Popcorn Science Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Popcorn Science Podcast

John E. Moores & Catherine Neish

Science

Tv & Film

Frequency: 1 episode/22d. Total Eps: 21

Popcorn Science is a podcast that takes a critical look at the science portrayed in our favourite movies and television shows.

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RSS

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Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_
2 shares
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Rain
2 shares
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event
1 share

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 38%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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For All Mankind

Saturday, March 21, 2026 • Duration 01:10:31

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," we discuss the 2019 series For All Mankind.

Topics

Science Gripes (6:05)
- Dumbest way to move an Asteroid
  - No reaction control thrusters
  - Do not need a tower to push
  - Spike in a rubble-pile asteroid
  - Sending out crew to asteroid while under thrust?
- Living on Mars (14:50)
  - Radiation on the Surface, aristocracy live above ground?
  - Happy Valley Base near the equator, but ice is near the poles
  - Korolev Crater harboring life? No Methane or lava tubes.
- Untethered EVA? Risky.
Science Shine (27:08)
- Asteroid depiction
  - A dark rubble pile
  - Initial contact, asteroid more like a wall than a planet.
- Space is quiet!
- Phoenix station has 0.2g gravity
- Sol is a Mars day
- Johnson / Molly Cobb Spacecenter Details
- Astrobiology
  - Methane as a biomarker
  - Lavatubes are a reasonable place to look for life
- Asteroid Mining
  - Worth the effort?
  - Flooding the market with rare earths
  - 122g of asteroid for $1B (OSIRIS-REx)
Of it's time (52:47)
Ratings (1:04:35)

References

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2001: A Space Odyssey

Saturday, October 4, 2025 • Duration 01:03:48

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," discuss the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Topics

Science Gripes (7:00)
- Tapir do not live in Africa
- Arid environment, but humans likely evolved in arboreal environment
- Little evidence for humans living in caves
- Humans are not the only tool users, monolith didn't grant unique advantage
- Artistic placement of the moon
- Random equations / diagrams on screen: Sci-Fi jibberish
- Space craft: No thrusters
- Moonwalking: Too much gravity, too little falling down
- EVA without tether or thruster packs, gardening gloves
- Discovery:
  - Moving too fast: 3 weeks to Mars? 18 weeks to Jupiter?
  - Habitation ring too slow (or too much gravity)
  - For every action, these wasn't an equal reaction
- Jupiter:
  - Too many (major) moons
Science Shine (31:00)
- Centripetal gravity, close enough
- Decent job showing zero-gravity life
- Clavius station under ground, close enough to Tycho for a shuttle
- Infectious disease concerns in space
- Predicted Magnetic anomalies on the Moon!: Lunar Swirls
- Earth phases
- 13 seconds in vacuum, plausible!
- HAL wins at chess
- Smooth space turns: Reaction wheels
- Commercial travel looks modern
Of it's time (46:33)
Ratings (59:03)

References

Contact

Saturday, May 31, 2025 • Duration 01:01:54

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," John and Catherine discuss the science behind the 1997 movie "Contact".

Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Carl Sagan, Contact explores what would happen if humanity were to receive a message from an extraterrestrial civilization.

Topics

Science Gripes (4:37)
- Headphones? (6:01)
- Opening Sequence (9:40)
- Hitler, Messenger of Earth (11:20)
- Arecibo Message (12:28)
- Arecibo Geography (16:00)
- Ellie the Astronaut (17:28)
- Funding (20:08)
- Arecibo v. VLA (21:15)
- Timeline Issue (48:35)
The Good Things (24:59)
- On Location (25:05)
- Science Culture (27:40)
- Signal from Vega (30:32)
- Is Space Exploration Worth it? (34:48)
- Crewed Spaceflight (38:50)
- Transit Network / Wormholes (#42:25)
Of Their Time (44:35)
- Computer Technology (44:53)
- Bill Clinton (47:00)
- Space Industrialists (49:56)
- Science v. Faith (52:52)
- Fragile Institutions (54:59)
Accuracy and Significance (56:39)

References

Ender's Game

Saturday, May 17, 2025 • Duration 01:01:22

References

Misc

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," John and Catherine discuss the science behind the 2013 movie "Ender's Game". Based on the 1985 novel by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game follows a young boy as he learns to defend the Earth from an invasion by a mysterious alien species known as the Formics.

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Tunguska-Terma

Saturday, May 3, 2025 • Duration 59:40

Topics

Antarctic Meteorite Survey
Tunguska

References

Misc

In our first episode of "Popcorn Science," John and Catherine discuss the science behind The X-Files two-parter "Tunguska/Terma". These episodes first aired in November 1996, and follow Mulder and Scully around the world as they try to get their hands on a rock filled with a mysterious alien oil.

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Deep Impact

Saturday, September 20, 2025 • Duration 01:01:35

Cities fall, but they are rebuilt. And heroes die, but they are remembered. We honor them with every podcast we record. Our planet, our home.

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," discuss the 1998 film Deep Impact.

Topics

Science Gripes (4:30)
- Nobody notices the comet
- Sublimation / thermal inertia
- Gravity on a comet
- Sun visor, facial boils
- Travel time
- Communication failure
- Impact effects (earthquake, airburst)
- Temperature increase due to many small impactors (>10 degrees)
Science Shine (28:05)
- Comet naming
- Comet stats: Reasonable size, mass, density and rotation
- More likely scenario than Armageddon (comet from Ort cloud, off the plane of solar system)
- Visuals: Cometary Jets, dark colouration
- 2 years of darkness (maybe)
- Nuclear propulsion
Of it's time (45:45)
Ratings (56:29)

References

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Blade Runner

Sunday, September 7, 2025 • Duration 01:04:48

A new life awaits you in the Popcorn Science Podcast. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure!

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," discuss the 1982 cult classic Blade Runner. Catherine and John have seen things you people wouldn't believe. If you don't listen to this episode, all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

References

Blade Runner (1982)

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Battlestar Galactica

Sunday, August 24, 2025 • Duration 59:29

In this episode of "Popcorn Science," John and Catherine hear nothing but the rain while discussing the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries. So grab your gun and bring the cat in.

References