Unobtainium Podcast

Could a Snake Robot Find Alien Life? | Mars, Enceladus & the Future of Space Robotics

What does it take to build a robot that can explore another world—and maybe even help us find extraterrestrial life? In this special bonus mini-episode of UNOBTAINIUM, r

Could the Rage Virus in 28 Days Later actually happen? Dr. Seema Yasmin joins us to unpack the terrifying real science of viruses, outbreaks, R-naught, and why this horror classic hits very differently after COVID.

Is the "Rage Virus" in 28 Days Later scientifically plausible? Amy and Adam sit down with Dr. Sima Yasmin—medical doctor, former CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer

More on Astrobiology with Dr. Betül Kaçar

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Why We Deny Scientific Warnings? A Deep Dive into the Science of Climate Change, Searching for Hope, and the Art of Integrating Science into Emotional and Evocative Storytelling

Episode Description What begins as a discussion of climate change expands into a deep dive into the science as well as the misinformation, political inertia, corruption

What’s our plan for a planet-killer comet? The facts about NASA’s Planetary Defense (Kinetic Impactors vs Armageddon Nukes) and more in Adam McKay’s film "Don’t Look Up."

Episode Description How do long-period comets (like Comet NEOWISE) actually move, how NASA’s real-life Planetary Defense Coordination Office operates, and whether kineti

How Real is the Science in Star Trek? Amy and Adam Talk Terraforming, Genetic Engineering, and Trekkie Love for the Wrath of Khan

Episode Description In this episode of The Unobtainium Podcast, Amy shows her true Trekkie colors as she and Adam unpack the science and themes of the beloved TOS cast f

Is a “Severance” Split Brain possible? How Are Memories Formed? Can Different Aspects of Personality Be Isolated Inside the Brain? Memory, Identity, and Neuroplasticity with David Eagleman

Could your mind really be split in two? Can a chip in your brain divide your work life from your personal life? Hosts astrophysicist and UCLA Professor Dr. Amy Mainzer

Mining on the Moon? Explore the possibilities of Fusion Using Helium-3, a New AI Computer in Space, and the Ethics of Reaching Humanity's Next Frontier with Lunar Expert Dave Paige

Is the 2009 movie Moon pure fiction, or is lunar mining the future of clean energy? Could automated harvesters actually strip-mine the lunar surface regolith (moon soil)?

Why is a parasitic alien so terrifying? From Facehuggers to Xenomorphs, we dissect Space Travel, Exoplanets, and the Enduring Nightmares Implanted Within This Sci-Fi Masterpiece .

What makes the deep-space horror classic film Alien (1979) one of the scariest science fiction movies ever made? Amy and Adam explore science, psychology, and the endurin

Is Godzilla Fission or Fusion? From Radiation Mutation to Blue Atomic Breath, Nuclear Physicist Stephanie Diem Unpacks This Superb Homage Monster Movie.

Episode Description   Is Godzilla Minus One just a wonderful homage to the classic monster movies or is it the ultimate warning about nuclear energy? 🦖⚛️   In this ep

Can Robots Feel? Roboticist Hiro Ono joins us to explore consciousness, mortality, AI Robots, and what it means to be human as we discuss Ridley Scott’s thought-provoking sci-fi film Blade Runner.

Episode Description Blade Runner is famous for its flying cars, neon cyberpunk skylines, and bioengineered replicants—but its most enduring questions are about what it m

Alien Intelligence, Physics of Space, a Homicidal AI, and More with UCLA planetary scientist (and discoverer of the Kuiper Belt) Dave Jewitt on Kubrick’s Masterpiece

In this episode of Unobtainium, Amy, Adam, and UCLA planetary scientist Dave Jewitt (discoverer of the Kuiper Belt) explore Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Od

Is the Force real? From hyperspace to parsecs, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joins us to discuss the science of Star Wars.

In this episode of Unobtainium Podcast, hosts Adam and Amy sit down with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to unpack the science and mythology of Star Wars. Together, th

Is It Actually Possible to Bring Back Dinosaurs? Unearthing Ancient DNA, CRISPR, Chaos Theory in Jurassic Park with Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar

In this episode of Unobtainium Podcast, hosts Adam Sigel and Amy Mainzer are joined by astrobiologist and evolutionary scientist Betül Kaçar to explore the real science b

Lucid Dreaming Is Real, but Is Shared Dreaming Also Possible? David Eagleman Discusses Neuroscience of Dreams, Memory, Consciousness in Christopher Nolan's Inception

In this mind-bending episode of Unobtainium Podcast, hosts Adam and Amy are joined by neuroscientist and bestselling author David Eagleman to unpack the science behind In

What Is the Science of Time Travel? In their first episode, Amy and Adam Go “Back to the Future” on Einstein, Paradoxes, and an Iconic DeLorean with a Flux Capacitor

What if the greatest time travel device in movie history is just a glowing Y-shaped excuse to ask bigger questions about science, storytelling, and human imagination?  

Unobtainium Podcast Trailer (Meet the Hosts)

The Unobtainium Podcast is hosted by Adam Sigel, a Hollywood producer-writer, and Dr. Amy Mainzer, an astrophysicist. Together, they explore the science in science fictio