SparkDialog
82 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsScience and technology are everywhere in our lives. This podcast takes a look not only at the science itself, but its role in society, how it affects our lives, and how it influences how we define ourselves as humans. Episodes also throw in a mix of history, ethics, philosophy, religion, and the future! Hosted by Elizabeth Fernandez, an astronomer and science communicator. Let’s spark some dialog!
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Episodes
Memories, The Here and Now, and Our Future - Time, Religion, and Physics
October 06, 2021 18:47 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBTime is really weird. You may be inclined to say only the present is real, while the future and past have a […] The post Ep 100: Memories, The Here and Now, and Our Future – Time, Religion, and Physics – with Dr. Timothy Maness appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 99: New York Underwater: Art and Climate Change - with guest Carolyn Hall
September 07, 2021 23:55 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBWhat would it be like if New York City was partially underwater? What would it feel like, what would it taste like? […] The post Ep 99: New York Underwater: Art and Climate Change – with guest Carolyn Hall appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 98: The Problems and Promise of AI in Healthcare – with guest Dr. Muhammad Ahmad
August 03, 2021 21:43 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBAI in healthcare can do amazing things. It can help doctors diagnose their patients. It can streamline patient care, and can help […] The post Ep 98: The Problems and Promise of AI in Healthcare – with guest Dr. Muhammad Ahmad appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 97: Floods in India - A View of Climate Change from Under the River - with guest Dr. Luisa Cortesi
July 13, 2021 14:18 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBThere are places where people can choose to ignore climate change. Then, there are places that it could never be considered a […] The post Ep 97: Floods in India – A View of Climate Change from Under the River – with guest Dr. Luisa Cortesi appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 96: AI, Ethics, and the Vatican - with guest Dr. Brian Patrick Green
June 01, 2021 21:46 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBArtificial Intelligence is not just the stuff of science fiction. It’s found all around us – from deciding what movie shows up […] The post Ep 96: AI, Ethics, and the Vatican – with guest Dr. Brian Patrick Green appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 95: Grief in the Time of COVID: with guest Dr. Kristel Clayville
May 04, 2021 18:59 - 29 minutes - 30.8 MBGrief in the time of COVID is a very real thing. COVID has changed the way we interact with each other and the world. But perhaps most poignantly, it has introduced new types of grief in our lives. The grief of the dying, not allowed to touch or even see family members one last time. […] The post Ep 95: Grief in the Time of COVID: with guest Dr. Kristel Clayville appeared first on SparkDialog.
Ep 95: Grief in the Time of COVID- with guest Dr. Kristel Clayville
May 04, 2021 18:59 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBGrief in the time of COVID is a very real thing. COVID has changed the way we interact with each other and […] The post Ep 95: Grief in the Time of COVID- with guest Dr. Kristel Clayville appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 94: Quantum Entanglement, Consciousness, and the Nature of Reality: with guest Dr. Eric Cavalcanti
April 06, 2021 23:41 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBToday, we’re talking about two deep subjects – quantum entanglement and consciousness. If physics has taught us anything, it is that the […] The post Ep 94: Quantum Entanglement, Consciousness, and the Nature of Reality- with guest Dr. Eric Cavalcanti appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 93: Gratefulness, Hope, and COVID - with guest John Van Sloten
March 03, 2021 00:58 - 29 minutes - 36.9 MBWe are a COVID-weary people. It’s been about a year since lockdown really began. Happy quarantine-versary? But in all seriousness, we often […] The post Ep 93: Gratefulness, Hope, and COVID – with guest John Van Sloten appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 92: Merging Man and Machine: Transhumanism and Religion - with guest Seth Villegas
February 02, 2021 18:51 - 43 minutes - 52.1 MBIf you lost a limb, would you use technology to help you regain some of your ability? What if you were deaf? […] The post Ep 92: Merging Man and Machine: Transhumanism and Religion – with guest Seth Villegas appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 91: Seeing Patterns, Seeing God: The Neuroscience of Belief - with guest Dr. Adam Weinberger
October 20, 2020 18:26 - 28 minutes - 33.5 MBWhy do some people believe, and others do not? Does it come down to experiences, the way you were raised, your DNA? […] The post Ep 91: Seeing Patterns, Seeing God: The Neuroscience of Belief – with guest Dr. Adam Weinberger appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 90: How Can We Find Life Within the Solar System?: with guest Dr. Niels Ligterink
October 06, 2020 20:12 - 43 minutes - 43.9 MBLast month, scientists published word that an incredible discovery was made on Venus. They found what is called a “biomarker” in the […] The post Ep 90: How Can We Find Life Within the Solar System?: with guest Dr. Niels Ligterink appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 89: Can Online Privacy Exist Today? - with guest Rob Shavell
September 22, 2020 19:29 - 36 minutes - 50 MBWe all understand that with technology today, a certain amount of our privacy has evaporated. Our phones track our location. Stores know […] The post Ep 89: Can Online Privacy Exist Today? – with guest Rob Shavell appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 88: Why We Need Nature – with guest Dr. Peter Kahn
September 08, 2020 14:58 - 29 minutes - 38 MBPeople feel better when they are in nature. There’s something about putting your hands in garden dirt, taking a walk in the […] The post Ep 88: Why We Need Nature – with guest Dr. Peter Kahn appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 87: Environmental Racism and Climate Change - with guest Dr. Gregory Simpson
August 25, 2020 13:04 - 34 minutes - 40.2 MBFrom islands in the South Pacific that are drowning under rising waters to communities like Flint, Michigan, communities of color, both in […] The post Ep 87: Environmental Racism and Climate Change – with guest Dr. Gregory Simpson appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 86: The Science of Subjectivity: The World Your Brain Creates – with guest Dr. Jorge Morales
August 11, 2020 13:34 - 48 minutes - 53 MBThe world you see is not really the world that exists. Your eyes and your brain are working together to “lie” to […] The post Ep 86: The Science of Subjectivity: The World Your Brain Creates – with guest Dr. Jorge Morales appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 85: How Paleolithic is the Paleo Diet? What did our Ancestors Eat Anyways? – with guest Dr. Briana Pobiner
June 30, 2020 17:19 - 36 minutes - 41.5 MBThere’s a lot of opinions about the current Paleo diet. Some proponents say eat what our ancestors ate – meat, veggies, fruit, nuts. But what about things like lentils? Beans? Milk or wheat? Are those allowed in the Paleo diet? There are differing opinions. How do we really know what our ancestors ate? Stomachs don’t […] The post Ep 85: How Paleolithic is the Paleo Diet? What did our Ancestors Eat Anyways? – with guest Dr. Briana Pobiner appeared first on SparkDialog.
Ep 85: How Paleolithic is the Paleo Diet? What did our Ancestors Eat Anyways? - with guest Dr. Briana Pobiner
June 30, 2020 17:19 - 36 minutes - 41.5 MBThere’s a lot of opinions about the current Paleo diet. Some proponents say eat what our ancestors ate – meat, veggies, fruit, […] The post Ep 85: How Paleolithic is the Paleo Diet? What did our Ancestors Eat Anyways? – with guest Dr. Briana Pobiner appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 84: The Coronavirus, Social Media, Online Dating and Black Lives Matter – with guest Dr. Shantel Buggs
June 16, 2020 20:59 - 33 minutes - 37.8 MBTo say we live in changing times is an understatement. The world right now is a pressure cooker. Already, people around the […] The post Ep 84: The Coronavirus, Social Media, Online Dating and Black Lives Matter – with guest Dr. Shantel Buggs appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 83: The West: On the Cusp of a MegaDrought – with guest Dr. Kasey Bolles
June 02, 2020 19:32 - 27 minutes - 28.7 MBWith the wildfires in California, extreme insect infestations in forests, and the duration between rainstorms lengthening, the western United States is in […] The post Ep 83: The West: On the Cusp of a MegaDrought – with guest Dr. Kasey Bolles appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 82 : The Origins of Language May Go Much Farther Back Than We Thought – with guests Dr. Chris Petkov and Dr. Ben Wilson
May 19, 2020 12:14 - 38 minutes - 44.1 MBWhen did language originate? It’s a tricky question to answer. We can’t go back in time. We can’t even look at “fossilized […] The post Ep 82 : The Origins of Language May Go Much Farther Back Than We Thought – with guests Dr. Chris Petkov and Dr. Ben Wilson appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 81: Staying Connected During COVID-19 (with Technology!) – with guest Eric Elnes
May 05, 2020 18:23 - 30 minutes - 33.7 MBIf the COVID-19 pandemic had hit even ten years ago, we would be in a very different situation than today. We wouldn’t […] The post Ep 81: Staying Connected During COVID-19 (with Technology!) – with guest Eric Elnes appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 80: Smart Replies Aren’t So Smart – with guest Jess Hohenstein
April 21, 2020 18:16 - 21 minutes - 23.9 MBYou’ve probably seen them. You’ve probably used them. Popular in Gmail and other messages platform like Slack or LinkedIn, they provide you […] The post Ep 80: Smart Replies Aren’t So Smart – with guest Jess Hohenstein appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 79: Evolution in the South – with guest Dr. Amanda Glaze-Crampes
April 07, 2020 16:05 - 36 minutes - 41.4 MBWhen it comes to the teaching of science, one of the most controversial topics is evolution, and one of the most controversial […] The post Ep 79: Evolution in the South – with guest Dr. Amanda Glaze-Crampes appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 78: This Is Not A Normal Podcast Episode
March 24, 2020 18:11 - 1 minute - 1.9 MBListeners, I can say with about 100% certainty that you are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (unless you were on the […] The post Ep 78: This Is Not A Normal Podcast Episode appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 77: Yes, It’s Possible To Feed The World – with guest Prof. Dieter Gerten
March 10, 2020 19:31 - 29 minutes - 33.6 MBMore than one million people live in poverty in this world, and many of those are malnourished. Meanwhile, the population of the […] The post Ep 77: Yes, It’s Possible To Feed The World – with guest Prof. Dieter Gerten appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 76: How We Found Out Meteors Are Actually Little Rocks From Space Burning Up In The Atmosphere
February 25, 2020 14:20 - 18 minutes - 19.7 MBIt sounds crazy when you say it out loud. Meteors are rocks from SPACE burning up in the atmosphere. How did people […] The post Ep 76: How We Found Out Meteors Are Actually Little Rocks From Space Burning Up In The Atmosphere appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 75: From Self-Driving Cars to Autonomous Weapons Systems – Can We Trust AI? – with guest Dr. David Danks
February 11, 2020 14:15 - 40 minutes - 48 MBAre you looking forward to self-driving cars? Perhaps you love taking the curves of the road yourself, but more likely, you would […] The post Ep 75: From Self-Driving Cars to Autonomous Weapons Systems – Can We Trust AI? – with guest Dr. David Danks appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 75: From Self-Driving Cars to Autonomous Weapons Systems – Can We Trust AI?
February 11, 2020 14:15 - 40 minutes - 48 MBAre you looking forward to self-driving cars? Perhaps you love taking the curves of the road yourself, but more likely, you would relish a commute where you could read or catch up on the latest episode of “Mandalorian“. But do you trust your self-driving car to get you to your destination safely? What happens if […] The post Ep 75: From Self-Driving Cars to Autonomous Weapons Systems – Can We Trust AI? appeared first on SparkDialog.
Ep 74: Is the Biodiversity of Earth Doomed? with guests Dr. Pamela McElwee, Dr. Kai Chan, and Dr. Alex Pfaff
December 03, 2019 17:37 - 42 minutes - 93.7 MBThe statistics are staggering. One million species are close to extinction. No ecosystem is left untouched. Corals in the sea, forests on […] The post Ep 74: Is the Biodiversity of Earth Doomed? with guests Dr. Pamela McElwee, Dr. Kai Chan, and Dr. Alex Pfaff appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 73: Mind Uploading: The Key to Eternal Life? with guest Dr. Michael Hauskeller
November 19, 2019 18:26 - 34 minutes - 76 MBThe newest seekers of immortality are on a radical quest: mind uploading. These people think that it may be possible to take […] The post Ep 73: Mind Uploading: The Key to Eternal Life? with guest Dr. Michael Hauskeller appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 72: Reversing Climate Change: Turning CO2 Into Rock – with guests Dr. Kári Helgason and Dr. Bergur Sigfússon
November 05, 2019 18:38 - 28 minutes - 62.7 MBIn 2015, the world came together and drafted the Paris Agreement. We agreed to try to limit our emissions so that the […] The post Ep 72: Reversing Climate Change: Turning CO2 Into Rock – with guests Dr. Kári Helgason and Dr. Bergur Sigfússon appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 71: Epileptics with Mystical Experiences – with guest Dr. Joseph Tennant
October 22, 2019 17:59 - 37 minutes - 82.5 MBImagine that you have a mystical experience that changes your life. Perhaps you see the face of Jesus, Muhammad, or Buddha. Perhaps […] The post Ep 71: Epileptics with Mystical Experiences – with guest Dr. Joseph Tennant appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 70: Hack My Heart – with guest Dr. Marie Moe
October 08, 2019 17:30 - 28 minutes - 62.9 MBDr. Marie Moe is a cyborg. She has a pacemaker that controls the beating of her heart, and without it, she would […] The post Ep 70: Hack My Heart – with guest Dr. Marie Moe appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 69: Cameras that can See Around Corners – with guest David Lindell
September 24, 2019 12:29 - 26 minutes - 58.4 MBWhat if you could build cameras that can see around corners or through walls? It sounds like something out of a spy […] The post Ep 69: Cameras that can See Around Corners – with guest David Lindell appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 68: They’re Not Speaking English – Decoding a Message from ET – with guest Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen
September 10, 2019 13:35 - 38 minutes - 84.4 MBWhat would happen if we found a message from a civilization on another planet? Chances are, they won’t be speaking English. We […] The post Ep 68: They’re Not Speaking English – Decoding a Message from ET – with guest Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 67: Space Industry – A Future in the Stars – with guest Dr. Jim Bell
July 23, 2019 16:41 - 28 minutes - 62.7 MBIt’s been 50 years since we’ve first set foot on the moon. That moment, the human species was brought together – our […] The post Ep 67: Space Industry – A Future in the Stars – with guest Dr. Jim Bell appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 66: What the Future May Hold: The Future of Technology – with guest Brian David Johnson
July 09, 2019 18:48 - 42 minutes - 93.8 MBNo one knows what the future may hold. Or can they? Today on the podcast, we talk to Brian David Johnson, a […] The post Ep 66: What the Future May Hold: The Future of Technology – with guest Brian David Johnson appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 65: The Plausibility of Implausible Science Fiction
June 25, 2019 18:04 - 27 minutes - 59.8 MBCome on, that can’t really happen, can it? How often have you torn apart science fiction movies for their sheer implausibility? Today, […] The post Ep 65: The Plausibility of Implausible Science Fiction appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 64: Thriving with Autism through Art: with guests Colin Weiss and Harish Bikmal
June 11, 2019 13:37 - 22 minutes - 48.9 MBLiving with autism has many challenges. One of these is making a living as an adult. Especially for individuals with severe autism, […] The post Ep 64: Thriving with Autism through Art: with guests Colin Weiss and Harish Bikmal appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 63: Deep Brain Stimulation: with guest Dr. Laura Cabrera
May 28, 2019 15:43 - 29 minutes - 64.7 MBMany disorders of the mind are commonly treated by medication. But what if you could alter the brain itself, treating the problem […] The post Ep 63: Deep Brain Stimulation: with guest Dr. Laura Cabrera appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 62: Improving Women’s Healthcare: The Calla Campaign: with guests Libby Dotson and Andrea Kim
May 14, 2019 16:09 - 29 minutes - 66 MBNo women should ever die of cervical cancer. It grows very slowly, giving time for detection. In a perfect world, it would […] The post Ep 62: Improving Women’s Healthcare: The Calla Campaign: with guests Libby Dotson and Andrea Kim appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 61: Technology and the Notre Dame Fire: with guest Dr. Stephen Murray
April 30, 2019 17:58 - 35 minutes - 48.6 MBOn the evening of April 15th, the entire world watched with shock and horror as Notre Dame cathedral burned. At the time, […] The post Ep 61: Technology and the Notre Dame Fire: with guest Dr. Stephen Murray appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 60: Science, Religion, and Evolution
April 16, 2019 15:30 - 41 minutes - 95.4 MBAre science and religion compatible? For some, the answer is a resounding yes! Others see nothing but conflict, especially, it seems, around […] The post Ep 60: Science, Religion, and Evolution appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 59: Climate Change on Alien Worlds: with guest Dr. Adam Frank
April 02, 2019 13:27 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBThe Earth is not the only planet to undergo radical changes in its climate. Even if we look at the nearby solar […] The post Ep 59: Climate Change on Alien Worlds: with guest Dr. Adam Frank appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 58: Who Are You Anyways? Does Dementia and Alzheimer’s Change Who You Are?: with guest Dr. Nina Strohminger
March 19, 2019 14:03 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBMillions of people worldwide are suffering from the brain diseases Alzheimer’s and dementia. These diseases take a toll not just on the […] The post Ep 58: Who Are You Anyways? Does Dementia and Alzheimer’s Change Who You Are?: with guest Dr. Nina Strohminger appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 57: The Future of the Universe: with guests Dr. Avi Loeb and Dr. Ethan Siegel
March 05, 2019 13:48 - 43 minutes - 60.8 MBEverything changes. Even the stars, that seem so constant, will one day burn out. The sky will change. Today, we’re going on […] The post Ep 57: The Future of the Universe: with guests Dr. Avi Loeb and Dr. Ethan Siegel appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 56: It’s About Time – A Podcast in the Fourth Dimension: with guest Dr. Jonathan Tallant
December 11, 2018 14:24 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBWhat is time? We may not fully understand it, but we do know this: time has some very odd qualities. Today, we discuss […] The post Ep 56: It’s About Time – A Podcast in the Fourth Dimension: with guest Dr. Jonathan Tallant appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 55: 3D Printed Buildings – From Earth to Mars: with guest Keegan Kirkpatrick
November 27, 2018 14:30 - 28 minutes - 39.3 MBBuilding any type of infrastructure is challenging, whether it be a house or a skyscraper. The difficulty is only compounded when you […] The post Ep 55: 3D Printed Buildings – From Earth to Mars: with guest Keegan Kirkpatrick appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.
Ep 54: Transforming Agriculture in Africa: with guest Samantha Salimu
November 07, 2018 16:41 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBAgriculture in Africa has its share of challenges. Sometimes it’s the drought, other times, it’s soil quality. Things like climate change and […] The post Ep 54: Transforming Agriculture in Africa: with guest Samantha Salimu appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.