FictionScience Fiction

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.

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20 episodes
monthly
Avg 34 min
English

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August 31 · 24 min
Quantum physicist explains the mysteries of time
British physicist Jim Al-Khalili, author of "On Time: The Physics That Makes the Universe Tick," discusses why time flows in only one direction, and why time travel into the past is highly unlikely - but not yet completely ruled out.
July 10 · 13 min
How 'Star City' reimagined the Soviet space race
Cinematographer Brendan Uegama discusses how he and his teammates created a fictional world for "Star City," an Apple TV series that traces a dramatically different version of the U.S.-Soviet space race.
June 12 · 52 min
The facts and fiction of UFO 'Disclosure Day'
A podcast double-feature delves into scientific and social issues raised by the "Disclosure Day" movie. Our guests are Adam Kirsch, author of "We Want to Believe"; and Meg Charlton, author of an alien-abduction novel titled "Voyagers."
May 15 · 22 min
Sci-fi pioneer's final novel bridges cultures
Nisi Shawl discusses the genesis of "The Curve of the World," a newly published novel about an ancient odyssey from Crete to the Pacific Northwest that science-fiction pioneer Vonda N. McIntyre finished writing just before her death in 2019.
March 10 · 23 min
The real 'Project Hail Mary': Looking for E.T.
SETI astronomer Seth Shostak talks about the parallels between the alien connection in "Project Hail Mary" and the real-world search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
February 17 · 42 min
Occupy Mars? Or the moon? Get a reality check
Now Elon Musk wants to build a city on the moon before building a city on Mars. Biologist Scott Solomon, author of a new book titled "Becoming Martian," sizes up the prospects for building a city anywhere that's beyond Earth.
January 30 · 46 min
Why NASA is going nuclear on the moon
Aerospace consultant Roger Myers explains why space nuclear power will play a big role in the competition between the U.S. and China to establish bases on the moon in the 2030s.
Oct 31, 2025 · 33 min
Pluto shines as a science-fiction star
Space scientist Les Johnson tells the story behind his role in creating "Pluto," the last novel in sci-fi master Ben Bova's Grand Tour series and one of the first works of fiction to incorporate revelations from NASA's New Horizons mission.
Oct 13, 2025 · 33 min
Native American legends are woven into a UFO tale
Cherokee science-fiction author Daniel H. Wilson blends ancient tales about extraterrestrials with up-to-date speculation about alien visitations in a new novel called "Hole in the Sky."
Sep 26, 2025 · 39 min
'Rocket Dreams' and rocket realities
Washington Post staff writer Christian Davenport, author of "Rocket Dreams," discusses the parallel space races between America and China, and between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Aug 11, 2025 · 30 min
Thriller explores Florida's flooded future
Tim Chawaga, the author of a climate-fiction thriller titled "Salvagia," weaves the implications of future sea-level rise and other high-tech twists into a Florida murder mystery.
Jul 4, 2025 · 59 min
Dinosaur facts vs. fiction in 'Jurassic World Rebirth'
Tech pioneer Nathan Myhrvold and paleontologist Thomas Holtz discuss how dinosaur science has evolved over the past three decades - and do a reality check on the latest "Jurassic World" dino-movie.
Jun 18, 2025 · 34 min
How the Rubin Observatory will change astronomy
Mario Juric, director of the University of Washington's DiRAC Institute, explains why astronomers are celebrating the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's "First Look" at the cosmos - and tells you how to join the party.
May 19, 2025 · 40 min
Get a reality check on AI hype
Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna, authors of "The AI Con," say the benefits of AI are being played up while the costs are being played down — and they lay out strategies for fighting the hype.
Apr 1, 2025 · 43 min
How dictators use tech in fact and fiction
Science-fiction author Ray Nayler talks about his latest book, "Where the Axe Is Buried," a chilling tale of AI-powered repression and resistance that was inspired by current events as well as Nayler's familiarity with authoritarianism.
Mar 8, 2025 · 30 min
How humans will be reinvented for life in space
Copies of human bodies can't be printed out, as shown in the space-based satire "Mickey 17," but biomedical researcher Christopher Mason says it should be possible to re-engineer humans to make them more suited for living in space.
Feb 14, 2025 · 21 min
Mary Roach on the science of space sex
In a Valentine's Day episode, Mary Roach, the author of "Packing for Mars," brings us up to date on one of the big questions about living in space: What would zero-G sex be like?
Jan 29, 2025 · 23 min
Scientists dream up solar system adventures
Planetary scientist John E. Moores and astrophysicist Jesse Rogerson weave tales about interplanetary adventures that are like nothing on Earth in a book titled "Daydreaming in the Solar System."
Nov 5, 2024 · 39 min
Will AI cross the line into personhood?
Law professor James Boyle, author of "The Line: AI and the Future of Personhood," explains why he thinks intelligent machines will eventually be considered persons.
Oct 22, 2024 · 41 min
How to defend against disinformation
TrueMedia.org founder Oren Etzioni and Annalee Newitz, author of "Stories Are Weapons," discuss the escalating arms race between the purveyors of political disinformation and those who are trying to defend against it.

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