Best Marty Kurylowicz Podcasts (2024)

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Ep 41: Benjamin Percy on Sci-Fi Fungi in 'The Unfamiliar Garden' 42:00

6d ago42:00

42:00

Beginning our highly anticipated new topic of Sci-Fi Fungi, we talk to science fiction author Benjamin Percy about the second book of his Comet Cycle, 'The Unfamiliar Garden'. We discuss Ben's writing career in comic books and novels and soon TV and film, the literary treatment that space fungus gets in this book, as well as the human and emotional…

1
Ep 40: Marty and Holly on Sci-Fi Fungi and The Multiverse in Upcoming Books and Interviews 37:37

24d ago37:37

37:37

Marty and Holly discuss our upcoming theme of Sci-Fi Fungi with interviews of science fiction authors Benjamin Percy and Mike Carey, along with mycologists Dr. Alex Moskaluk from the University of Guelph and Kaitlyn Kuehn (KK) from the Flora Funga Podcast. We'll be discussing space fungi from cometary debris in Ben Percy's book 'The Unfamiliar Gard…

1
Ep 39: Edward M. Lerner on First Contact in 'On The Shoals of Space-Time' 1:04:00

1M ago1:04:00

1:04:00

We talk to a returning guest and friend of the show, science fiction author Edward M. Lerner, about his latest book 'On The Shoals of Space-Time', on the topic of First Contact. Ed is a fount of scientific insight and information on space science and the possibilities for extraterrestrial encounters, having written 25 books – 5 of them with the leg…

1
Ep 38: Mark Milne on Geoengineering in 'The Ministry for the Future' 1:08:03

2M ago1:08:03

1:08:03

In this episode we talk to Mark Milne as a follow-up on our interviews with science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson and glaciologist Heidi Sevestre in episodes 21 and 22, on the topic of Geoengineering as portrayed in Kim Stanley Robinson’s book 'The Ministry for the Future'. Mark speaks about a number of strategies for mitigating climate chang…

1
Ep 37: Peter Watts in Conversation with Justin Gregg - Part 2 38:34

2M ago38:34

38:34

We continue the conversation between science fiction author Peter Watts and scientist Justin Gregg, and now they get down to the tricky business of discussing the nature of consciousness. We discuss Peter's premise of 'Blindsight – that consciousness is an illusory, unnecessary and possibly parasitic phenomenon that will get us all killed when we e…

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Ep 36: Peter Watts in Conversation with Justin Gregg - Part 1 49:29

3M ago49:29

49:29

In this episode we present a conversation between science fiction author Peter Watts and scientist Justin Gregg, following up on our individual interviews with each of them on the general theme of intelligence and consciousness. Justin Gregg is the author of ‘If Nietzsche were a Narwhal - What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity’, the…

1
Ep 35: George Paxinos on Neuroscience and Cloning in 'A River Divided' 46:04

3M ago46:04

46:04

Marty and Holly talk to George Paxinos - neuroscientist, environmental activist and author of 'A River Divided', a book that explores neurological determinism - the claim that we have no free will and that our actions are entirely determined by our genetics and the neurological consequences imposed on us by the environment which shapes our brain. H…

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Ep 34: David Brin on First Contact in 'Existence' 1:04:12

4M ago1:04:12

1:04:12

We speak with David Brin, science fiction icon, scientist, futurist and civilizational optimist. We discuss his particular view of first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, as portrayed in his 2012 novel 'Existence', along with his predictions about how artificial intelligence and virtual reality will change our world in the near future. We…

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Ep 33: Avi Loeb on First Contact in 'Extraterrestrial' 1:07:55

4M ago1:07:55

1:07:55

We speak with Professor Avi Loeb from the Harvard Astronomy department, and he is one of the most generous, gregarious, kind and thoughtful people we’ve ever spoken with. Not only that, he embodies the spirit of true scientific inquiry and discovery that can be sadly lacking in the scientific culture of our time. Our conversation revolves around th…

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Ep 32: Anniversary Special - Marty and Holly on The First Year of The Sci in The Fi 41:37

5M ago41:37

41:37

To celebrate the first anniversary of our podcast, Marty and Holly do a little retrospective to discuss their favorite books, people and interviews from the last year. We discuss some of the best science fiction books we read: 'Red Team Blues' by Cory Doctorow, 'Semiosis' by Sue Burke, 'Neverness' by David Zindell, 'Night Owls' by Stephen Gay and '…

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Ep 31: David Curtin on Dark Matter in 'Sunfall' (Part 2) 38:20

5M ago38:20

38:20

This is the second part of our interview with Dr. David Curtin, Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Particle Physics at the University of Toronto. In response to the kind of dark matter model found in Jim Al-Khalili's science fiction book 'Sunfall', David expounds upon the "significantly weirder' models of dark matter being contemplated today. Sin…

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Ep 30: David Curtin on Dark Matter in 'Sunfall' (Part 1) 45:40

5M ago45:40

45:40

Dr. David Curtin is the Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Particle Physics at the University of Toronto, and specializes in exotic theories of dark matter that describe a "dark sector" which may include complex dark matter. These "banana-town weirdo" dark matter models include dark electrons, dark protons and dark photons that form dark atoms an…

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Ep 29: Jim Al-Khalili on Dark Matter in 'Sunfall' 51:18

6M ago51:18

51:18

Our theme in the next two episodes is dark matter, the kind of far-out science that is stranger than fiction and presents realms of possibility that are both more plausible and more interesting than parallel worlds or extra dimensions or even wormholes. In this episode we talk to Jim Al-Khalili, who is many things: physicist, author of both fiction…

1
Ep 28: Edward M. Lerner on Planetary Protection in 'Life and Death on Mars' 55:19

6M ago55:19

55:19

In this episode we return to the theme of Planetary Protection, continuing the conversation we started in episodes 19 and 20 where we discussed the return of samples from Asteroid Bennu to Earth in NASA’s recent OSIRIS Rex mission. There we talked about what measures were taken to protect the biosphere of Earth from any unforeseen biological agents…

1
Ep 27: Peter Gorniak and Cydney Nielsen on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in 'Stealing Worlds' 1:08:06

7M ago1:08:06

1:08:06

Marty sits down with his university pals Drs. Peter Gorniak and Cyndey Nielsen, to discuss Karl Schroeder's book 'Stealing Worlds'. As it happens, they both have PhD's and lifelong careers working in their fields of expertise - Peter in artificial intelligence and Cydney in data analytics and virtual/mixed reality, so they were the perfect people t…

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Ep 26: Karl Schroeder on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in 'Stealing Worlds' 1:04:15

7M ago1:04:15

1:04:15

Karl Schroeder is a science fiction author and foresight analyst. His fiction is known for both its scientific rigour and its visionary quality of bearing witness to what we can expect just around the corner – especially with his latest book 'Stealing Worlds'. This book is jam packed with big ideas about artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual rea…

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Ep 25: Peter Watts (Part 2) on Intelligence and Consciousness in 'Blindsight' 58:06

8M ago58:06

58:06

In the second part of our interview with Peter Watts, we delve into his ideas about intelligence and consciousness. Does consciousness serve any function, or can all cognitive processes get along just fine without it? In his novel Blindsight, Peter postulates a hostile entity whose intelligence outcompetes our own, because it is not weighed down by…

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Ep 24: Peter Watts (Part 1) on Intelligence and Consciousness in 'If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal' 51:02

8M ago51:02

51:02

We talk to acclaimed science fiction author Peter Watts about Justin Gregg's book 'If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal'. We ask if the human flavour of intelligence is maladaptive, and other creatures are smarter because they are so well adapted to their evolutionary niche - or are we comparing apples with moon rocks? Ultimately, the question is whether th…

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Ep 23: Justin Gregg on Intelligence and Consciousness in 'If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal' 58:59

8M ago58:59

58:59

Marty and Holly sit down with zoologist Justin Gregg to discuss his book 'If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity'. We discuss which aspects of human intelligence (and stupidity) are unique in the animal world, and what sets our mental faculties apart from those of other animals. We talk about our capacit…

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Ep 22: Heidi Sevestre on Geoengineering in Kim Stanley Robinson's 'The Ministry For The Future' 56:56

9M ago56:56

56:56

Marty and Holly sit down with Dr. Heidi Sevestre for a conversation about climate change and geoengineering, as portrayed in The Ministry For The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. Dr. Sevestre is a glaciologist who is leading the call to action on climate change through her research and education initiatives. We talk about her recent expedition to Sv…

1
Ep 21: Kim Stanley Robinson on Geoengineering in 'The Ministry For The Future' 1:09:19

9M ago1:09:19

1:09:19

In this episode we are super excited to present our conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson, one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, whose legacy will surely last deep into our sci-fi future. We discuss his latest book The Ministry for the Future, and some of the many extraordinary ideas in that book for getting humanity through to …

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Ep 20: Tim Swindle on Planetary Protection in the OSIRIS-REx Mission and 'The Andromeda Strain' 1:03:30

10M ago1:03:30

1:03:30

This conversation was a great example of what we’re trying to do with this podcast, the perfect balance between Science and Science Fiction. Marty sits down with Dr. Tim Swindle to discuss The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton and The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson, in relation to NASA's OSIRIS REx mission which has returned a sample of…

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Ep 19: Thomas Zega on Planetary Protection in the OSIRIS-REx Mission and 'The Andromeda Strain' 1:05:17

10M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

NASA's recent OSIRIS-REx mission has returned a sample of asteroid Bennu all the way to Earth for detailed analysis. It is difficult to ignore the tempting similarities of this mission to the plot of Michael Crichton's 'The Andromeda Strain' and its sequel, Daniel H. Wilson's 'The Andromeda Evolution' - so in this episode Marty discusses Planetary …

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Ep 18: Stephen Gay and Ben Feist on Moon Colonization in 'Night Owls' 59:36

11M ago59:36

59:36

This is our favorite kind of episode, hosting a conversation between e a science fiction author and a scientist, where each shares their work and expertise with the other to the benefit of both. Stephen Gay is a science fiction author whose debut novel 'Night Owls - A Moon Colony Adventure' follows a quirky band of party kids in a near-future socie…

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Ep 17: Damien Walter Part 2 - The Sociology of Science Fiction 58:14

11M ago58:14

58:14

This is part two of our conversation with Damien Walter, the science fiction guru. He is the host of the Science Fiction Podcast and Science Fiction Facebook group. He is also a critical thinker about culture, and a prophet of the emerging mythos of science fiction. In our last episode we presented the part of our conversation about individual psyc…

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Ep 16: Damien Walter Part 1 - The Psychology of Story 35:30

11M ago35:30

35:30

Damien Walter is one of the world’s foremost voices in critical thinking about science fiction as the emerging cultural mythos of our modern global civilization. In this episode we discuss some of Damien’s ideas about the psychological function of story-telling, and what he calls the operating system of human consciousness. We talk about how archet…

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Ep 15: Cory Doctorow's 'Red Team Blues' - Chapter 1 of Audiobook 55:15

12M ago55:15

55:15

Cory Doctorow has given us permission to play the first chapter of Red Team Blues directly on our podcast! And as an added treat, the audio-book is read by none other than Will Wheaton, the actor who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek The Next Generation - a voice that you will instantly recognize. It's pretty rare to hear excerpts from an author’s…

1
Ep 14: Cory Doctorow on 'The Lost Cause', 'Red Team Blues' and 'Chokepoint Capitalism' 1:05:01

1y ago1:05:01

1:05:01

Marty and Holly sit down with Cory Doctorow, an author known not only for his near-future social and political science fiction, but also for his real-world journalism and activism. We talk about society, politics and economics, discussing 3 of Doctorow’s most recent books. 'Red Team Blues' is his most recently published book, an anti-finance crypto…

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Ep 13: Paco Calvo on Intelligent Plants in 'Planta Sapiens' 1:09:17

1y ago1:09:17

1:09:17

Following up on our discussion of intelligent plants with Sue Burke in our last episode, we have invited Paco Calvo, a cognitive scientist and philosopher of biology, who speaks to us about his book 'Planta Sapiens'. Paco is a cognitive scientist and philosopher of biology, who is known for his research in the field of plant cognition and intellige…

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Ep 12: Sue Burke on Intelligent Plants in 'Semiosis' 58:41

1y ago58:41

58:41

In this episode we embark on a discussion of sci-fi botany, by way of Sue Burke’s novel 'Semiosis' and its sequel 'Interference'. We talk about a lot of interesting and surprising properties of plant behaviour that you may not be aware of, and how Sue worked these ideas into her main character Steveland and his interaction with human colonists on a…

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Ep 11: Marty and Holly on Books by David Zindell, Sue Burke and Cory Doctorow 49:47

1y ago49:47

49:47

Marty and Holly finish up their discussion of 'Neverness' by David Zindell from the last two episodes, and then have a conversation about the books we'll be talking about over the course of the next few episodes. Our next topic will be 'intelligent plants', so we discuss Sue Burke's 'Semiosis' and 'Interference' duology, ahead of our upcoming inter…

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Ep 10: Mark Mac Lean on Mathematics in 'Neverness' by David Zindell 1:08:24

1y ago1:08:24

1:08:24

Marty has a conversation about David Zindell's 'Neverness' with Mark Mac Lean, professor of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia. We talk about the poetic and philosophical use of mathematics as the engine of faster-than-light travel in the Neverness universe, and contemplate the relationship of mathematics to truth, beauty, perfection…

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Ep 9: David Zindell on Mathematics in 'Neverness' 1:06:09

1y ago1:06:09

1:06:09

Marty and Holly sit down with David Zindell, author of Neverness, a book full of big ideas in a far future civilization where Master Pilots manipulate mathematical reality to fenester their ships through the spacetime manifold. We talk to David about his literary influences and his vision of a deep sci-fi future with philosophical and spiritual dep…

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Ep 8: Robert J. Sawyer and Arik Kershenbaum - Part 2 48:02

1y ago48:02

48:02

This is the second half of the conversation begun in our last episode, between science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer and zoologist Arik Kershenbaum. We start with a quick re-cap on Boltzmann Brains and then spend quite a bit of time considering the problem of having a sample size of one, when it comes to the existence of life in the universe, as …

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Ep 7: Robert J. Sawyer and Arik Kershenbaum - A Conversation 49:10

1+ y ago49:10

49:10

In this episode we present our first conversation between a science fiction author and a scientist, both of whom we’ve spoken to before. We have with us Robert J. Sawyer, star of our very first interview in our second episode where we discussed his book The Oppenheimer Alternative, and Arik Kershenbaum who we spoke to in our last episode about his …

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Ep 6: Arik Kershenbaum on Exo-Biology in 'The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy' 1:10:16

1+ y ago1:10:16

1:10:16

Following up on our interview with Julie Czerneda and continuing with the theme of exo-biology, in this episode Marty sits down with zoologist Arik Kershenbaum from Cambridge University, author of The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens – and Ourselves. We talk about the science of evolution, and what it may h…

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Ep. 5: Julie Czerneda on Exo-Biology in 'To Each This World' 50:28

1+ y ago50:28

50:28

Marty sits down with Canadian science fiction writer and biologist Julie Czerneda to discuss her book 'To Each This World'. Our conversation is taken in the context of exo-biology, where considerations of universal biological laws may inform our understanding of alien life, if ever we are lucky enough to find it. We talk about whether we are likely…

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Ep 4: Marty and Holly on Brain Uploads in ‘The Terminal Experiment’ 35:06

1+ y ago35:06

35:06

Marty and Holly discuss Robert J. Sawyer's Nebula Award-winning book The Terminal Experiment. We talk about the possibility of uploading our minds into computers and/or replicating our physical brains, and think our way through philosophical issues about subjectivity and objectivity, materialism, identity and the teleporter dilemma. We discuss whet…

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Ep 3: Jaymie Matthews on Solar Physics in 'The Oppenheimer Alternative' and 'Variable Star' 59:49

1+ y ago59:49

59:49

In this episode Marty sits down with Prof. Jaymie Matthews, astrophysicist from the University of British Columbia, to discuss the some of the solar physics in Robert J. Sawyer’s ‘The Oppenheimer Alternative’, as a follow up to our interview with Robert in Episode 2. We cover a fair bit of ground with Dr. Matthews, who explains how his research car…

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Ep 2: Robert J. Sawyer on Solar Physics in 'The Oppenheimer Alternative' 1:08:13

1+ y ago1:08:13

1:08:13

Marty and Holly sit down with Canadian science fiction superstar Robert J. Sawyer to talk about his book The Oppenheimer Alternative. Robert tells us how he spun the mistaken prediction of the sun’s temperature by Hans Bethe (in 1939) into a science fiction tale where the great physicists of the 20th century save humanity from being vaporized by a …

1
EP. 1 - Marty and Holly Introduce The Sci in The Fi 29:37

1+ y ago29:37

29:37

Marty and Holly describe what we'd like to do in this podcast. We will talk to science fiction authors and scientists about topics in both hard and soft science fiction, from both the hard and soft sciences. Our conversations will range from physics to psychology, from space to sociology. We also like to talk science: Marty explains special relativ…

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