The Character of Science

Sep 29 2022

The Character of Science Podcast artwork

This is a podcast on how we can use sci-fi TV/movies as a barometer for how we feel about science. In each episode, our guests touch on the implications of fiction becoming reality, and how movies can be used to communicate the science that is changing our world.

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Pay-to-play Genetics (Gattaca)

Sep 29 2022 62 mins

Many companies are now taking advantage of rapid advancements in genetic technology to offer (and heavily market) new services in reproductive healthcare. This episode will consider these recent developments alongside the 1997 film Gattaca. This film depicts a society with a genetics-based hierarchy where parents can choose the genetic makeup of their children, but only if they can

Heroes and Villains (The Martian and Ex-Machina)

Jul 21 2022 43 mins

Focusing on the 2013 film Ex Machina and the 2015 film The Martian, we will discuss what effect the simplistic representations of scientists in popular culture as either heroes or as villains has on the publics’ view of science.Jon Roberts is joined by Dr Stuart Vyse , psychologist and writer, consulting editor for Skeptical Inquirer magazine where he also writes the 'Behavi

Life Imitating Art (Contagion/Covid)

Jun 23 2022 48 mins

In this episode we’ll discuss the 2011 film Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh and staring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Lawrence Fishburn. It explores, arguably with frightening prescience, the global response to the outbreak of a novel and highly infectious virus, nearly a decade before anyone would think of a virus before a beer when they heard the word “Coron