Sunday, January 15, 2017

Science in Fiction (#24): Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth


Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth!




Carve the Mark is the first of a two-book series by bestselling author Veronica Roth. Amidst its problematic content and brutal world, this book is a very intriguing science fiction story. One aspect of this book is the idea of a "currentgift" - supernatural abilities that people obtain when they are blessed by the "current", a type of space energy. 

Today, I'm going to explore the idea of space energy!


I was curious to know where Roth got her inspiration for the "current", which is the source of the abilities ("currentgifts") of most characters in Carve the Mark. Akos can interrupt the current, Cyra can transmit pain, Eijeh can see the future, Cisi can influence and persuade others. Where does the current come from (besides the vague answer of "space")? Is there a scientific basis to Roth's fictional creation? A lot of things are attributed to the current, in this book.

I could not find more information as to what her inspiration was, for the current. But there is a scientific basis for space energy, which is what the current most closely resembles.

Scientists have come up with the term "dark energy" to consider the energy in empty space. There isn't much known about dark energy, but it is theorized that it makes up more than three fourths of the universe (Space.com). Dark energy is odd because every form of energy has a source - radiation, or matter - and we don't know about the source of dark energy.

Supposedly, this dark energy is what is causing the universe to expand. As more of the universe appears (because of its expansion), more dark energy appears, which causes the universe to keep expanding. It's a positive feedback loop!

Changes in the Rate of Expansion over Time

Schematic of the expanding universe. Source: NASA


Dark energy is still somewhat of a new concept in the physics world, and it's possible that it might not even exist. One of my first thoughts, upon looking further into this topic, was if humans could possibly harness dark energy. But given how little we know and understand, it would be incredibly unlikely. How would we harness energy that is fueling the expansion of the universe? I imagine this would come some sort of destabilization of some sort. We wouldn't even begin to understand and predict the consequences - good or bad - of harnessing dark energy. If it exists (it probably does).

Which leads me to conclude that, while dark energy could be Roth's inspiration for the current in Carve the Mark, the two have very little in common. Dark energy has no (known) influence on human abilities or life on Earth in general. The current seems to be more fictional than scientific, which one would expect. But it would be interesting to know if Roth did indeed base the current on some sort of space energy (perhaps besides dark energy - some other type of energy that I haven't considered). 


What do YOU think of dark energy? If you found out that you would manifest a certain "currentgift" around the time of puberty, what ability would you want? 

(If anyone ever finds out or asks Roth about her inspiration for the current, please let me know! I'm trying to find out myself and would love to know.)

24 comments:

  1. Awww this is such a cute tag! I love your tone in writing this book because you actually sounded so enthusiastic haha. Very cute :) I've been wanting to read this book when I saw it at Zoe's blog (Stories on Stage! She's a great blog buddy of mine!). Though her review was sadly negative, I'm still kind of curious because I actually loved Divergent. And science-fiction has recently gotten into my liking, especially when majority of the sci-fi books I read were really great :)

    Dark energy sounds very mysterious, and it's actually my first time hearing of it! What you wrote about such energy makes me more curious about it haha.

    Really, thank you for sharing this and I enjoyed reading it! Also, this is my first time visiting your blog so hello there. It's nice to meet you :) Your blog is lovely.

    Jillian @ Jillian's Books

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    1. "Cute tag" - I'm not sure how I feel about that but okay. It's a feature and not a tag, for one. And this is supposed to be more informational and not "cute"?

      The book was good, but also extremely problematic in some areas. The "current" was actually one of the things I was most confused about, and Roth never explains its origins in the book. So I dug up some science and yet I still couldn't find any basis for the "current".

      If you read the book, I hope you like it! Thank you, Jillian. =)

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  2. Hmm, I've read something about dark energy before and is it weird that I liked the idea that little is known about it and its a mystery.
    It's interesting to find out what gives an author their ideas. I watched an interview for an author who explained how the spark of a thought led to another thought and another and another before it ever got to her actual book idea. :)

    Fun post, Alyssa!

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    1. It's bizarre! I'm always fascinated by what scientists come up with. I think the "current" is extremely fictional, but I would have loved to know how she came up with the idea.

      Thank you, Sophia!

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  3. it's been a long time since I read anything about dark energy, really long time. They don't really cover much of it in school because so little is known. It's a bit disappointing the way science is heading. I feel like we should know more and yet with some people wanting to cut science out of school because of religious reason, we will have a hard time getting ahead :(

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    1. I don't remember learning anything about dark energy and dark matter, not even in my physics classes! It's not well-researched and a lot of physicists don't even think it's real.

      Religious reasons are definitely part of people wanting to cut science out of school, but also the fact that so many people "hate" math/science because it's "hard" - people don't study math/science like we need them too. It's sad!

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  4. This is so cool!!!!!!!!!!! We've stumbled upon heaps of articles talking about dark energy, and we love that you've condensed the facts into an easy-to-read-and-understand way because many newspapers get too confusing with the technical terms. Hmm, well, Luna would like to be able to stop other people's current gifts and Saturn would like to mimic other people's current gifts. We'd be unstoppable :):):):) Awesome post!!!!
    ~ Pendragons 

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    1. Thank you! I do spend a lot of time sifting through articles to make sure I've got enough of a basis as to what I'm describing. It's fun though a little time-consuming!

      I took the Epic Reads quiz on which currentgift I would have, and I got the ability to block the current as well! I wouldn't mind it. ;)

      Thank you, ladies!

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  5. Oh this very cool. I think it would be very awesome if somewhere in space there's an energy we haven't discovered that could affect our DNA to create superpowers haha.

    I think teleportation would be pretty cool! I'd get to sleep in, never worry about traffic or being late and it would feed my travelling addiction without breaking the bank!

    Awesome list, Alyssa!

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    1. Wouldn't it be?! It would also be a little scary, but that would be so cool. Teleportation would be SO great! I wish I had time to travel, and teleportation would definitely "fix" that problem. ;)

      Thank you, Cyn!

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  6. I love that you explored the topic of dark energy based on a book. I didn't know much about dark energy before and it looks like they aren't 100% positive on it either. Great post!

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    1. It always seems like things in terms of outer space are never certain! Which makes sense because everything is uncertain out there. I'd love to know more about dark energy - maybe more research will be done in the future!

      Thank you!

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  7. This kind of stuff is SO far over my head! But, it's really fascinating! I love this meme, by the way! So creative! :)

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    1. Awww! Thank you, Christine! I really appreciate that. <33333

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  8. Oh fun idea for a feature! So fun what path a book can take us down :D

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    1. I agree! This one took a little thought because the science was a little on the vague side, but I love a good challenge. ;)

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  9. Another great science in fiction. Firstly, I was sad to see that Carve the Mark didn't really do it for you (I was looking forward to that one! I'll still read it, but I won't shuffle my TBR for it.... I think).

    Dark energy isn't something I know anything about but the thought is so intriguing. I wonder when we will be capable of learning more about it and where it originates from or even if it is as theorised! It sounds like a lot of hypotheses and theory at the moment but it would be great to be able to learn more, especially if it could be or could inspire some new form of energy source. It's amazing that for as much as we know, or think we know, there is so much more to discover and learn!

    Thanks for the info and I look forward to next month's feature. :)

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    1. It was good, but then it was problematic, so I waffled a bit in terms of my rating. I liked it but also recognized a lot of issues with the book. You know what I mean?

      I wish we had better technology and resources to further research complex ideas like dark energy! I'd be on board with that. I doubt the new U.S.A. government is going to allot more funding to NASA though...

      Thank you, Di! I'll try to make February's feature extra juicy. :D

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  10. If you ever get the urge to write your own YA science fiction novel, the plot line of "humans harness dark energy and it goes horribly wrong" would be absolutely perfect. Because tbh the idea of humans trying to harness a power they don't fully understand gives me the creeps -- and it's a classic sci-fi tale! :D

    Another really interesting Science in Fiction post, Alyssa! I'm interested to see what you come up with in February.

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    1. Hahahahaha, I love it! Honestly though... hmmm... that's a serious thing to consider. ;)

      Thank you, Danya!

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  11. I love that you took the time to look into this! I LOVE to do my own research after reading a book that triggers a thought. I typically do that more with historical fantasy to see if I can find the roots of a reference I can't quite place, but I should totally do that more with sciencey topics like this one :) Such a great idea for a feature, and I loved learning more about dark energy!

    ~ Michelle @ FaerieFits

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    1. Thank you! It's fun (and very educational!). Looking up historical facts after reading historical fiction is something I do as well - especially with the more medieval types.

      Thank you, Michelle!

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  12. I love how you love science :D You are awesome Alyssa. <3 Loved reading this post :) Thank you for sharing. Well, the only gift I would ever want, really, is to fly, haha :) I have always wanted to be able to fly. Aw. Never ever happening, though. HOW RUDE.

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    1. Heh! I'm glad you enjoy the posts. I really appreciate your support. <3

      Flying would be AWESOME! Though I'm a little afraid of heights. o_o

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