Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Flâneur and irrepressible commentator, Rick Edwards, and "Indiana Jones in a lab coat" Dr. Michael Brooks, delve into the science behind popular culture.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Science behind films/TV/pop culture • speculative tech: invisibility, cyborgs, VR, AI, autonomous cars • neuroscience: pain, sleep, hypnosis, meditation, consciousness • environment/climate: PFAS, waste, geoengineering • space/physics/math • ethics, evolution, medicine, pandemicsThis podcast uses well-known films, TV series, books, and cultural touchstones as a springboard for explaining real science. Hosted by comedian Rick Edwards alongside scientist Dr. Michael Brooks, episodes typically start with a big speculative question raised by a piece of popular culture—then work through what current research says is plausible, what’s impossible, and what ethical or societal trade-offs might follow.
Across the episodes, a recurring focus is human biology and the brain: pain and its treatment, sleep disorders, hypnosis and placebo effects, empathy and altruism, personality testing, dementia, consciousness and coma states, and whether practices like meditation measurably change the brain. Another major theme is biotechnology and the malleability of the body, including regeneration, vision restoration, ageing and longevity research, synthetic biology, and the prospects and limits of cyborg augmentation or mind uploading.
The show also frequently tackles large-scale risks and public policy questions, such as chemical pollution, pandemics, extinction and biodiversity loss, nuclear weapons, geoengineering and climate intervention, waste and environmental sustainability, and the science behind extreme natural hazards. Physics, mathematics, and computing appear in discussions of gravitational-wave detection, quantum ideas, encryption and cybersecurity, forecasting and prediction, probability and gambling, and even simulation-like views of reality. Expert guests—often academics and authors, and occasionally people connected to the cultural works—help connect the fiction and headlines to evidence, mechanisms, and real-world implications.
| Episodes: |
8: Episode 100: The Invisible Man2020-Mar-06 43 minutes |
7: Dark Waters2020-Feb-28 44 minutes |
6: Robocop2020-Feb-21 43 minutes |
5: Silence of The Lambs2020-Feb-14 39 minutes |
4: Star Wars2019-Dec-20 41 minutes |
3: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle2019-Dec-13 40 minutes |
2: Game Of Thrones (Live)2019-Dec-06 49 minutes |
1: Jaws2019-Nov-29 40 minutes |
12: History of the World: Part 12019-Mar-21 40 minutes |
11: Deadpool2019-Mar-14 40 minutes |
10: Inside Out2019-Mar-08 39 minutes |
9: Antz2019-Feb-28 36 minutes |
8: WALL-E2019-Feb-22 40 minutes |
7: Geostorm2019-Feb-14 40 minutes |
6: Icarus2019-Feb-07 34 minutes |
5: Dante's Peak2019-Jan-31 36 minutes |
4: Westworld2018-Dec-20 35 minutes |
3: Blindness2018-Dec-14 37 minutes |
2: Moonraker2018-Dec-06 35 minutes |
1: Fight Club2018-Nov-29 35 minutes |
33: Is LIGO right?2018-Nov-02 37 minutes |
32: First Man2018-Oct-19 39 minutes |
31: Pi2018-Sep-13 39 minutes |
30: Doctor Strange2018-Sep-07 36 minutes |
29: Frankenstein2018-Aug-30 43 minutes |
28: Rounders2018-Aug-23 40 minutes |
27: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy2018-Aug-16 39 minutes |
26: The Dead Zone2018-Aug-09 41 minutes |
25: Nightmare on Elm Street2018-Aug-02 42 minutes |
24: Knight Rider2018-Jul-26 39 minutes |
23: Get Out2018-Jul-19 37 minutes |
22: Enigma2018-Jul-12 38 minutes |
21: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom2018-Jul-05 42 minutes |
20: Still Alice2018-Jun-29 35 minutes |
19: Ice Age2018-Jun-21 28 minutes |
18: Good Will Hunting2018-Jun-14 36 minutes |
17: Chain Reaction2018-Jun-07 34 minutes |
16: Demolition man2018-May-31 32 minutes |
15: Rick and Morty2018-May-24 48 minutes |
14: Seven Pounds2018-May-17 35 minutes |
13: Contagion2018-May-10 36 minutes |
12: Altered Carbon2018-May-03 35 minutes |
11: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button2018-Apr-26 36 minutes |
10: The Machine Stops2018-Apr-19 36 minutes |
9: Dr Strangelove2018-Apr-12 38 minutes |
8: The Cell2018-Apr-05 29 minutes |
7: The Day of the Triffids2018-Mar-29 31 minutes |
6: Hackers2018-Mar-22 35 minutes |
5: Limitless2018-Mar-15 31 minutes |
4: Flatliners2018-Mar-08 28 minutes |
3: Children of Men2018-Mar-01 31 minutes |
2: Never Let Me Go2018-Feb-22 38 minutes |
1: Arrival2018-Feb-15 34 minutes |
Science(ish) Season Three Trailer2018-Feb-01 5 minutes |
Science(ish) Christmas Special, Series 2 Episode 82017-Dec-21 38 minutes |
Gattaca – Live from The Wigtown Book Festival, Series 2 Episode 72017-Oct-06 60 minutes |
Armageddon, Series 2 Episode 62017-Jul-26 53 minutes |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Series 2 Episode 52017-Jul-14 53 minutes |
The Fly, Series 2 Episode 42017-May-17 55 minutes |
Perfume, Series 2 Episode 32017-Apr-24 53 minutes |
Special(ish) 023 – Big Data Brother2017-Apr-21 7 minutes |
1984, Series 2 Episode 22017-Mar-17 59 minutes |
The Matrix, Series 2 Episode 12017-Feb-14 67 minutes |
Scienceish Season Two Trailer2017-Feb-07 5 minutes |
Special(ish) 022 – The Red Planet2016-Nov-30 19 minutes |
Special(ish) 021 – Mauna Loa2016-Nov-22 17 minutes |
017 – The Martian2016-Nov-15 61 minutes |
016 – Her2016-Oct-25 75 minutes |
Special(ish) 019 – Flight to Mars2016-Oct-18 14 minutes |
Special(ish) 018 – Harmon-E2016-Oct-05 10 minutes |
Special(ish) 017 – The Uncanny2016-Sep-21 8 minutes |
015 – Big Data2016-Sep-13 49 minutes |
Special(ish) 016 – Finding Your Voice2016-Sep-08 7 minutes |
Special(ish) 015 – Back to Reality2016-Aug-31 8 minutes |
014 – Lord Of The Flies2016-Aug-24 46 minutes |
Special(ish) 014 – Piggy in the Middle2016-Aug-21 10 minutes |
Special(ish) 013 – King of the Swingers2016-Aug-03 8 minutes |
013 – The Abyss2016-Jul-27 45 minutes |
Special(ish) 012 – Stuck in the Mud2016-Jul-20 6 minutes |
Special(ish) 011 – The Deep2016-Jul-13 12 minutes |
012 – Alien2016-Jul-06 50 minutes |
Special(ish) 010 – The Great Escape2016-Jul-03 7 minutes |
Special(ish) 009 – Here Be Dragons2016-Jun-22 7 minutes |
Special(ish) 008 – Dark Night2016-Jun-15 8 minutes |
Special(ish) 007 – Area 512016-Jun-08 12 minutes |
011 – Minority Report2016-Jun-02 50 minutes |
Special(ish) 006 – A Criminal Mind2016-May-25 9 minutes |
Special(ish) 005 – Pale Blue Dot2016-May-18 10 minutes |
010 – Interstellar2016-May-13 51 minutes |
Special(ish) 004 – Life on Mars2016-May-04 12 minutes |
Special(ish) 003 – A Head Above2016-Apr-26 13 minutes |
009 – Planet of the Apes2016-Apr-19 45 minutes |
Special(ish) 002 – Rise of the Machines2016-Apr-13 9 minutes |
Special(ish) 001 – Sticks & Stones2016-Apr-06 12 minutes |
008 – The Circle2016-Mar-15 51 minutes |
007 – Ex Machina2016-Feb-16 55 minutes |
006 – The Time Machine2016-Feb-08 49 minutes |
005 – Comics2016-Jan-29 47 minutes |
004 – The Day After Tomorrow2015-Dec-30 44 minutes |
003 – Jurassic Park2015-Dec-03 46 minutes |
002 – Brave New World2015-Dec-03 50 minutes |
001 – Inception2015-Dec-03 45 minutes |