Futures Author

Greg Bear has been fascinated by both science and science fiction since he was a child. He pursued a scientific career, but left the bench after flunking advanced calculus as an undergraduate. Despite this, he has never stopped thinking about what the future may hold and what impact science might have on society. His books range from Blood Music, which discusses the effects of nanotechnology, to Darwin's Radio, which explores evolution and genetic engineering. In this week's Futures (see page 1050), Bear ponders the downsides of artificial intelligence courtesy of a robot book reviewer. Nature caught up with him to find out more.

What would happen if robots took over peer review?

I like the idea: your equipment looks over your scientific results. But if the robot in my short story did your review, you'd be in a lot of trouble. He'd be as mean and as nasty as the worst human reviewer — probably nastier, as he's so naive.

Many of your protagonists are scientists — and a disproportionately high number of your heroes are women. Why?

There hasn't been a surfeit of well-rendered scientists in any form of fiction. And I have a lot of sympathy for female scientists. They have a tough role. It's always been an old boy network. They get cut out, but they are so humble about it. They don't complain.

You cover topics from planetary science to biology. Why the wide range?

I love all aspects of science. A lot of my friends are scientists. I hang out with them and talk to them.

How does your own scientific background affect your choice of topics?

I'm kind of a philosopher scientist. I can't do the lab work and I certainly can't do the math!

How does your role of philosopher scientist play out in your work?

Science fiction lets scientists dream without being responsible. It also models how the public might react to science. It lets you figure out where your ideas stand in the culture.

How have scientists reacted to your work?

Many of the ideas and proposals in Darwin's Radio have been met with real interest. Getting that far — in a tough crowd — pleases me immensely.

What's next?

I'm in the early stages of writing about thermodynamics and information — writ cosmologically, 100 trillion years in the future. The beginning will be: “Everything you know is wrong...”