Podcast
Physical Attraction
Hosted by Thomas · EN
Physical Attraction is the show that explores topics in science, technology, and the future - from a physicist's perspective. From the birth of stars to the end of the world, from interviews with experts to meticulously-researched deep dives, we'll explore the topics that shape our world.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Climate 201: Climate Doomism (II)
Mar 9, 202200:40:15Tap to summarizeIn the last episode, we briefly introduced "climate change doomers" and some of their misleading claims. In this episode, I talk about despair, and why we cannot give in to it.
Transcribe →Climate 201: Climate Doomism (I)
Feb 21, 202200:49:09Tap to summarizeWe're going there. In this episode, I discuss why civilization is not going to imminently collapse due to climate change, explain why doomism is a new form of denialism, and debunk some of its most misleading claims.
Transcribe →UNLOCKED: Book Club: Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants
Feb 8, 202200:36:48Tap to summarizeA new episode released from behind the Patreon paywall. This episode, we'll review and discuss some of the issues raised by Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants, a book that details the history of the advertising industry.
Transcribe →Climate 201 NETS XI: Direct Air Capture, p2 and NETS conclusion
Jan 24, 202200:41:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we will continue our analysis of Direct Air Capture and conclude the series on negative emissions - crucial component of decarbonisation, or a techno-utopian distraction from the real problems we face? [Don't expect an actual answer]
Transcribe →Climate 201 NETS X: Direct Air Capture, part 1
Jan 10, 202200:37:57Tap to summarizeDirect Air Capture - machines that suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Could this be the solution to a scaleable negative emissions industry? We'll discuss the pros and cons of the technology in this episode.
Transcribe →BONUS: Black Mirror IRL pilot - Be Right Back
Dec 28, 202100:40:10Tap to summarizeHi all! This is a slightly special bonus episode. Some years ago I had plans for another series "Black Mirror IRL", which was going to be a series of episodes looking into the technologies mentioned and featured in the Netflix Series Black Mirror. Is anyone working on these technologies in real life? What would their potential social implications be if they were developed? How scientifically feasible would it actually be to develop something like this? The plan would be to explore one technology alongside each episode of the show. However, time has passed and I've moved onto other projects, and now I have nowhere near enough time to finish this series alongside everything else, so I only ever got around to recording a single, pilot episode for that putative series, which has been sitting on my hard drive for ages. Rather than let it go to waste - as it could be years if ever before I get back around to this project again - I am releasing it as a bonus episode for you to enjoy. But one thing I would say is that I would really appreciate your feedback on this episode. Do you think the series is a good idea? Would you like to see more episodes along these lines? How do you think I could improve it? Any and all suggestions are gratefully received. Maybe someday the series as a whole will return. Thank you all as ever for your support for the show.
Transcribe →Climate 201: NETS VII: Ecosystem Restoration and Mangroves
Dec 19, 202100:42:33Tap to summarizeWhat are "nature-based solutions" to climate change? Can we restore the ecosystems that we've destroyed? And how can restoring mangroves help us to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere?
Transcribe →Climate 201, NETS IX: Ocean Iron Fertilization
Nov 29, 202100:30:12Tap to summarize"Give me a tanker full of iron, and I'll give you a new Ice Age." It might sound like something Hank Scorpio would say, but this episode will deal with the very real idea of stimulating plankton blooms to remove CO2 from the atmosphere - ocean iron fertilization.
Transcribe →Climate 201: NETS VIII: Enhanced Weathering
Nov 16, 202100:29:32Tap to summarizeHow could grinding up rocks and sprinkling the dust over vast areas help to combat climate change? In this episode, we deal with "enhanced weathering" as a potential source of negative emissions.
Transcribe →Climate201 NETS VI: Planting Trees and Afforestation
Nov 1, 202100:51:24Tap to summarizeMention carbon capture, and the refrain you'll often hear is "why invent a machine that captures CO2? We already have one - it's called a tree." But is large-scale afforestation as a negative emissions solution so simple? We dig into its potential in this episode of our series on negative emissions.
Transcribe →