Speculative biology is a subgenre of science fiction that imagines alternative evolution. It’s most famous example is Dougal Dixon’s 1981 book After Man, which depicted a future Earth inhabited by animals that had evolved from prehistoric species.
Xenobiology is another branch of speculative biology, in which writers explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life. These works are often based on realistic scientific principles.
Project Perditus
Speculative biology is an artistic movement that focuses on hypothetical scenarios in evolution to create bizarre yet plausible looking forms of life. It is also sometimes known as speculative zoology and can be used to explore the possible future of humanity. It is also a form of science fiction that has strong roots in science.
Project Perditus is a speculative biology project that aims to imagine what creatures will exist on Earth millions of years in the future. It is most active on Instagram, where it posts new art weekly and holds contests to promote other speculative artists in the community. It is a great resource for those who want to see what the future of life on our planet may look like!
This project is set in the distant future, where humans have expanded into other solar systems. They are beginning to wonder if there is life elsewhere in our galaxy and what it might look like. A satellite is sent to an analog planet similar in size to our own to observe the animals that might exist there. The artists of this project are examining the patterns found in nature and predicting what the animals might look like millions of years in the future, by using laws that are currently observed.
The earliest examples of speculative faunas can be traced back to the works of H. G. Wells, with his 1895 novel The Time Machine featuring a number of imaginary future creatures. Other notable speculative faunas include the four-armed green Martian from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series, Stanley Weinbaum’s Planetary series, and Gerolf Steiner’s Rhinogradentia, which was created in 1957.
Speculative biology can be found in many different art forms, from paintings to sculptures. It is particularly popular in sculpture, where it is often used to show evolutionary changes over time. It is also closely related to the field of paleoart, which attempts to reconstruct prehistoric animals. Another type of speculative biology is xenology, which is the study of alien life. Speculative biology is an important part of science fiction, which has a rich history of worldbuilding in its various forms.
Astrovitae
Astrovitae is a magazine focused on the genre of speculative biology. Its goal is to connect the community of artists and creators and highlight their work. The magazine releases biannually and features both fiction and nonfiction pieces. It is a great resource for anyone interested in the field.
Speculative biology is a branch of science that involves the study of imaginary organisms. Its principles are similar to those of traditional creature design, but it is usually more rigorously based in science. It also frequently references real organisms and events in Earth’s past and present. Many speculative biology works are designed to educate viewers about natural history and evolution.
In addition to educating readers, speculative biology can help to inspire new scientific discoveries. For example, the fictional filter-feeding anomalocarid illustrated by Darren Naish in his book All Your Yesterdays has been proven to exist in fossil form.
Many speculative biology projects are collaborative and use the internet to communicate their ideas with other people. This makes them an excellent tool for scientists to use as part of their outreach efforts.
One example is the Neocene project, which explores life on a fictional planet named Nereus 25 million years into the future. Another is the Speculative Dinosaur Project, which imagines a world in which the K-T extinction event never happened.
These speculative biology projects are often collaborative and involve many different artists. They also use a wide variety of techniques and styles to create their creatures. Some artists, like Christian Cline and Veknor, take a more literal approach to their creations. They display their artworks as if they were field guides or informative plaques that could be found in a museum. Others, like Reinhard Gutzat and Miles Rosenbloom, focus more on the aesthetics of their works. They give their creatures both common and scientific names, which adds to their realism.
Speculative biology has become a popular topic for scientists and enthusiasts alike. It is often used to teach students about the importance of natural history and evolution. It is also a good way to develop skills in science communication and storytelling.
The International Journal of Speculative Biology
The International Journal of Speculative Biology is an open access, peer-reviewed, quarterly publication that highlights emerging and prominent works of speculative biology. The journal uses a scientifically informed, creative process to explore highly considered, imaginary ecosystems and species. The work is based on real biological processes and theories, but it also contains elements of fiction and creativity. The Journal’s science panel evaluates submissions for their academic rigor and educational utility.
The Journal is primarily concerned with research in theoretical biological problems, although papers dealing with experimental methods are also published. Research papers must show clear insight into biological processes and their significance. Highly speculative papers not based on current biological knowledge are not acceptable. Papers should be written in a form that is readily intelligible to biologists without special training in mathematics, and detailed mathematical technicalities and experimental procedures should usually be presented in appendices.
Speculative biology is closely related to the field of alternative history and has been used in fiction as a way of exploring “what if” questions such as, for example, what life on Earth might be like if the human race had not become extinct. Examples of speculative biology include the reconstructed dinosaurs from Dougal Dixon’s book Man After Man and the fictitious creatures in James Cameron’s film Avatar. Other examples are astrobiology, the study of the possibility of extraterrestrial life and paleoart, which reconstructs long-dead animals.
Speculative biology can be used to explain biologically plausible ideas and predictions that might one day prove true. It can also be used as a tool to educate the public about biological concepts, such as evolution and biodiversity. This is particularly useful in schools where speculative biology can teach children that science can be a fun and interesting subject. This kind of speculative work is also important because it can help them learn how to think critically about scientific claims and evidence. This will help them when they read more scientific information in the future. Moreover, speculative biology can inspire scientists to investigate further, which could lead to new discoveries about the natural world and its relationship with humanity.
The Speculative Biology Store
Speculative biology is a fascinating and ever-growing field that explores what life could be like in a wide range of scenarios. While it is a subgenre of science fiction, it uses real-world laws and principles to answer “what if” questions about the evolution of organisms. It is also a popular genre of art among amateur biologists and animal fans who wish to combine creativity with realism.
Often referred to as “pseudo-science,” this type of fiction is based on scientific concepts and assumptions but contains substantial elements of whimsy. It is similar to the fictional genre of alternative history, in which authors ask “what if” events in the past had turned out differently. This genre of speculative biology can include works that focus on prehistoric creatures or alternate evolutionary paths for modern animals.
Examples of speculative biology may also take on the form of bestiaries, which are books that combine descriptions of real animals with fantastical creatures. Some works may also consider the evolutionary adaptations of mythological creatures, such as dragons or mer-people. This genre of speculative biology is sometimes called “cryptozoology” because it attempts to re-design mythological creatures into more realistic forms.
Other works may be focused on a specific event in Earth’s history, such as the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs or the impact of global catastrophic climate change. Still others may consider how different life might evolve on alien worlds or in alternate timelines. Some works of speculative biology may also be categorized as a sub-genre of alternate history or a sub-genre of science fiction, depending on the level of detail and the degree to which the work tries to obey real-world biological laws.
One of the most famous works of speculative biology is Dougal Dixon’s 1981 book, “After Man.” This seminal work envisions a future in which humanity has been wiped out and natural evolution continues on. The book’s detailed descriptions of the animals portrayed, along with the incredible illustrations, make this work the classic example of this genre. Though the animals depicted seem improbable at first glance, Dixon’s careful explanations of how evolutionary quirks might have led to their genesis make this work a genuine speculative biology classic.