Latest news with #EpisodeIV
Japan Today
09-05-2025
- Science
- Japan Today
Some ‘Star Wars' stories have already become reality
Tatooine's moisture farming equipment stands in the desert of Tunisia, where parts of the "Star Wars" movie series were filmed. By Daniel B Oerther and William Schonberg Just 48 short years ago, movie director George Lucas used the phrase 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away' as the opening to the first 'Star Wars' movie, later labeled 'Episode IV: A New Hope.' But at least four important aspects of the 'Star Wars' saga are much closer – both in time and space – than Lucas was letting on. One, the ability to add blue food coloring to milk, was possible even at the time the first film came out. But in 2024, 'Star Wars'-themed blue milk became periodically available in grocery stores. And we, an environmental health engineer and a civil engineer, know there are at least three more elements of these ancient, distant Lucas stories that might seem like science fiction but are, in fact, science reality. Moisture farming In that first movie, 'Episode IV,' Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen was a farmer on the planet of Tatooine. He farmed water from air in the middle of a desert. It might sound impossible, but it's exactly what experts discussed at the second International Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit hosted by Arizona State University in March 2025. Each day, a human needs to consume about the equivalent of 0.8 gallons of water (3 liters). With more than 8 billion people living on the planet, that means engineers need to produce nearly 2.6 trillion gallons (10 trillion liters) of clean drinking water every year. Taken globally, rainfall would be enough, but it's distributed very unevenly – including landing in the oceans, where it immediately becomes too salty to drink safely. Deserts, which cover about one-fifth of the Earth's land area, are home to about 1 billion people. Researchers at places such as Berkeley have developed solar-powered systems that can produce clean drinking water from thin air. In general, they use a material that traps water molecules from the air within its structure and then use sunlight to condense that water out of the material and into drinkable liquid. But there is still a ways to go before they are ready for commercial distribution and available to help large numbers of people. Space debris When the second Death Star was destroyed in 'Return of the Jedi,' it made a huge mess, as you would expect when blowing to smithereens an object at least 87 miles across (140 kilometers). But the movie's mythology helpfully explains a hyperspace wormhole briefly opened, scattering much of the falling debris across the galaxy. As best as anyone can tell, a hyperspace wormhole has never appeared near Earth. And even if such a thing existed or happened, humans might not have the technology to chuck all our trash in there anyway. So we're left with a whole lot of stuff all around us, including in space. According to the website Orbiting Now, in late April 2025 there were just over 12,000 active satellites orbiting the planet. All in all, the United States and other space-faring nations are trying to keep track of nearly 50,000 objects orbiting Earth. And there are millions of fragments of space debris too small to be observed or tracked. Just as on Earth's roads, space vehicles crash into each other if traffic gets too congested. But unlike the debris that falls to the road after an Earth crash, all the bits and pieces that break off in a space crash fly away at speeds of several thousand miles per hour (10,000 to 30,000 kph) and can then hit other satellites or spacecraft that cross their paths. This accumulation of space debris is creating an increasing problem. With more satellites and spacecraft heading to orbit, and more stuff up there moving around that might hit them, space travel is becoming more like flying the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field every day. Engineers at NASA, the European Space Agency and other space programs are exploring a variety of technologies – including a net, a harpoon and a laser – to remove the more dangerous pieces of space junk and clean up the space environment. The Force itself To most Earth audiences, the Force was a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. That is until 1999, when 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' revealed that the Force came from midi-chlorians, a microscopic, sentient life form that lives within every living cell. To biologists, midi-chlorians sound suspiciously similar to mitochondria, the powerhouse of our cells. The current working hypothesis is that mitochondria emerged from bacteria that lived within cells of other living things. And mitochondria can communicate with other life forms, including bacteria. There are many different kinds of mitochondria, and medical professionals are learning how to transplant mitochondria from one cell to another just like they transplant organs from one person's body to another. Maybe one day a transplant procedure could help people find the light side of the Force and turn away from the dark side. May the Fourth – and the Force – be with you. Daniel B Oerther is Professor of Environmental Health Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology. William Schonberg is Professor of Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. External Link © The Conversation
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Some ‘Star Wars' stories have already become reality
Just 48 short years ago, movie director George Lucas used the phrase 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away' as the opening to the first 'Star Wars' movie, later labeled 'Episode IV: A New Hope.' But at least four important aspects of the 'Star Wars' saga are much closer – both in time and space – than Lucas was letting on. One, the ability to add blue food coloring to milk, was possible even at the time the first film came out. But in 2024, 'Star Wars'-themed blue milk became periodically available in grocery stores. And we, an environmental health engineer and a civil engineer, know there are at least three more elements of these ancient, distant Lucas stories that might seem like science fiction but are, in fact, science reality. In that first movie, 'Episode IV,' Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen was a farmer on the planet of Tatooine. He farmed water from air in the middle of a desert. It might sound impossible, but it's exactly what experts discussed at the second International Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit hosted by Arizona State University in March 2025. Each day, a human needs to consume about the equivalent of 0.8 gallons of water (3 liters). With more than 8 billion people living on the planet, that means engineers need to produce nearly 2.6 trillion gallons (10 trillion liters) of clean drinking water every year. Taken globally, rainfall would be enough, but it's distributed very unevenly – including landing in the oceans, where it immediately becomes too salty to drink safely. Deserts, which cover about one-fifth of the Earth's land area, are home to about 1 billion people. Researchers at places such as Berkeley have developed solar-powered systems that can produce clean drinking water from thin air. In general, they use a material that traps water molecules from the air within its structure and then use sunlight to condense that water out of the material and into drinkable liquid. But there is still a ways to go before they are ready for commercial distribution and available to help large numbers of people. When the second Death Star was destroyed in 'Return of the Jedi,' it made a huge mess, as you would expect when blowing to smithereens an object at least 87 miles across (140 kilometers). But the movie's mythology helpfully explains a hyperspace wormhole briefly opened, scattering much of the falling debris across the galaxy. As best as anyone can tell, a hyperspace wormhole has never appeared near Earth. And even if such a thing existed or happened, humans might not have the technology to chuck all our trash in there anyway. So we're left with a whole lot of stuff all around us, including in space. According to the website Orbiting Now, in late April 2025 there were just over 12,000 active satellites orbiting the planet. All in all, the United States and other space-faring nations are trying to keep track of nearly 50,000 objects orbiting Earth. And there are millions of fragments of space debris too small to be observed or tracked. Just as on Earth's roads, space vehicles crash into each other if traffic gets too congested. But unlike the debris that falls to the road after an Earth crash, all the bits and pieces that break off in a space crash fly away at speeds of several thousand miles per hour (10,000 to 30,000 kph) and can then hit other satellites or spacecraft that cross their paths. This accumulation of space debris is creating an increasing problem. With more satellites and spacecraft heading to orbit, and more stuff up there moving around that might hit them, space travel is becoming more like flying the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field every day. Engineers at NASA, the European Space Agency and other space programs are exploring a variety of technologies – including a net, a harpoon and a laser – to remove the more dangerous pieces of space junk and clean up the space environment. To most Earth audiences, the Force was a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. That is until 1999, when 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' revealed that the Force came from midi-chlorians, a microscopic, sentient life form that lives within every living cell. To biologists, midi-chlorians sound suspiciously similar to mitochondria, the powerhouse of our cells. The current working hypothesis is that mitochondria emerged from bacteria that lived within cells of other living things. And mitochondria can communicate with other life forms, including bacteria. There are many different kinds of mitochondria, and medical professionals are learning how to transplant mitochondria from one cell to another just like they transplant organs from one person's body to another. Maybe one day a transplant procedure could help people find the light side of the Force and turn away from the dark side. May the Fourth – and the Force – be with you. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Daniel B. Oerther, Missouri University of Science and Technology and William Schonberg, Missouri University of Science and Technology Read more: The 'Barbie' and 'Star Wars' universes are entertaining, but they also unexpectedly can help people understand why revolutions happen From 'Jaws' to 'Schindler's List,' John Williams has infused movie scores with adventure and emotion A force awakened: why so many find meaning in Star Wars Daniel B. Oerther is affiliated with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. William Schonberg occasionally receives funding from NASA.
Forbes
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Star Wars Print From A Long Time Ago To Headline BFI Film Festival
It's not often than minor miracles happen, but the BFI in London seems to have conjured one, with the news that an original print of Star Wars, sans its 'Episode IV' title intro, is to be shown on the opening night of its BFI Film On Film Festival on the 12th of June 2025. According to the BFI, the print, sourced from its own archive, is an 'original, unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print, with dye transfer being the gold standard for film prints, offering the highest level of color and contrast. I first saw Star Wars on the big screen in a double bill of the first two movies in 1982, and by then, the Episode IV tag had already been added, so this truly is a special opportunity. The received wisdom is that since the release of the special editions in 1997, George Lucas has refused to let the original versions of his first trilogy see the light of day, with Disney seemingly maintaining that stance. However, there are exceptions. The original unaltered versions of all three movies were officially released by Lucasfilm in 2006 as part of a DVD box set (albeit in widescreen non-anamorphic format), while a 70mm print of the original, unaltered version was shown at an Academy Awards event in 2019 — reportedly with George Lucas's approval. However, this was a very exclusive, one-off event, so the BFI's claim that this is the first screening of the unaltered original in decades is accurate. In my opinion, most of the 'special' additions to A New Hope are acceptable. Still, the one that has always really bugged me the most isn't the infamous 'Greedo shot first' incident in the Cantina, but the scene that closely follows where Han talks to Jabba the Hutt with Boba Fett lurking in the background. As the scene was originally unfinished, most of Jabba's dialogue was given to Greedo in the earlier scene. By adding it back in, we hear almost the same lines again, rendering its inclusion narratively pointless. And while the CGI Jabba faced criticism (requiring it to be redone for the 2004 DVD release), for me, what's worse is that his presence in this first film lessens the impact of finally seeing him in Return of the Jedi. Returning to the BFI film festival, things will close on a high with Kyle MacLachlan presenting the 1990 TV pilot episode of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, a television show considered to be far ahead of its time. Other highlights include an IMAX 70mm presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, a print created under the supervision of Christopher Nolan. I saw this print at the London Science Museum's Ronson Theatre in 2023, but, somewhat surprisingly, this is the first time that it has been presented on the BFI's flagship IMAX screen. Kubrick fans can also see a film print of his 1956 film The Killing and his first short, The Day Of The Fight (1951). There's also a chance to see classics such as Local Hero (1983) and 70mm prints of Amadeus (1984) and Empire Of The Sun (1988). The festival weekend will also include workshops, talks, and free events, with the chance to hear from expert voices from the BFI's conservation, curatorial and projection teams. Tickets for the BFI Film on Film Festival are on sale from the following times and dates: BFI Patrons – Tuesday 6 May (from 12:00) BFI Members – Wednesday 7 May (from 12:00) General sale – Friday 9 May (from 12:00)
