Published: April 25, 2007 06:15 pm      

Science fact? Kryptonite, new planet among surprising new discoveries

t’s just science fiction. I’ve heard that phrase when somebody broaches the seemingly impossible like teleportation or life on another planet. Well, Wednesday I was reminded that the seeming fantasies, silly or horrific, can really come true.

Wednesday morning I was multi-tasking in the kitchen, eating breakfast as it came hot out of the toaster while reading the newspaper. I saw the usual words leaping out at me as I scanned the front page: Crashes, financial, options, kryptonite...

Kryptonite? The words “fairy dust” would have surprised me just as much. As far as I knew, there was no such thing as kryptonite outside of Superman comic books. It’s that magical substance that supposed to rob the Man of Steel of his powers.

I read the brief article and discovered that a substance found in Serbia had earned the handle “kryptonite” because its chemical formula matched the one given for kryptonite in the movie “Superman Returns.” Interesting. Now we have kryptonite.

What’s next? I wondered. Somebody’s going to find the planet Krypton? I kept eating and poured myself a glass of milk. I flipped the A Section over to see the weather.

Today’s forecast was there. I learned that we could expect scattered showers. I also learned that astronomers had found the first potentially habitable planet outside our solar system.

How about that? I thought to myself, fascinated by the news. A planet that just might fulfill all the requirements for hosting life had been discovered: Not too hot or cold, the right size, and it might have liquid water. I read more about this new world and quickly realized that it sounded familiar.

A newly discovered planet seemed familiar? How? First, it’s bigger than Earth, maybe one and a half times bigger with a gravity that’s 1.6 times stronger. A 150-pound person would weigh about 240 pounds on that planet. Second, it orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581.

After I swallowed these facts and another bite of pancake, I knew what that new planet, dubbed 581c or just “c” reminded me of. It roughly matched Superman’s home ward, Krypton.

According to Superman lore, Krypton was bigger than Earth. It also orbited a red star; apparently being exposed to our yellow sun gave Superman his powers. Krypton was supposed to have exploded, too, but I’m willing to overlook that. Astronomers have actually found a planet that’s similar to one in comic book legend.

I’ve always enjoyed science fiction and speculation about scientific issues, and like many other people, I’ve seen science fiction become fact. Now almost everyone has a cell phone that looks much cooler than the “communicator” Captain Kirk used on “Star Trek” — and he couldn’t take or send pictures. And today’s personal planners make Mr. Spock’s “tricorder” look oversized and cumbersome.

What’s my point? The things science fiction writers have presented have a way of coming true in one form or another. For instance, global warming was connected to the weather catastrophe in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” In that film, greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere by human activity trigger a new ice age, burying most of North America under an ice cap.

I’ll admit that the debate about what causes global warming is still going strong: Some scientists say it’s the result of human activity while others suggest that natural forces such as changes in the sun’s output are to blame. Either way, the fact the Earth could get hotter is a reason to pay attention and not be complacent.

The world has been pummeled by terrific forces throughout its history. Asteroids have smacked the planet, ice ages have frozen it and dramatic shifts in weather patterns have sparked mass extinctions. And we still do not completely understand how it all happens.

This is why we as a species can’t simply dismiss an idea because it seems improbable or unpleasant. A planet matching an imaginary place called Krypton has been found, so the unlikely can actually happen. Imagine what unlikely news we might get — good or bad — tomorrow.

Greg Jordan is a reporter for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at gjordan@bdtonline.com