(Super) Natural Science

The Real Science of Superheroes, Mythic Creatures, and the (Sci-Fi) Universe

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by Charles Liu

Type

Studies

Subject

Genre > Science Fiction

Keywords

science fiction, sciences

Publishing date

2026 (October 13, 2026)

Publisher

Visible Ink Press

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 352 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-1-57859-118-3

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Book Presentation:
Starships! Death Rays! Superheroes! Mutants! Monsters! The Multiverse! An astrophysicist (and science fiction fan) explores the scientific possibilities behind superhero superpowers, time travel, the supernatural, Bigfoot, ghosts, vampires, alien worlds, and much more!

Have you ever wondered whether we might someday teleport from place to place with transporters like those shown in Star Trek? Or pondered the existence of ghosts and the possibility of alien life visiting the Earth? Or debated whether being bitten by a radioactive spider might turn you into a superhero? From black holes to sentient robots to werewolves, astrophysicist Charles Liu investigates the real science of the supernatural, science fiction stories, mythology, folklore, fairy tales, and other wild, crazy, mysterious, spooky, fantastical, and sometimes real, sometimes not phenomena! Looking through a scientific lens, (Super) Natural Science: The Real Science of Superheroes, Mythic Creatures, and the (Sci-Fi) Universe probes the scientific foundations and frontiers of all things fantastic, including …

• Alien life and artificial intelligence;
• The Big Bang, Bigfoot and black holes;
• Cyborgs, dark matter, and death rays;
• The end of time, event horizons, and extra dimensions;
• Faster-than-light travel, transporters, genetic modification, and ghosts;
• Gravitational waves, hypernovas, insect invasions, and Jurassic Park;
• Kaiju, King Kong, magic, and mutants;
• Nucleosynthesis, Planck time, and quantum teleportation;
• Robots, super-senses, super-serums, and super-strength;
• Telepathy, teleportation, and time travel;
• Vampires, Frankenfoods, and werewolves;
• X-ray vision, Yellowstone supervolcanoes, and Yetis;
• Zero-point energy and zombies;
• And so much more!

Science and the supernatural aren’t mutually exclusive—and science is often stranger than fiction! (Super) Natural Science shows how science can be used to explain all sorts of strange, wondrous and unusual phenomena!

About the Author:
Charles Liu, Ph.D. is a professor of astrophysics at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island, an associate with the Hayden Planetarium and Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, and host of the podcast The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu, as well as being a recurring guest on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk! Bringing the Universe Down to Earth podcast. He earned degrees in astronomy, astrophysics, and physics from Harvard and the University of Arizona, and he held postdoctoral positions at Kitt Peak National Observatory and at Columbia University. His research focuses on colliding galaxies, starburst galaxies, quasars, and the star formation history of the universe. In addition to his research publications, Dr. Charles Liu also writes for students and general audiences, including Visible Ink Press’ popular The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book, The Handy Physics Answer Book, and The Handy Astronomy Answer Book; StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jeffery Lee Simons; and The Cosmos Explained. Among his many professional honors, Prof. Liu has been awarded the American Astronomical Society Education Prize and the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. He currently serves as president of the Astronomical Society of New York and is a fellow of the American Astronomical Society. Dr. Liu and his wife have three children.

Press Reviews:
"Dr. Liu has a Ph.D and loves comic books. … For all the nerds out there, … the good Dr. Liu says it's okay to love scientific and non-scientific stuff at the same time. … A lot of the information ... is quite complex, but Dr. Liu guides you through his book with laymen terms, so things are easy to understand. [Super] Natural Science is brilliance at its finest!" —Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Online!

See the publisher website: Visible Ink Press