In the Netflix series ‘3-Body Problem,’ the orbits of a trio of stars are so chaotic that it’s impossible to precisely predict their future trajectories. This concept, known as the Three-Body Problem, is a real scientific phenomenon that inspired the show’s name.
However, the show takes some liberties with the science. For example, the San-Ti aliens manipulate events on Earth from light-years away using ‘sophons,’ supercomputers housed within protons. While extra dimensions are a real concept in physics, they do not function as depicted in the show. Additionally, the sophons’ high-speed travel and faster-than-light communication violate known physical laws.
Another implausible aspect is the use of nuclear blasts to propel a probe towards the San-Ti home planet. While the probe’s acceleration is theoretically possible, the efficiency of the explosions would be minimal, making it an unrealistic solution.
Despite these scientific leaps, cosmologist Jacques Delabrouille finds the show and the novel it’s based on imaginative and thought-provoking. It encourages viewers to question the plausibility of scientific concepts, even if they’re not always accurately depicted.
Delabrouille also points out that while nanofibers have applications in materials science, they couldn’t slice through a ship as portrayed in the show. Additionally, scientists can listen for extraterrestrial signals, but the sun wouldn’t amplify a radio signal humans broadcast. And lastly, an army would not float off the San-Ti home planet during the alignment of the three stars due to the immense tidal forces that would destroy the planet.
