290 - Because Science Live

00:00:00 - Sometimes life finds a way, to get in the way, so instead of the show we were supposed to record, here’s another from the archives. This time, we’re rolling back the clock to October 2014, mere moments after the live show you heard in episode 214. After our show, Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) took the stage to do a Because Science live panel discussion lead by him featuring Patrick House (@drmisterpatrick), Zach Weiner (@ZachWeiner), and our own Ryan Haupt. Topics in part one include:

Jurassic World’s lack of feathered dinosaurs

Asimov’s Laws of Robotics

Star Trek communicators

Cordyceps parasites in the video game The Last of Us

Toxoplasma

Ulcers and personality

Disease attenuation

‘Mutated’ neutrinos from the film 2012

and just what is going on with the Hulk

00:33:15 - Ryan breaks in for a moment to insert a drinks segment and he’s having some sherry, which sounds like something fancy from a Poe story, but he mostly just uses it for cooking.

00:34:10 - Part 2 of the panel begins with a discussion of more realistic science fiction, including the books Blindsight, Solaris, and the Space Odyssey series, and movies like Upstream Color, Deranged, Interstellar, and even Iron Man. Plus how organizations like the Science and Entertainment Exchange (see episode 40) can help steer Hollywood in the right scientific direction. We end with a discussion of the media’s role in make people afraid of things like diseases, and also what’s really scary from a scientific perspective.

Thanks again to Kyle for putting together the panel, make sure to check out his Youtube series Because Science from the Nerdist.com!

01:02:34 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like panels, it’s good to have some diversity. Only one this week and it comes from Thomas K., who has kindly contributed some money via Paypal and has some feedback regarding the evolution of the show, and our recent attempts to do other types of content like fossil hunting!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music for this episode:

Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis

Sherry - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

First Step - Hans Zimmer