Podcast
Fiction Science
Hosted by Alan Boyle · EN
Cosmic Log's podcast from the place where science and technology intersect with science fiction and popular culture, hosted by science writer Alan Boyle and science-fiction writer Dominica Phetteplace. Become a supporter for less than (or more than) a dollar a month.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Sci-fi pioneer's final novel bridges cultures
3w ago00:22:03Tap to summarizeNisi Shawl discusses the genesis of "The Curve of the World," a newly published novel about an ancient odyssey from Crete to the Pacific Northwest that science-fiction pioneer Vonda N. McIntyre finished writing just before her death in 2019.
Transcribe →The real 'Project Hail Mary': Looking for E.T.
Mar 1000:23:23Tap to summarizeSETI astronomer Seth Shostak talks about the parallels between the alien connection in "Project Hail Mary" and the real-world search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Transcribe →Occupy Mars? Or the moon? Get a reality check
Feb 1700:42:43Tap to summarizeNow Elon Musk wants to build a city on the moon before building a city on Mars. Biologist Scott Solomon, author of a new book titled "Becoming Martian," sizes up the prospects for building a city anywhere that's beyond Earth.
Transcribe →Why NASA is going nuclear on the moon
Jan 3000:46:11Tap to summarizeAerospace consultant Roger Myers explains why space nuclear power will play a big role in the competition between the U.S. and China to establish bases on the moon in the 2030s.
Transcribe →Pluto shines as a science-fiction star
Oct 3100:33:46Tap to summarizeSpace scientist Les Johnson tells the story behind his role in creating "Pluto," the last novel in sci-fi master Ben Bova's Grand Tour series and one of the first works of fiction to incorporate revelations from NASA's New Horizons mission.
Transcribe →Native American legends are woven into a UFO tale
Oct 1300:33:06Tap to summarizeCherokee science-fiction author Daniel H. Wilson blends ancient tales about extraterrestrials with up-to-date speculation about alien visitations in a new novel called "Hole in the Sky."
Transcribe →'Rocket Dreams' and rocket realities
Sep 2600:39:47Tap to summarizeWashington Post staff writer Christian Davenport, author of "Rocket Dreams," discusses the parallel space races between America and China, and between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Transcribe →Thriller explores Florida's flooded future
Aug 1100:30:02Tap to summarizeTim Chawaga, the author of a climate-fiction thriller titled "Salvagia," weaves the implications of future sea-level rise and other high-tech twists into a Florida murder mystery.
Transcribe →Dinosaur facts vs. fiction in 'Jurassic World Rebirth'
Jul 400:59:37Tap to summarizeTech pioneer Nathan Myhrvold and paleontologist Thomas Holtz discuss how dinosaur science has evolved over the past three decades - and do a reality check on the latest "Jurassic World" dino-movie.
Transcribe →How the Rubin Observatory will change astronomy
Jun 1800:34:58Tap to summarizeMario Juric, director of the University of Washington's DiRAC Institute, explains why astronomers are celebrating the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's "First Look" at the cosmos - and tells you how to join the party.
Transcribe →