Science(ish)

Will we ever be able to turn invisible? The idea of magically disappearing has fascinated humanity for centuries. Once dismissed as impossible, a promising new wave of technologies could bring this dream one step closer to reality. Rick and Michael wrap up in bandages and plunge into HG Wells’ seminal work: The Invisible Man. Featuring Professor Sir John Pendry Produced by Eli Block Sources: http://bit.ly/Scienceish_The_Invisible_Man_Sources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will we inevitably all become Cyborgs? More than ever, we’re hearing from Silicon Valley types that humans are going to need to merge with machines. But just what would our augmented future look like? Rick and Michael plug in to the techno-dystopian classic Robocop to find out whether we’ll radically alter our bodies or risk being left behind. Featuring: Professor Kevin Warwick Produced by Eli Block and Ivor Manley Sources: http://bit.ly/Scienceish_Robocop_Sources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the Force a real thing? Michael takes Rick on a mind bending tour through a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars! Crucial questions will be answered: did Luke Skywalker get his powers from a parasite? Can we use quantum entanglement to summon a lightsaber? Did George Lucas cheat on his homework? All will be revealed... Featuring: Patrick Johnson Sources: http://bit.ly/StarWars_Sources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Michael go full Westeros at a special live show from the Underbelly comedy festival. So, could you really build an Ice Wall that big without using magic? Could a Dragon really fly and breathe fire? And the big one - just how bad is incest really? Come and find out! Featuring: Prof Alan Bittles and Mike Habib Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much does Geography inform History? Why did humanity first emerge where it did? What influence do ancient rock formations have on U.S politics? In the final episode of the season, Rick and Michael try to answer all this and more, diving into Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part 1. Featuring: Lewis Dartnell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Personality testing is a multi-billion dollar industry. But how reliable are assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Can we really find out which Lord of the Rings character Michael is? Rounding off our animated classics trilogy of animated classics, the lads jump into Pixar’s Inside Out. Featuring: Dr Merve Emre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year we produce over 2 billion tonnes of waste. That figure is only going up. Never before has the question been more pressing: what should we do with all our stuff? From atop a giant pile of broken printers, Rick and Michael discuss Pixar’s 2008 masterpiece WALL-E. Featuring: Prof Margaret Bates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Bryan Fogel’s 2017 docu-thriller Icarus exposed Russia's Olympic doping programme, it sent shockwaves through the sports community. This week the boys explore the long and bizarre history of doping in sport and the perpetual arms race between the dopers looking for a little extra boost and the scientists trying to catch them. Featuring: Professor Chris Cooper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What better way to kick off Christmas than a deep dive into the ethics of sex robots? Exploring the science and pitfalls of dystopian drama Westworld, the boys sit down with renowned computer scientist Kate Devlin to discuss her new book ‘Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots.’ Featuring: Kate Devlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the declaration of Trump’s ‘Space Force’, the domain of space is ever closer to becoming a new and potentially terrifying theatre of war. Through the Roger Moore classic Moonraker, the boys examine our reliance on vulnerable satellites and the ramifications of asteroid mining, whilst enjoying a martini or two. Featuring: Joan Johnson-Freese. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics went to ‘a discovery that shook the world’, gravitational waves. These were detected by the LIGO experiment, a century after Einstein first predicted them. But behind the celebration, another story has been brewing which calls into question the science beneath the headlines. Might LIGO have got it wrong? Enter Science(ish)’s very own Dr Michael Brooks. Featuring: Dr Andrew Jackson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do some numbers have special significance? Inspired by Darren Aronofsky’s film Pi, Rick and Michael explore the greatest numbers known to humankind. From the mercurial zero which medieval Italy declared “illegal”, to the golden ratio that can explain something as abstract as beauty, this episode charts why humans have fallen so deeply in love with mathematics. Featuring: Prof Ian Stewart See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could we create Frankenstein’s monster? The boys celebrate the 200th year anniversary of Mary Shelley’s genre-defining novel with a deep-dive into the underbelly of science: from grave-robbing and re-animating the dead, to the cutting edge of synthetic biology, this episode tackles the fundamental ethical conundrum at the heart of science fiction’s most famous book. Featuring: Dr Kathryn Harkup See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices