Fiction Science
Alan Boyle
Cosmic Log's podcast from the place where science and technology intersect with science fiction and popular culture, hosted by science writer Alan Boyle and science-fiction writer Dominica Phetteplace. Become a supporter for less than (or more than) a dollar a month.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 13, 2022 • 34min
'Maurice on Mars': A black comedy on the Red Planet
Comedian Tim Barnes, the creator of a new Comedy Central animated series called "Maurice on Mars," discusses his show about a struggling barista on the Red Planet and touches upon the controversies surrounding race and science fiction.
May 21, 2022 • 38min
Futurist lays out utopian vision for 2084
Michael Rogers, a futurist who advises startups and Fortune 500 companies, uses a sci-fi novel titled "Email From the Future" to point to technologies and trends that could solve the climate crisis and end wealth inequality.
May 6, 2022 • 37min
Brian Greene explains the multiverse
Brian Greene, a theoretical physicist at Columbia University, delves into the physics of parallel universes - a plot point featured in a Marvel superhero movie titled "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Mar 26, 2022 • 30min
Sci-fi with the flavor of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi author Saad Z. Hossain talks about the mythical and modern influences that go into his science fiction tales - including his latest novel, "Kundo Wakes Up," which works the godly powers of AI agents and djinns into the plot.
Mar 10, 2022 • 23min
How realistic is it to leave Earth behind?
German filmmaker Rudolph Herzog talks about "Last Exit: Space" - a quirky documentary that focuses on space settlement efforts (and features his father, Werner Herzog, as narrator).
Feb 1, 2022 • 17min
Mika McKinnon on the science of 'Moonfall'
Geophysicist Mika McKinnon talks about her efforts to add a smidgen of scientific plausibility to "Moonfall," a big-budget disaster movie about the moon falling out of orbit and wreaking havoc on Earth.
Jan 18, 2022 • 31min
Fear the fungus in 'Unfamiliar Garden'
Benjamin Percy, author of "The Unfamiliar Garden," talks about his Seattle-centric, science-centric update of the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" plotline - plus, how writing for comic books made him a better novelist.
Dec 6, 2021 • 29min
'Don't Look Up': A comedy about cosmic threats
Amy Mainzer, the science adviser for "Don't Look Up," talks about the real-life astronomy behind the movie's fictional killer comet.
Nov 11, 2021 • 21min
Cat Rambo explains how to launch a space opera
Award-winning science-fiction writer Cat Rambo talks about their new novel, "You Sexy Thing," a tale about space pirates, a sentient starship and gourmet mercenaries that's been called a cross between "Farscape" and "The Great British Baking Show."
Nov 6, 2021 • 35min
Neal Stephenson on the metaverse and the climate crisis
Science-fiction writer Neal Stephenson discusses his new climate-change thriller, "Termination Shock," and the status of the metaverse - a concept he came up with nearly 30 years ago.
