Cover image of The Science of Fiction

The Science of Fiction

Each episode of The Science of Fiction picks a theme and discusses the science and non-science in fiction involving that theme, with hilarious results, a selection of tenuously-related m... Read more

Ranked #1

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Natural Resources (with Ivan Scales)

Natural Resources (with Ivan Scales)

Political ecologist Ivan Scales—McGrath Lecturer and Director of Studies in Geography at St Catharine's College, Cambrid... Read more

3 Feb 2013

57mins

Ranked #2

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Ageing and Rejuvenation (with Aubrey de Grey)

Ageing and Rejuvenation (with Aubrey de Grey)

Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation joins Will by phone to discuss reversing the effects of a... Read more

20 Jan 2013

57mins

Ranked #3

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Contagion (with Alexandra Kamins)

Contagion (with Alexandra Kamins)

Alexandra Kamins, a researcher at the University of Cambridge and IOZ, brings us the messy reality behind the spread of ... Read more

18 Nov 2012

57mins

Ranked #4

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Quantum (with Michael Conterio)

Quantum (with Michael Conterio)

Serial guest Michael Conterio joins the show to discuss the fiction and fact of technology enabled by quantum mechanics.... Read more

11 Nov 2012

55mins

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Ranked #5

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The Tortured Genius (with James Grime)

The Tortured Genius (with James Grime)

James Grime, “resident tamed mathematician” of The Enigma Project and past guest, returns to the show to discuss the cli... Read more

28 Oct 2012

52mins

Ranked #6

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Oceans in Fiction (with Helen Scales)

Oceans in Fiction (with Helen Scales)

We're joined by Helen Scales—marine biologist, broadcaster and author of Poseidon’s Steed—to discuss watery lairs, subma... Read more

21 Oct 2012

52mins

Ranked #7

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A Tale of 2² Cities

A Tale of 2² Cities

Your intrepid hosts have spent their summers in two unfamiliar cities apiece. To kick off the new season, we'll be discu... Read more

7 Oct 2012

55mins

Ranked #8

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Games in Fiction, Fiction in Games (with Leonard Richardson)

Games in Fiction, Fiction in Games (with Leonard Richardson)

Leonard Richardson joins the show from across the Atlantic to talk about games as plot devices, generative content, stor... Read more

17 Jun 2012

57mins

Ranked #9

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Communication

Communication

Andy and Will discuss the ways people converse in fiction: some archaic, some fantastical. Causality-violating quantum... Read more

10 Jun 2012

58mins

Ranked #10

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Mediæval Science and Literature (with Daisy Scholten)

Mediæval Science and Literature (with Daisy Scholten)

Daisy Scholten joins Andy to talk about saintly medical techniques, the afterlife, and absolutely no Dan Brown. Don't fo... Read more

3 Jun 2012

54mins

Ranked #11

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Apocalypse

Apocalypse

How might the world end? This week, The Science of Fiction investigates the myriad of scenarios for the downfall of huma... Read more

27 May 2012

55mins

Ranked #12

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Economics and Game Theory

Economics and Game Theory

With Andy having fled the country, Will is joined by Trevor Wood to talk about Nash equilibria, reputation-based currenc... Read more

19 May 2012

57mins

Ranked #13

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Here Comes The Science Bit

Here Comes The Science Bit

The worst offenders might be shampoo adverts, but egregious pseudo-science is not exactly rare in fiction. Joined by The... Read more

12 May 2012

54mins

Ranked #14

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Robots

Robots

Minimizing the edit distance from last week's show, Chris Smowton joins us to talk about androids, AI, the uncanny valle... Read more

5 May 2012

55mins

Ranked #15

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Steampunk, Shams and Space Cowboys (with Kat Arney)

Steampunk, Shams and Space Cowboys (with Kat Arney)

Kat Arney—songstress, Naked Scientist, knitter—joins Andy and Will to chat about colliders, steampunk, lab-based literat... Read more

11 Mar 2012

57mins

Ranked #16

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Hybrids (with Djuke Veldhuis)

Hybrids (with Djuke Veldhuis)

Djuke, guest star of last season's episode about stress, returns to the show to discuss hybrids, aliens and mutants acro... Read more

19 Feb 2012

55mins

Ranked #17

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Cryptography (with James Grime)

Cryptography (with James Grime)

Bond, Neil Stephenson, Turing, and a real live Enigma machine in the studio! Here are some photos: Andy, James, the Enig... Read more

4 Dec 2011

56mins

Ranked #18

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Mathematics and Mathematicians (with Trevor Wood)

Mathematics and Mathematicians (with Trevor Wood)

Good Will Hunting, the bat sonar digital switchover, The Hunt for Red October, The Oxford Murders, A Beautiful Mind, Pi,... Read more

27 Nov 2011

55mins

Ranked #19

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Late Victorian Gothic Literature (with Dorée Carrier)

Late Victorian Gothic Literature (with Dorée Carrier)

Dorée gives us a glimpse into the troubled minds of Victorian horror writers, and their pathological fears of, well, pat... Read more

9 Jul 2011

1hr 1min

Ranked #20

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Journey into the Fourth Dimension (with Prof. Andy Parker)

Journey into the Fourth Dimension (with Prof. Andy Parker)

Prof. Andy Parker heads up the the work on the Large Hardion Collider in Cambridge. We ask him about his work in search ... Read more

2 Jul 2011

1hr

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