagine a single femtobot containing a microscopic "temporal reactor." This reactor consists of a precisely arranged lattice of omega-hierions surrounding a quantum-confined chronion. The lattice spacing is crucial - it must match the wavelength of the chi-field in temporal space to achieve resonance. When properly tuned, a single temporal reactor of this type can generate power on the order of 10^15 joules per second, while occupying a volume of only 10^-45 cubic meters.

 The femtobots use quantum entanglement networks to coordinate their power generation and distribution. When one femtobot requires more energy - say, for a major structural reorganization - nearby units can instantly redirect their power output through quantum-tunneling channels formed by specialized hierion structures.

This power system has an elegant safety feature: if the precise lattice arrangement of omega-hierions is disrupted, the temporal cascade simply stops. There's no possibility of a runaway reaction. The chronions return to their ground state, and the system can be restarted once proper alignment is restored.

The theoretical efficiency of this system approaches 99.99%, with most of the tiny losses occurring during the quantum tunneling distribution phase rather than in the power generation itself. The only "waste product" is a very small amount of quantum information entropy, which is actually beneficial as it helps maintain the second law of thermodynamics across both normal and temporal space.

Would you like me to elaborate on any particular aspect of this energy system? For instance, we could explore the quantum mechanics of the temporal cascade in more detail.

Room at the bottom.

 Me: Claude, I am intrigued by your fictional concept of a "temporal space". In my science fiction stories about femtobots, I pretend that there are nine spatial dimensions. Three of these spatial dimensions are the spatial dimensions that we are familiar with here on Earth. Three of the other spatial dimensions define what I call the Hierion Domain. The last three spatial dimensions define the Sedron Domain. There are three major types of matter: hadronic matter, hierion matter and sedron matter. Hierion matter is composed of hierions and femtobots are composed of hierions. There is a family of fundamental particles called sedrons and some of the sedrons can link by means of bonds that are 6 orders of magnitude sorter than the bonds that hold together hierions in hierion matter. The bonds between hierions are 6 orders of magnitude sorter than the bonds that hold together atoms in hadronic matter. Hadrons, hierions and sedrons can all exist in regular space. Only hierions and sedrons can exist in the Hierion Domain. Only sedrons can exist in the Sedron Domain. The Hierion Domain and the Sedron Domain are both "compactified" spaces that are in physical contact with all parts of conventional space (the domain of stars and planets and humans).

Claude: Your nine-dimensional framework offers fascinating possibilities for understanding how these different domains of matter could interact. Let me explore how this might work, building on fundamental physical principles.

In your model, we can imagine regular three-dimensional space as a kind of "base layer" where all three types of matter can coexist. The Hierion Domain and Sedron Domain exist as additional spatial dimensions that are somehow "folded" into every point of regular space, similar to how string theory proposes compact dimensions. This arrangement creates some intriguing physical implications.

 Consider the bond length hierarchy you've described: if we take typical atomic bonds in hadronic matter as being on the order of 10⁻¹⁰ meters, then hierion bonds would be around 10⁻¹⁶ meters, and sedron bonds approximately 10⁻²² meters. This geometric progression suggests a deep underlying pattern in how matter organizes itself across the three domains.

The compactification of the Hierion and Sedron domains means that every point in our familiar space has immediate "access" to these other dimensions. This could explain how femtobots, being composed of hierions, might be able to perform what would seem like "impossible" transformations from our three-dimensional perspective - they're actually operating through the additional degrees of freedom provided by the Hierion Domain.

The exclusive ability of sedrons to exist in all three domains suggests they might serve as fundamental mediators of inter-domain interactions. For instance, a sedron particle could simultaneously have components extending into all nine dimensions, potentially allowing it to transmit forces or information between domains.

This raises an interesting question: how might the forces that operate in the Hierion and Sedron domains differ from the four fundamental forces we know in regular space? Given the much stronger bonding capabilities in these domains, there must be additional force carriers that don't interact significantly with hadronic matter.

Would you be interested in exploring how this nine-dimensional framework might affect the quantum mechanical properties of matter in each domain? Or perhaps we could discuss how the compactification mechanism might influence the propagation of forces between domains?

image source

 Me: Claude, you introduced the concept of "temporal space". Previously, for my science fiction stories, I have imagined a type a fundamental particle called a T-particle that is a hierion and which makes possible the transmission of information backwards through time; T-particles can transmit information from the future to the past, but a receiver of such information must be composed of hierions. However, all humans have a femtobot endosymbiont in their brain (placed there by technologically advanced aliens), and some people can use their endosymbiont to receive useful information from the future. Claude, please re-state your concept of "temporal space" and a source of energy for femtobots by equating "temporal space" to either the Hierion Domain or the Sedron Domain of the universe.

Claude: Let me revise and integrate the concept of "temporal space" into your established nine-dimensional framework, focusing on the unique properties of the Hierion Domain and its relationship to time-based phenomena.

Given your description of T-particles as hierions capable of transmitting information backwards through time, it makes more sense to reconceptualize what I called "temporal space" as a specific aspect of the Hierion Domain. Here's how this could work:

The Hierion Domain's three spatial dimensions have a special relationship with time that isn't present in regular space or the Sedron Domain. When hierions form certain specific quantum configurations within the Hierion Domain, they can create what we might call "temporal channels." These channels manifest as particular geometric arrangements in the Hierion Domain's three dimensions that allow for bidirectional information flow through time.

 The energy generation system I proposed earlier could be reimagined using this framework: Instead of chronions shifting between regular space and a separate temporal space, we could have specialized hierions (let's call them E-hierions) that can simultaneously exist in particular configurations in both regular space and the Hierion Domain. These E-hierions can harness energy by exploiting the unique properties of the Hierion Domain's relationship with time.

When E-hierions form specific lattice patterns in the Hierion Domain, they create what we might call "temporal energy wells." These wells can capture and store energy from future states of the universe, making it available for use in the present. This process is mediated by T-particles, which not only carry information but also can transport energy backwards through time when properly configured within the Hierion Domain.

The femtobot endosymbionts in human brains make particular use of this mechanism. They contain precisely arranged arrays of E-hierions and T-particles that can both receive information from the future and tap into these temporal energy wells for power. This explains how the endosymbionts can maintain their complex functions without drawing significant energy from their human hosts - they're actually powered by energy from future states, channeled through the Hierion Domain.

This arrangement also explains why only hierion-based structures can receive information from the future: the reception of both temporal information and temporal energy requires the ability to form specific quantum configurations within the Hierion Domain's three spatial dimensions, something that purely hadronic matter cannot do.

Would you like to explore how this temporal energy mechanism might interact with the even smaller-scale structures possible in the Sedron Domain? Or shall we delve deeper into how the femtobot endosymbionts specifically utilize these temporal energy wells?

 Me: In his time travel novel "The End of Eternity", Asimov proposed that the energy source for Eternity was in the far future. In other words, the Eternity time travel system described by Asimov in his book as existing outside of the normal flow of Time, was powered by energy from the far future. For my fan-fiction stories that use Asimov's concept of Reality Changes and multiple timelines (multiple Realities), I pretend that Eternity exists in the Hierion Domain. When recruits are "taken into Eternity", their human bodies are converted into replicoids, artificial life-forms composed of femtobot components.

Claude: This is a fascinating integration of Asimov's concept with the framework of hierion physics and multiple spatial domains! Let me help explore how these ideas fit together.

When we combine Asimov's concept of Eternity existing "outside" normal time with your nine-dimensional framework, we can understand Eternity as a structure within the Hierion Domain that has unique properties. Since the Hierion Domain is compactified and in contact with all points of regular space, this explains how Eternity can maintain simultaneous contact with all time periods in regular space.

The process of "taking someone into Eternity" becomes clearer when we think about it in terms of matter conversion across domains. When recruits are converted into replicoids, their hadronic matter bodies are essentially "translated" into hierion-based structures. This translation allows them to fully exist and operate within the Hierion Domain, where Eternity is located.

The energy source from the far future makes particular sense in this context. Think of it this way: in the Hierion Domain, the temporal relationship between points isn't constrained the way it is in regular space. Energy can be gathered from far-future power sources and distributed throughout Eternity via the special properties of hierion matter. The T-particles you described would be crucial to this process, acting as conduits for both energy and information flow backwards through time.

image source

 This arrangement also helps explain how Reality Changes can be implemented. Since Eternity exists in the Hierion Domain, which is in contact with all points of regular space-time, changes can be introduced at any temporal location. The hierion-based structure of replicoids allows them to remain "outside" the changes while observing and managing them.

Would you like to explore more about how the replicoid conversion process might work in detail? Or shall we delve into how Reality Changes might propagate through both regular space and the Hierion Domain?

Me: I adore Asimov's concept of positronic robots. For my fan-fiction stories involving Eternity, I imagine that Eternity was created by positronic robots of the First Reality. The robots used Eternity as a technology development project for the development of advanced technologies that were needed to create Galaxia: a galaxy-spanning defense system composed of telepathic humans that could repel the advanced of aliens from other galaxies.

Claude: This is a fascinating synthesis of multiple strands of Asimov's work! Let me explore how these elements fit together in a coherent technological progression.

In Asimov's robot stories, positronic brains represented the pinnacle of computing technology in conventional space, operating with hadron-based circuitry. However, these advanced robots would have eventually discovered the existence of the Hierion Domain and realized its potential for developing even more sophisticated technologies.

 The creation of Eternity by the positronic robots makes perfect sense as a stepping stone toward Galaxia. Here's why: The robots would have recognized that developing a galaxy-spanning telepathic network would require technological capabilities far beyond what was possible with hadron-based technology. They needed a "laboratory" where they could develop and test new technologies across vast spans of time, making adjustments as needed.

The progression from positronic computing to hierion-based technology represents an enormous leap forward. Positronic pathways operate at the scale of atomic bonds (10⁻¹⁰ meters), while hierion-based computational structures can be built at scales six orders of magnitude smaller (10⁻¹⁶ meters). This allows for computational densities and capabilities that would seem magical compared to positronic systems.

The development of Eternity would have served multiple purposes in the robots' grand plan:

1. It provided a testing ground for hierion-based technologies, including the femtobots that would later be crucial for implementing Galaxia's telepathic network.

2. It allowed the robots to observe and guide human development across multiple Realities, helping them understand how to eventually create a stable telepathic human civilization.

3. The temporal engineering capabilities developed through Eternity's creation would have been essential for coordinating the simultaneous transformation of humanity across an entire galaxy when implementing Galaxia.

this image was made using NightElf01 by
 Eclesi4stiK under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 This technological progression also explains why the robots chose to make Galaxia based on transformed biological humans rather than simply creating a network of artificial minds. The robots recognized that human consciousness, when enhanced by hierion-based technology (like femtobot endosymbionts), could achieve capabilities beyond what purely artificial systems could manage.

Would you like to explore more about how the positronic robots might have first discovered the Hierion Domain? Or shall we delve deeper into how they used Eternity to develop the specific technologies needed for Galaxia?

I did explain to Claude that the Hua, aliens from the planet Sermyth in a distant galaxy, were the first to understand the Hierion Domain.

Next: Part 4 of the science fiction story "D*".

Visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers

Binder

stranger than truth

I recently had reason to re-read the 1941 story "Methuselah's Children" by Robert Heinlein. In that story, Heinlein stated the fictional science idea that "the radioactive qualities of vitamins" have something to do with controlling the human lifespan.This is such a strange statement that I wondered how Heinlein had come to include it in his story.

Isaac Asimov had described the Adam Link stories about robots as having influenced the creation of his own positronic robot stories. Several years ago, I read a few of the Adam Link stories in an attempt to understand how they had contributed to Asimov's robot stories. As was the case for Campbell's robots in "The Last Evolution", the robot named Adam Link was very devoted to the man who designed and built him and, indeed, seemingly "born" with a deep desire to serve humans. 

cover by Ed Emshwiller

Adam Link had a special iridium brain, but Asimov told his readers that a positronic brain was made from platinum and iridium. Asimov also took an extra step towards explaining how a robot might be programmed so as to be loyal to humans (see the Laws of Robotics).

Otto Binder wrote many other stories besides the ones about robots. Another series of stories was about Anton York. In the first Anton York story, "The Conquest of Life", published in 1937, readers are told how Anton's father (Mathew York) had performed an experiment on Anton, injecting him with a mysterious elixir. 

Upon reaching the age of 55 while still having the youthful appearance of a man only 35 years old, Anton digs into the papers of his dead father and discovers mention of experiments involving "radiogens".

from "The Conquest of Life"

When I search the internet for "radiogens", I am led to webpages (example) about George Washington Crile. Crile was a surgeon, and one of his publications (from 1922) concerned the thyroid gland. Much of what was in that published report on the thyroid gland is what you might expect from a surgeon in 1922. However, there was also the following (Image A, below):

Image A. From the 1922 publication about the thyroid gland by Crile.

It is now known that thyroid hormone has receptors in most cells of the human body and it is important for the normal growth and function of the nervous system. Iodine is an atomic constituent of thyroid hormone but does not control "conductivity" of tissues.

timeline for iodine and thyroid (click image to enlarge)

Apparently, thyroid hormone was first isolated in 1915, but until the 1940s there was still debate about chemical structure of circulating thyroid hormone in the blood. In 1922, Crile seemingly had no concept of thyroid hormone and how it influences the body, so there is a huge amount of nonsense in Crile's book about the thyroid gland (see Image A, above).

In 1936, Crile published "The Phenomena of Life". This book was reviewed by the New York Times and it is not surprising if Otto Binder was influenced by Crile's weird views of human physiology. In his 1936 book, Crile presented his theory of "radiogens".

source

York at work in the laboratory

Crile's ideas about ionizing radiation inside cells as a source of energy for creating the electrical signals used to control the body were either ignored by other medical doctors or openly mocked as being crazy. Physiology research has revealed how cell metabolism creates cellular electric signals (action potentials) that rapidly propagate through the body.

Returning to the fictional tale of Anton York, we learn that the York elixir: "protects protoplasm from disease by increasing the energy of radiogens in the body". In his father's notebooks, Anton finds the "chemical formulae" that reveal the secret of longevity (Image B, below):

Image B: the secret of long life

Fictional Chemistry.  This "formula" is nonsense. Otto Binder lifted Grignard Reaction out of a chemistry book and zymase and pituitrin out of a biology book and combine them to create the imaginary Elixir M-7.

magic molecule of immortality

I've previously blogged about fictional chemistry and magic potions in science fiction. There is no objection to the creation of imaginary chemicals, but when devising fictional plot elements in the domain of living organisms, authors should take some care to avoid including outlandish imagined fictional biology. Earlier this year, I blogged about the popularity in science fiction stories that involve "accelerating" biological processes with a magic potion. Where is the boundary between 1) the laughably absurd departure from plausibility and 2) the clever Sci Fi plot element that can be "swallowed" by science fiction fans? In the case of Binder and his linked zymase and pituitrin molecules, I feel that he would have been better off to simply invent and create imaginary names for two new fictional proteins rather than recycle two existing names in a silly way. Binder's fictional science method for attaining immortality is like saying that you could create a faster-than-light spaceship by combining a VW Beetle and a Sopwith Camel.

cosmic rays

What is particularly annoying about Binder's approach to fictional science is that a single man working alone in his basement for a few years can create a spaceship, a time machine, a human-like robot or the Elixir of Life that confers immortality. It is difficult to resist calling such depictions of "scientific" discovery "anti-science fiction".

Unable to leave the "radiogen" theory alone, Binder went on to suggest that the tiny radiogen furnaces inside cells could capture energy from cosmic rays. In April 1937 the story "A Million Years Ahead" by Edmond Hamilton was published. I have no idea if that story by Hamilton influenced Binder; I suppose cosmic rays were "in the air" and if you wanted a Sci Fi energy source, why not use cosmic rays? Even if it makes no biological sense.

the power of cells

What I love about the non-nonsensical "radiogen" theory is that it seems similar to the femtobot endosymbionts that I imagine existing inside our bodies. In "The Conquest of Life", Binder goes on to state the hypothesis that immortality can be had through avoiding diseases and "resistance to disease is the electrocution of germs by radiogens". Binder champions this fictional science of radiogens over the conventional view that immune system cells such as macrophages combat bacteria and viruses.

It became popular in science fiction to imagine interstellar spaceships that were powered by atomic energy. In biology, it was not until the 1940s that mitochondria were shown to be the tiny components of "protoplasm" responsible for generating most of the human body's useful chemical energy in the form of ATP. In 1937, I suppose it was to be expected that some science fiction story teller such as Otto Binder would pretend that living cells are powered by atomic energy.

in the Ekcolir Reality

The "radiogen theory" and the idea that ionizing radiation was a key source of energy in cells is long forgotten among biologists, but its ghostly presence still exists in old science fiction stories such as "The Conquest of Life" and "Methuselah's Children".

I'm glad I read "The Conquest of Life" since it holds clues to origin of Heinlein's odd ideas about radioactive vitamins. 

By the end of "The Conquest of Life", Anton York has become an immortal god-like being who does not even need to eat. I suppose we are expected to accept that York's M-7 Elixir-boosted radiogens produce all the energy that his body needs by absorbing cosmic rays.

Time Portal

In my own stories set in the Exodemic Fictional Universe, I imagine that humans can be converted into artificial life forms composed of femtobots. Such "replicoid" copies of humans do not need to eat.

Having complained (above) about Otto Binder's unrealistic depiction of science and technological advances, the question must be asked: can I do any better? Recently, I imagined a science fiction novel called Time Portal that was written by Emma Phillips in one of the past Realities of Earth. In Time Portal, a research scientist and his assistant discover how to travel into the past. However, Time Portal was written in the early 1800s and we can't expect its author to have been very sophisticated in her thinking about the style of scientific research that would be common in the 20th century.

Related Reading: more cosmic rays and Gladiator

Next: more stories from Thrilling Wonder Stories

The Thrilling Science Test! The "two types of hormones" are found in "The Iron World" by Otis Kline.

Heisenberg's Eyes

cover by Paul Lehr?

I'm fascinated when non-scientists attempt to write science fiction stories about biology. Frank Herbert published such a story, called "Heisenberg's Eyes", in the June and August 1966 issues of Galaxy magazine. 1966 was an interesting year for Herbert because his Dune saga was bursting upon the world. In the wider world of biology research, the "coding problem" was rapidly being solved. Sadly, there is no indication in the text of "Heisenberg's Eyes" that Herbert had any understanding of DNA or the concept of a nucleic acid sequence. In the absence of having anything sensible to say about genetic engineering, Herbert went ahead and wrote a story about genetic engineering imaginary future politics and the human struggle against tyranny.

see the original cover

You can download the magazine issues that contain "Heisenberg's Eyes" from online archives of science fiction magazines such as the Internet Archive.

June 1966 Galaxy with Heisenberg's Eyes Part 1 - Download
August 1966 Galaxy with Heisenberg's Eyes Part 2 - Download

"Heisenberg's Eyes" is set in the far future, at a time when surgeons have long been doing genetic surgery on early human embryos. The imaginary setting of "Heisenberg's Eyes" reminds me of the futuristic world described by Stanley G. Weinbaum in his 1939 story "The Black Flame". A small "ruling class" of immortals (called "Optimen") uses advanced reproductive technology to control society.

Herbert tells us that this brave new world of the future is full of sterile worker drones who lead a "troglodyte existence". A typical lifespan is 200 years, so most people never get to have children. However, there are some fertile members of society who occasionally get to be parents. "Heisenberg's Eyes" begins with genetic surgery on a newly formed embryo. Herbert skips over the in vitro fertilization process and begins the story by introducing readers to the morula stage embryo of Lizbeth and Harvey Durant.

Svengaard's nurse
illustrated by Dan Adkins

Don't let the name "Optimen" fool you: some of the Optimen are women, such as the cult figure Calapine, who is worshiped as a fertility goddess by some members of the underclass. Other political factions of the future include the Cybermen and the Parents Underground. The god-like Optimen reside in Central, a headquarters from which they dispatch special agents such as Dr. Potter.

And don't let the illustration (to the left on this page) fool you. Dr. Svengaard uses the ultra-modern meson microscope to examine the Durant embryo's genes.

The renowned Dr. Potter has been called upon to perform genetic surgery on the Durant embryo because it is a special embryo with high-potential genes. Dr. Svengaard has detected indications that this embryo might have the mystical capacity to develop into one of the rare, immortal Optimen. Peering through his meson microscope, Svengaard sees a "triple spiral", an indication that there are Optimen genes in this embryo! I suppose if mere mortals have a double helical DNA then (by Herbert-logic) the god-like Optimen should have a triple helix.

Calapine; 50,000 years old

Herbert tells us that the Optimen are perfect, but for some reason they are sterile (except possibly our dear old Calapine). Well, as they say, perfection is not all its cracked up to be. Herbert drops an endless stream of little hi-tech bomb shells on the reader. For example, we are casually informed that there is danger in using the meson microscope to examine DNA: the danger of Heisenberg interference. Then, for only the 9th time in the long history of genetic engineering, Dr. Svengaard witnesses a molecular miracle. A rod of sperm protamine appears inside a cell of the embryo, causing the ADP-ATP exchange system to suddenly become more complex and “resistant” to gene surgery.

the Third Doctor

What is this mumbo-jumbo supposed to mean? The miraculously appearing microscopic rod of sperm protamine represents an "outside adjustment" to the embryo. There is an unseen resistance movement ("led" by the Cyborgs) with secret underground bases and secret doors in walls and the magical means (never really explained) to divert some precious embryos away from developing into Optimen towards becoming freemen, people who can live free from Optimen-imposed system of global control and world domination. Were this story being written in our millennium then we would get some incoherent sciency backstory about a "Spartan virus". Since "Heisenberg's Eyes" was written in the previous millennium, Dr. Kildare Dr. Potter proceeds to perform delicate molecular surgery, bringing baby morula back from the brink of death, but only by means of the risky use of mutagens!

cover by Terry Oakes

Legend has it that Herbert spent years researching topics like ecology while writing Dune. There is no indication that he put similar effort into "Heisenberg's Eyes". Readers are subjected to page after page of seemingly random biochemistry terms that describe and "explain" the gene surgery process.

The super-hi-tek genetic surgery of 1966 requires spinning reels of "computer tapes". After Dr. Potter's miraculous surgery is complete, the computer tech "accidentally" erases the computer tape evidence obtained during the surgery which would reveal that this embryo can survive without the life-giving enzyme supplements provided to the people of the world by the Optimen of Central. The data erasure is initially attributed to "solenoid failure", but the Optimen have no difficulty deducing that the erasure was deliberate.

Reflecting on the events surrounding his surgery on the Durant embryo, Dr. Potter has a brilliant flash of insight: he realizes that a simple chemical treatment can render other human embryos free of any need for the artificial enzyme treatments that are the technological basis of how the Optimen maintain control over the world's population. I suspect that Herbert never understood what an enzyme is, but who cares? He just needed a hi-tech plot device with a sciency name.

1987 edition

Part 2
After thousands of years of world domination by the Optimen, the simmering revolutionary movement of the Cybermen and the Parents Underground turns into open warfare against the Optimen.

The revolutionaries wish to be free of the Optimen: free to live without the restrictions imposed by the Optimen.

Herbert declined to show us the source of the egg cell that gave rise to the Durant embryo, but when circumstances (require?) that the embryo be implanted into Lizbeth, she suddenly has painful stitches in her abdomen. Okay, Herbert was writing a decade before Louise Brown, but successful uterine implantation of a rabbit embryo (created through in vitro fertilization) had been achieved in 1959. Women now routinely have their early embryos put into their uterus using a thin tube that goes through the cervix. Maybe the abdominal stitches are what we should expect from having a gene surgeon, old Doc Potter, perform an embryo implantation. After all, in Herbert's brave new world, it has been thousands of years since women actually went through pregnancy; now the embryos develop inside hi-tek artificial vats.

Fearing the Durant embryo and what might be learned from it, the the ruling Optimen triumvirate decides to ruthlessly kill everyone in the area, millions of residents. The rebel Cyborgs and the Durant family (embryo makes three) are hunted down, captured and brought to Central for interrogation. You'll have to read the "stunning conclusion" of "Heisenberg's Eyes" for yourself; I can't explain it. I have the feeling that when Herbert reached the page limit for Galaxy, he stopped writing.

I like to imagine that a young Frank Herbert read "The Black Flame" and then later wrote "Heisenberg's Eyes" as a kind of re-imagining of that Stanley G. Weinbaum story. I can't decide which is less biologically plausible: 1)  spore-drive space travel powered by spice-generating sandworms or 2) the magical degenerating-Optimen ending of "Heisenberg's Eyes". While shaking my head sadly in dismay, I'll slap the label "biofantasy" on "Heisenberg's Eyes". The story almost qualifies for the additional label of "anti-science fiction".

1966 cover

In his comments on The Eyes of Heisenberg, Rob Weber emphasizes the point that "Heisenberg's Eyes" deals with the collapse of an imaginary society in which an attempt had been made to control the evolution of the human species and lock human society into an artificially-constrained social system.

I believe that this imaginary society of the future was able to last about 70,000 years because at some time in the far past the Optimen granted the Cyborgs permission to form a secretive underground movement where it was possible to experiment with human embryos, dream of alternatives to the Optimen-controlled world and thus provide an outlet for the restless human spirit.

Revolt against the immortals

The Optimen kept a close watch over the world using a sophisticated surveillance system, and they retained the ability to "put their foot down" if the revolutionaries ever got too uppity. However, it was only a matter of time (about 70,000 years) before the immortal Optimen became too lazy and incompetent to keep a firm grip on affairs. Finally there was an opening for development of a new kind of society and that opening is described in "Heisenberg's Eyes".

recycle those covers!

For me, "Heisenberg's Eyes" seems like a mostly sterile exercise of the imagination. Herbert never managed to make me believe that his imaginary world of the future is possible and "Heisenberg's Eyes" certainly is not fun or entertaining. I suspect that even Herbert grew tired of writing this story and could not be bothered to write a sensible ending.

The End of Eternity

What interests me most about "Heisenberg's Eyes" is that it deals with an imagined future society where a "technological singularity" is never allowed to occur. This kind of technological stasis is also found in Isaac Asimov's Foundation saga and the stories of Jack Vance that are set in a future galaxy where humans have spread to many worlds, but people still live essentially as we do right now here on Earth. In The End of Eternity, Asimov imagined how time travel technology could be used to create a static future for Humanity. In "Heisenberg's Eyes", Herbert gives us an imaginary dystopian static society of the future that is built upon genetic engineering. As a biologist, I don't find such a future to be either plausible or entertaining. I can't stop myself from believing that Herbert borrowed the plot and never really cared about the story he was telling. I suspect that "Heisenberg's Eyes" was written during the time when Herbert was trying to walk away from having a 9-5 job and transition to being able to survive as a full-time fiction writer.

Fru'wu: Our Alien Prometheus

"Heisenberg's Eyes" strikes me as being just another story that Herbert could crank out for a paycheck. Given the power to alter human genes, I doubt if people would simply use that power to make a dead-end dystopian society full of sterile worker drones who lead a "troglodyte existence". That is an anti-science plot that seems stuck in the far past along with the Frankenstein monster and I'm not sure why a reader of science fiction would enjoy such a story. It is sad that such dystopia-themed stories represent one of the established roads to publication and financial success in our world.

Related Reading: "Methuselah's Children" and Herbert's 1965 artificial intelligence story

Next: another resistance movement

Visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers.