Sir Paul will talk to novelist Ian McEwan about how fiction tackles scientific fact and take John Humphrys on a tour of his laboratory in an attempt to explain why good science deserves good journalism.

BBC: News - Today - Today's guest editor: Paul Nurse

The heroes of Mr Morton's book are the astronomers who yearn to solve Mars's scientific puzzles, the science-fiction writers who project their politics on to Mars's blank canvas, and the space-flight enthusiasts who dream of Martian colonies.

ECONOMIST: Mars

But it isn't likely that science fiction authors are going to envision future scientific breakthroughs or future technology accurately.

BBC: How sci-fi moves with the times

The curious hosts mix scientific method with plain old-fashioned ingenuity to separate fact from fiction among many popular beliefs.

FORBES: Busting the Sell in May and Go Away Myth

They are in the vanguard of what is called "hard" science fiction, in which most of the writing is based on actual scientific principles.

FORBES: Inventing The Future

Of course, if we do ever find imaginative and scientific aliens, it'll be interesting to know if they write, or ever wrote, science fiction.

BBC: How sci-fi moves with the times