Sci Fi / Sci Fact

RNZ

MacDiarmid Institute experts talk to Bryan Crump about an idea from science fiction, if it holds up to scientific scrutiny & if it'd work in reality. (Yeah, the Big Bang Theory guys would love this).

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55 episodes
Updated Jul 4, 2024

Episodes55

Newest first

Jul 4, 2024 · 29 min
Tinfoil Hats | Faraday Cages
Claims that a tinfoil hat will protect the wearer from electromagnetic fields and mind control have been around for many years but do they actually work? Justin Hodgkiss joins Bryan Crump to answer that question. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 2, 2024 · 19 min
Superman | Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a green crystal-like material found on Superman's home planet - Krypton. The radiation from the rock weakens Superman. Professor Bill Williams tells us if there are any real life equivalents to Kryptonite. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 30, 2024 · 21 min
Black Widow | Pheromones
Scarlett Johansson's character in Black Widow has to fight pheromones in order to beat the evil villain. Anindita Sen explains how pheromones work and whether they could control humans. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 27, 2024 · 24 min
MacGyver | Optical Pump
MacGyver was an 80s icon, with his mullet and ability to turn anything into a tool to save the day. Karen Thorn looks at one episode where the action hero turns some historical artifacts into a laser. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 25, 2024 · 24 min
Harry Potter | The Philosopher's Stone
The Philosopher's Stone in the Harry Potter books can change metal into gold and create an elixir of life. Erin Leitao tells Bryan Crump whether either ability is within our reach. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 23, 2024 · 25 min
Total Recall | Turbinium
In Total Recall Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a construction worker who recovers memories as life as secret agent trying to stop the mining of Turbinium on the planet Mars. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 20, 2024 · 25 min
Ghostbusters | Proton Packs
The Ghostbusters would never have caught their prey without proton packs. Emily Kendall talks to Bryan Crump about how they worked in the movies and whether they could work in real life. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 18, 2024 · 23 min
Discworld | Octiron
Kate Andrew tackles Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books in this episode, with a particular focus on the Octiron, the element of magic which makes up the disc's hub. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 16, 2024 · 16 min
Spiderman | Web
Spiderman swings from the top of New York's high-rises, fighting crime and beating super-villains. But could spider silk really hold up a full-grown man? Dr Paul Hume and Bryan Crump discuss the super qualities of spiderwebs. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 13, 2024 · 22 min
The Terminator | Exoskeleton
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator is a cyborg sent back in time to change the future. Duncan McGillvray discusses the metal that makes up the murderous robotic endoskeleton. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 11, 2024 · 19 min
Wonder Woman | Feminum
Wonder Woman can stop bullets with her Feminum bracelets but, apart from needing the reflexes to achieve this, could any material that's light enough to wear on your wrists do that? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 9, 2024 · 30 min
Theranos | Blood Testing
Elizabeth Holmes is serving prison time for fraud after convincing the world she had developed a simple blood test that could diagnose a range of diseases. Professor Duncan McGillivray looks at whether the fiction could one day be a reality. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 6, 2024 · 17 min
Harry Potter | Invisibility Cloak
Colm Healy chats about the magic of material science and possible real life equivalents to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 4, 2024 · 18 min
Interstellar | Black Holes
Spoiler Alert: In the Christopher Nolan movie Interstellar, an astronaut gets sucked into a black hole but manages to communicate with his daughter and find his way out. Richard Easther tells us the realities of being sucked into a black hole. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 2, 2024 · 22 min
Avatar | Unobtainium
Greedy corporations seeking Unobtainium are the bad guys in James Cameron's Avatar movie franchise. Associate Professor Nicola Gaston discusses the parallels between the fictional mineral and solid hydrogen. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 30, 2024 · 38 min
Batman | Caped Crusader
Rodrigo Martinez Gazoni chats with Bryan Crump about the scientific plausibility of Batman's cape and some of his other gadgets. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 28, 2024 · 24 min
Star Trek | Tricorder
The Starship Enterprise crew's tricorders have a multitude of uses, from scanning a new planet's surface to staff health checks. Dr Michel Nieuwoudt chats about whether we could even construct such a device. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 26, 2024 · 49 min
Ringworld | Construction in Space
In Larry Niven's 1970 science fiction novel, Louis Wu and his companions crash land on a rotating ring world constructed by aliens. Dr Chris Bumby and Bryan Crump discuss whether we might one day build our own space Ringworld. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 23, 2024 · 26 min
Spiderverse | Symbiote
Symbiotes are extraterrestrial parasites that appear in the Marvel Comics Spiderverse. In particular, Venom is a symbiote who attaches to journalist Eddie Brock. Dr Paul Hume chats with Bryan Crump about the feasibility of coming across a symbiote in real life. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 21, 2024 · 37 min
Ironman | Badassium
Dr Krista Steenbergen takes a look at 'A New Element' as invented by Tony Stark and used in Ironman 2. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Sci Fi / Sci Fact

Tinfoil Hats | Faraday Cages

Superman | Kryptonite

Black Widow | Pheromones

MacGyver | Optical Pump

Harry Potter | The Philosopher's Stone

Total Recall | Turbinium

Ghostbusters | Proton Packs

Discworld | Octiron

Spiderman | Web

The Terminator | Exoskeleton

Wonder Woman | Feminum

Theranos | Blood Testing

Harry Potter | Invisibility Cloak

Interstellar | Black Holes

Avatar | Unobtainium

Batman | Caped Crusader

Star Trek | Tricorder

Ringworld | Construction in Space

Spiderverse | Symbiote

Ironman | Badassium