Physical Attraction
255 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsPhysical 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.
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Episodes
Climate 201: Climate Doomism (II)
March 09, 2022 08:47 - 40 minutes - 29.5 MBIn 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.
Climate 201: Climate Doomism (I)
February 21, 2022 17:45 - 49 minutes - 35.7 MBWe'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.
UNLOCKED: Book Club: Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants
February 08, 2022 07:17 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBA 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.
Climate 201 NETS XI: Direct Air Capture, p2 and NETS conclusion
January 24, 2022 22:25 - 41 minutes - 45.7 MBIn 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]
Climate 201 NETS X: Direct Air Capture, part 1
January 10, 2022 22:53 - 37 minutes - 40.9 MBDirect 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.
BONUS: Black Mirror IRL pilot - Be Right Back
December 28, 2021 01:00 - 40 minutes - 29.2 MBHi 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 on...
Climate 201: NETS VII: Ecosystem Restoration and Mangroves
December 19, 2021 00:34 - 42 minutes - 31.5 MBWhat 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?
Climate 201, NETS IX: Ocean Iron Fertilization
November 29, 2021 14:50 - 30 minutes - 22.6 MB"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.
Climate 201: NETS VIII: Enhanced Weathering
November 16, 2021 09:16 - 29 minutes - 21.9 MBHow 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.
Climate201 NETS VI: Planting Trees and Afforestation
November 01, 2021 21:39 - 51 minutes - 39.5 MBMention 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.
Climate 201: NETS V: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage
October 18, 2021 18:43 - 55 minutes - 42.2 MBN/B: Owing to a ridiculously hectic schedule until the end of the year, episodes will continue to be released on a fortnightly basis until further notice - thanks for understanding. We hear an awful lot about carbon capture, utilisation, and storage as a technology that could help to mitigate climate change. In this episode, we review the science, the policy, existing CCS plants, and the potential for the captured carbon to be utilised. Will CCS ever materialise?
Climate 201: Negative Emissions IV: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
October 04, 2021 21:18 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBIn this episode, we get into some of the specific technologies that might be called upon to deliver negative emissions at scale. Specifically, we're looking at the advantages, disadvantages, and concerns surrounding BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage.)
Climate 201, Negative Emissions III: Technological Promises, or Prevarications
September 21, 2021 12:37 - 1 hour - 49.9 MBIn this episode, we discuss whether the promises that some new technology - like negative emissions - will come along and "solve climate change" for us are genuine, or if they have instead shaped climate policy into prevarication and procrastination.
Climate 201: Negative Emissions (II): We'll Always Have Paris?
September 13, 2021 12:22 - 44 minutes - 33.3 MBIncreasing levels of negative emissions are envisioned by models in climate-change scenarios that are compatible with the Paris Agreements. In this episode, we talk about some of the geopolitical implications for trying to deliver this, and the alternative futures that we can envision. Do "thinly-veiled techno-utopias shore up the Paris Agreement?"
Climate 201: Negative Emissions I: The Last Thing We Should Be Talking About?
September 06, 2021 17:20 - 43 minutes - 33.4 MBNegative emissions technologies (NETs), also called carbon dioxide removal (CDR), are seen by many as an increasingly essential part of climate change mitigation. Many of the scenarios that the IPCC suggests for meeting the Paris Agreement goals suggest that we will suck billions of tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere by the end of the century - using technology which has barely made it past the pilot project stage. In this episode, I ask: how did we get here?
Book Club: Jason Hickel's The Divide, Part II
August 30, 2021 20:37 - 49 minutes - 35.4 MBThe book club returns, with a two-part review and overview of anthropologist Jason Hickel's book "The Divide", about global inequality, its historical origins, and possible solutions in the future.
Book Club: Jason Hickel's The Divide, Part I: The Origins of Global Inequality
August 24, 2021 07:54 - 59 minutes - 44.1 MBThe book club returns, with a two-part review and overview of anthropologist Jason Hickel's book "The Divide", about global inequality, its historical origins, and possible solutions in the future.
Cosmology, VII: Cosmological Contradictions
August 16, 2021 21:02 - 33 minutes - 25.4 MBIn this episode, we discuss the ongoing battle throughout the 1930s and 1940s between those who believed in a steady-state Universe, and those who thought it was expanding - and how it took more observations to overcome these cosmological contradictions.
TT: Climate, CCS Struggles as Adaptation Stalls
August 07, 2021 10:25 - 45 minutes - 33.4 MBTo close out this series of news episodes, we discuss the depressing failure of carbon capture and storage projects in Australia, as well as the far-too-slow approach to climate change adaptation across the world.
Thermonuclear Takes: Amazon Carbon Stocks and Global Green Recovery Progress Update
August 03, 2021 08:05 - 28 minutes - 20.3 MBIn this episode of Thermonuclear Takes, we tackle a couple of recent climate-related news stories - the "tipping point" carbon flux measurements from the Amazon rainforest, and the IEA's progress report on a global green recovery.
Thermonuclear Takes: The Little Robot That Couldn't
July 30, 2021 17:59 - 24 minutes - 18.3 MBUpdates on the Softbank Vision Fund and the sad fate of Pepper the robot.
Thermonuclear Takes: Muon Madness Melting Models... Maybe?
July 26, 2021 22:04 - 27 minutes - 19.9 MBIn this news episode, I discuss recent anomalies around the muon - B-particles decaying into muons, and the muon's anomalous magnetic moment - and whether they herald the glorious dawn of a new era of physics, or are just a mistake.
Thermonuclear Takes: Show updates, cosmology feedback, particle physics
July 23, 2021 19:33 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBIn this news-y episode, I will give you some updates on how the show is progressing, share some listener emails on our cosmology series, and set up next episode's discussion of some recent results in high-energy physics.
Cosmology VI: Cosmic Eggs and the Edge of the Universe
July 20, 2021 15:16 - 30 minutes - 22.3 MBIn this episode, we cover the different kinds of universal horizon, whether the Universe has an edge, and talk about how theoretical physicists pondered how it all might've began.
Cosmology, Episode V: Einstein's Mistake
July 13, 2021 17:38 - 42 minutes - 31.6 MBAt the dawn of theoretical cosmology, Einstein introduced the so-called "Cosmological Constant" into his equations to explain how the Universe could be static and unchanging in time. He would later say that it was his greatest mistake.
Cosmology IV: Einstein's Cosmos
July 06, 2021 07:32 - 33 minutes - 24.9 MBIn this episode, we look at how Einstein's theory of general relativity gave rise to a theoretical framework for examining cosmology - the evolution of space, time, and the Universe in general - as a whole.
Cosmology III: Hubble's Law
June 29, 2021 05:43 - 28 minutes - 21.7 MBIn 1929, Edwin Hubble published his findings. The redshifts from distant galaxies were proportional to their distance away from us. Theoretical cosmologists would pounce on them as evidence that the Universe must be expanding.
Cosmology II: Starting From Nothing
June 21, 2021 21:55 - 24 minutes - 18.7 MBEverything we have been able to infer about the Universe began in total ignorance. Many early theories about how the Universe was structured were wildly incorrect - but astronomers were building up the toolkits that would later allow us to understand.
Cosmology, Episode I: In The Beginning
June 15, 2021 07:59 - 23 minutes - 18 MBWhen you're trying to narrate the history of the entire Universe, where do you begin? I decided to start in a radio studio in London in March 1949, when the term "Big Bang" was first coined, in the first on our series on cosmology.
Climate 201: Discourses of Climate Delay II
June 07, 2021 21:59 - 43 minutes - 47.5 MBArguments surrounding climate change have become subtler. Outright denial is gradually shifting to rhetoric that supports delaying urgent action. In this review of a paper by Steinberger, Lamb et al, I run down the new "discourses of climate delay".
Climate 201: Discourses of Delay, p1
May 31, 2021 21:58 - 46 minutes - 47.9 MBAs the climate change debate has advanced, the arguments surrounding it have become more subtle. Outright denial of the climate problem is rare - so rhetoric has shifted to delaying urgent action. In this review of a paper by Steinberger, Lamb et al, I run down the new "discourses of climate delay"
Hiatus until 1st June
May 14, 2021 14:32Folks, It's been over a year since we had a break from producing content and it just so happens that things are getting rather hectic in non-podcasting life. For that reason, we will be taking a short hiatus and returning with new episodes on June 1st. This will give me a bit of time to build up a reserve of new episodes - and you all a break. I may or may not release "repeat" episodes during the relevant Tuesdays for the next two weeks depending on how people feel about that. ...
Why Should We Listen to Scientists?
May 11, 2021 00:30 - 16 minutes - 12.4 MBWhy should we listen to scientists? Well, because they're right a lot of the time. But also because - ideally - the institutions of science embody values that everyone can agree are good in a system for working out what's true.
Machine Learning and AI vs. Climate Change
May 04, 2021 00:30 - 38 minutes - 29 MBHow can machine learning and artificial intelligence help us in the fight against climate change? I explore literally dozens of ideas for possible applications of ML algorithms in this episode.
Attack of the 50ft Blockchain, with David Gerard
April 27, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBI interviewed David Gerard, author of the cryptocurrency blog and book of the same name "Attack of the 50ft Blockchain", as well as a new book "Libra Shrugged" about Facebook's attempt to develop cryptocurrencies. We talked about Bitcoin, its flaws, its origins, and its future.
Thermonuclear Takes: The Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Rant
April 20, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBI have generally held back on talking about bitcoin - because I'm super opinionated and it's one topic that generates a lot of heated discussions - but I finally let it all go in this one, lengthy rant episode. Think of it as therapy... and if you disagree, get in touch.
Climate 201: Energy Efficiency IV: Jevons' Paradox, and Conclusion.
April 13, 2021 00:30 - 38 minutes - 28.8 MBIn The Coal Question, Jevons - alongside realising that we needed a transition to renewable energy 150 years ago - posed the efficiency paradox. Using energy more efficiently motivates you to use more energy. Can energy efficiency "rebound" and backfire like this in real systems? That's the question we explore in this episode.
Climate 201: Energy Efficiency, Part 3: Industry
April 06, 2021 00:30 - 30 minutes - 23.6 MBIn this episode of our series on energy efficiency, we are going to talk about industrial applications - how we can improve the way that high-energy industries and difficult-to-decarbonise sectors use energy.
Thermonuclear Takes: Climate News; Global Rebound, "Net" Zero, Green Homes, Cumbrian Coal
April 04, 2021 00:30 - 44 minutes - 34.6 MBIt's a smorgasboard of climate news as global emissions rebound, slippery definitions of Net Zero abound, the Green Homes Grant collapses, and there's controversy over a Cumbrian coal mine.
Climate 201: Energy Efficiency II: Buildings
March 30, 2021 00:30 - 40 minutes - 30.8 MBIn the second part of our series on energy efficiency and its role in combatting climate change, we talk about how buildings can be made more energy efficient... and some of the factors that prevent this from happening. Thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode. To find out how you can find new sponsors for your podcast, head to podcorn.com/podcasters.
Thermonuclear Takes: Gamestop Post-Mortem, Way Too Late
March 26, 2021 23:29 - 30 minutes - 23.4 MBSigh. Yeah I did a thing about the Gamestop, meme stocks, financial asset bubbles, and so on, if only so that these opinions don't have to rattle around in my head taking up space.
Climate 201: Energy Efficiency I: Transport
March 23, 2021 00:30 - 37 minutes - 28.1 MBIn this episode, we discuss the vital role of energy efficiency in reducing carbon emissions, and the potential to reduce energy consumption in transportation. Thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode. To find out how you can find new sponsors for your podcast, head to podcorn.com/podcasters.
The Glass Half-Empty: Debunking "New Optimism", with Rodrigo Aguilera: Part II
March 16, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBThis week, we have a guest on the show - Rodrigo Aguilera. Specifically, we're talking to him about his book "The Glass Half-Empty: Debunking the Myth of Progress in the 21st Century". We shouldn't be happy with a narrow and limited definition of "progress" when we have the capacity to achieve so much more. But if we want to see things like the elimination of poverty, the application of human ingenuity and compassion and rationality and empathy towards solving the problems that exist in the ...
Thermonuclear Takes: Greensill Collapses and Uber in Court
March 13, 2021 10:37 - 39 minutes - 29.8 MBListeners to our series on Softbank Vision Fund will be interested - albeit perhaps not surprised - to hear that one of its major investments, Greensill Capital, which we covered in the episode "The Next Financial Crisis", has imploded dramatically. We discuss it - and a new court ruling on another Softbank darling, Uber - in this Thermonuclear Takes episode.
The Glass Half-Empty: Debunking "New Optimism", with Rodrigo Aguilera - Part I
March 08, 2021 14:35 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBThis week, we have a guest on the show - Rodrigo Aguilera. Rodrigo is an economist - born in Mexico, lives in London, and his writing has appeared all over the place in various forms over the years. Specifically, we're talking to him about his book "The Glass Half-Empty: Debunking the Myth of Progress in the 21st Century". Now; this may sound like a rather gloomy take to pick, but the point that he is making is essentially that we shouldn't be happy with a narrow and limited definition of ...
Graphene and the world of 2-D materials
March 02, 2021 00:30 - 19 minutes - 14.9 MBFrom the discovery of graphene to the invention of Van Der Waals heterostructures, this episode explores the potential and possibilities surrounding 2D materials - and how a particular twist between layers of graphene could unlock a playground of superconductivity.
Short-Circuiting the Meaning of Life (II)
February 25, 2021 00:30 - 44 minutes - 34.3 MBIn the concluding part of this mini-series on technological implications for being human, we discuss the idea that humans will manipulate their psychology to "short-circuit" the meaning of life - and whether there's anything wrong with doing that.
Short-Circuiting the Meaning of Life (I)
February 22, 2021 13:36 - 53 minutes - 41.4 MBIn this experimental, unusual, and wildly speculative episode, we'll discuss philosophy, and the implications of the imagined techno-future for the unanswerable questions that have been with us since the dawn of consciousness.
The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change, with Professor Rebecca Willis
February 16, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBI sat down with Professor Rebecca Willis, author of the new book Too Hot To Handle, about the democratic challenge of climate change, how politicians deal with climate issues, the Climate Assembly here in the UK, and the ten-point plan for effective climate policy.
Climate 201: Drawdown, Part III: Cookstoves, Co-benefits, and Conclusions
February 08, 2021 22:54 - 30 minutes - 22.7 MBOn this episode, we conclude our series examining the work of Project Drawdown and its climate mitigation solutions, and discuss the additional benefits that arise from implementing many of them.