The author also forgets that the novel is set in the year 10,191. A helluva lot of innovation can happen by that time.
Good point.
The time line for Star Trek seems a bit more accurate. Future history there projects that warp drive will be invented about 2062.
To me that seems about right.
But given the pace of AI acceleration —they may shave 20 years off of that.
Apparently though not in Biochemistry, they got all this tech including FTL travel but somehow they can't synthesize a relatively simple naturally occurring compound.
Star Trek TNG used this trope in The Code of Honor, which is often rated as one of the worst episode of the series. Which yeah it was bad, but it at least it wasn't the snooze fest Dune was.