Cinema Science Podcast: Scientists Chat About Their Favorite Movies and Shows artwork

Cinema Science Podcast: Scientists Chat About Their Favorite Movies and Shows

19 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -

Scientists chat about their favorite movies, games, and TV shows! Every other week, Anne and Heidi interview a researcher about their favorite piece of media and the science behind it. Listen for your favorite movie!

Science
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

S02E02:Cloning in Jurassic Park: What Came First, the Egg or the Dinosaur?

October 18, 2020 15:01 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MB

Jurassic Park is a classic favorite of many scientists. Except for Anne, who apparently still hasn't seen the movie to this day! In this episode, Scientist Becca Mellema teaches us how to make a dinosaur using cloning techniques! Well... not exactly. But we do talk about the awesomeness of gene editing, the ethics of cloning, and debate what creature laid the dinosaur eggs at the park. Check out Becca's blog: http://gettingthesciencewrite.com/ Follow Becca on Twitter: @beccmel2 Follow us ...

S02E01Time Perception & Dredd: Why Zoom Meetings Last Forever

October 18, 2020 15:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MB

We are BACK for Season 2! We're starting our season with a quick (maybe?) episode on Dredd. Neuroscience graduate student Kevin Huang walks us through this dystopian future by teaching us how bees perceive time, why the good times end early, and why meetings feel like they take forever! Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGib...

S01E15 Fight Club: How Media Depicts Schizophrenia

June 10, 2019 15:49 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MB

Fight Club is riddled with commentary on modern society, and it's explosive ending suggested a main character with schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder. But is the movie's depiction of multiple personalities accurate or even fair? Neuroscientist Jenifer Einstein joins us in this season finale to help us understand these disorders, the psychology of economics, what the heck synaptic plasticity means, and how she would fund her own "Project Mayhem." **Follow Jenifer on Twitter! @Ae...

S01E14 Black Mirror: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, & Awkward Feelings

April 16, 2019 17:50 - 52 minutes - 95.6 MB

With our ever evolving technology, Black Mirror addresses the potential dark future of our society's relationship with advanced technology. We discuss "all the cool dark science" (as Anne puts it) in this television series. Dr. Marsa Taheri helps us understand the difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, how a robot could creep us out, and what technology presented in Black Mirror she would most likely use and stay away from.  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCas...

S01E13 Game of Thrones: Game of Poison

March 19, 2019 11:05 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MB

This is our second episode in a two part series on neurotoxins! Check out Episode 12 where we talk about Toxic Shark and toxins from an evolutionary perspective. In this episode, we summarized all of Game of Thrones to Anne, who has never seen the show. Ana Santos joins us to help us understand how poisons work, why we study poisons in the lab, why it's exciting to eat a Puffer Fish, and what venomous or poisonous creature best represents her.  

S01E12 Toxic Shark: Venom, Toxins, and Snail Bros

March 05, 2019 11:06 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MB

This is the first episode in a two-part special on neurotoxins! We watched Toxic Shark, a trashterpiece comparable to Sharknado. Peter joins us to help us better understand the difference between poison vs venom, how he'd become best friends with an immortal snail bro, what toxins can do to your brain, and his endless supply of puns! To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited ...

S01E11 Walking Dead Cows: IRL Zombie Diseases

February 18, 2019 11:06 - 49 minutes - 68.2 MB

The Walking Dead portrays the complexities of life following a zombie apocalypse. Naturally, chaos ensues, but how dangerous are zombies... really? Evan teaches us about zombie-like diseases that occur in real life, why zombies eat, what to do if you see a drooling deer, and how he would survive a zombie apocalypse. Diseases discussed include: mad cow disease, Dengue, tetanus toxin, rabies, and cerebral malaria. To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Tw...

S01E10 Avatar: Exoskeletons Made out of Washing Machines

February 05, 2019 11:02 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MB

James Cameron's epic science fiction film Avatar was a breakthrough in 3D technology when it was released. In it, Jake Sully is a parapalegic former marine who takes control of an Avatar to explore a planet that is essentially a... brain. In this episode, Deeptha joins us to help us learn about spinal cords, what happens when they become damaged, how closely related we are to zebrafish, and whether or not you can (and should) make a tiger avatar. We also debate whether Heidi should continue ...

S01E09 A Quiet Place: A Parent's Dream World of Silent Monopoly

January 22, 2019 11:07 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MB

If they hear you, they hunt you. We watched the movie A Quiet Place in which a post-apocalyptic world of silence is overrun by creatures that hunt using sound. A bearded-John Krasinski and his family navigate this quiet world, surviving games of Monopoly, grain silos, and babies. Bioengineering Graduate Student Marta Iversen joins us to help us understand how we hear, how hearing aids and cochlear implants work, and how hearing compares to a cat. To learn more, check out our website: cinema...

S01E08: Rick & Morty: Voles, Dogs, & Love Potions

January 08, 2019 10:00 - 34 minutes - 55.1 MB

Rick and Morty: Rick Potion #9, Rick creates a love serum for Morty to use at the school dance; as per usual, a mantis-disaster occurs leading to a world of hurt and destruction. Rick confesses the delicate balance of designing a love potion, but what does neuroscientist Joshua Barrios think? In this episode, Josh talks about monogamous voles, whether petting your dog can cause oxytocin release, and what combination of species' DNA he would use to create the most dangerous animal possible. ...

S01E08: Rick & Morty: Voles, Dogs, & Love Potions

January 08, 2019 10:00 - 34 minutes - 55.1 MB

Rick and Morty: Rick Potion #9, Rick creates a love serum for Morty to use at the school dance; as per usual, a mantis-disaster occurs leading to a world of hurt and destruction. Rick confesses the delicate balance of designing a love potion, but what does neuroscientist Joshua Barrios think? In this episode, Josh talks about monogamous voles, whether petting your dog can cause oxytocin release, and what combination of species' DNA he would use to create the most dangerous animal possible. ...

S01E07 Lucy Unlocks Her Brain: 30% Capacity Will Shock You!

December 25, 2018 15:05 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MB

Because our first season is all about the brain, it's no surprise that we would ultimately watch Lucy. This movie stems from the myth that living creatures use 10% of their brain, and unlocking the rest of the brain results in reality-altering abilities. Neuroscientist Danielle Giangrasso helps us understand how much of our brain we use, whether we can manipulate our "brain capacity," and whether or not Morgan Freeman actually knows how to apply the scientific method.  To learn more, check ...

S01E06 Alien Parasite: House Hunters, Xenomorphs

December 11, 2018 11:01 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MB

We watched Alien, a movie about parasitic Xenomorphs that can use anything and anyone as their host. Jaycie Loewen joins us to discuss the various parasites that are searching for a home. Could you be their next host?  To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson ...

S01E05 Sleep Deprived Inception: Does Anne Dream of Concrete Origami?

November 27, 2018 10:00 - 52 minutes - 120 MB

Christopher Nolan’s Inception ignited a worldwide debate on spinning tops and made us question our dream security. Neuroscience graduate student Kyle Jenks joins us to reveal what our brain is doing while we sleep, why we dream, how we study sleep in the laboratory, and who he would incept, given the chance.  To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheViking...

S01E04 Men in Black Neuralyzers: Salient Hot Dog Memory

November 13, 2018 11:00 - 45 minutes - 72.6 MB

We watched Men in Black, an unforgettable movie that caused 90s kids everywhere to question whether or not their parents are aliens. Graduate student Ariadne Penalva teaches us how we store and retrieve memories, why it's hard to forget that embarrassing thing you did 10 years ago, and whether or not neurolyzers can erase your memory of an alien.  Check out our website for more information: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @kr...

S01E03 Alien vs Predator vs Space Cows: The 5 Alien Senses

October 29, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MB

Aliens (Xenomorphs) and Predators (Yautjas) have been battling each other for thousands of years, resulting in an evolutionary arms race. For whatever reason, humans find themselves in the middle of this war and are the clear loser. Special guest Andrew Moran joins us to explore the sensory biology of these species and we debate which alien reigns supreme in the Alien vs Predator (AVP) franchise!  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited...

S01E01 Drunken Master Fighting Style: Optimal Headbutting Technique

October 16, 2018 12:00 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MB

We watched Drunken Master, and worshiped Jackie Chan’s comedic kung fu youthfulness. In this episode of Cinema Science, Andrew Taibi demonstrates that he is not only the biggest kung fu fan in the world, but he’s also incredibly knowledgeable in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and alcohol. How do they affect your fighting technique and your brain? Listen to find out!  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach @krbreitenbach Edited and Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, ...

S01E02 Gattaca's Designer Baby Astronauts: Editing the Murder Gene

October 16, 2018 12:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MB

In this episode of Cinema Science, we watched Gattaca, a science fiction movie from 1997 that asks the question: what if we could alter our destiny with a little genetic engineering? Sasha Luks-Morgan helps us understand how exactly genetic editing works, what the heck CRISPR stands for, and whether or not we can actually splice super powers into our DNA. Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted ...

S00E00: Cinema Science Trailer

October 15, 2018 22:04 - 2 minutes - 3.3 MB

Welcome to Cinema Science!! Neuroscience graduate students Heidi Febinger and Anne Gibson chat with their grad school buddies about their favorite movies, games, and tv shows in this podcast. The show is sprinkled with science, but it's mostly just a rare moment of relaxation for these scientists. New episodes will be released every other Tuesday. Season 1 is all about the brain!

Twitter Mentions

@pandabumhah 13 Episodes
@hubblegibson 13 Episodes
@cinemascicast 13 Episodes
@thevikingbear__ 13 Episodes
@endairatena 6 Episodes
@beccmel2 1 Episode
@aerialneurosci 1 Episode