Best Atlantic Robot Podcasts (2024)

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#119: A case of consciousness: The Soul of the Robot (1974) by Barrington J. Bayley 8:37

5h ago8:37

8:37

Get in touch with a text message! Barrington J. Bayley's novel The Soul of the Robot (1974) fits within the wider context of robot stories in SF - these include Isaac Asimov's influential tales from the 1940s, and the more subversive work of John Sladek in the 1980s. The protagonist of Bayley's novel, the fully conscious robot Jasperodus, can be se…

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Maui Fire Coastal Ecosystem Resilience 14:05

3d ago14:05

14:05

On August 8, 2023, a devastating fire swept through the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Andrea Kealoha, an assistant professor, and Sean Swift, a doctoral student, from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, join to discuss their research into the impacts of wildfire on the coastal ecosystem.…

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#118 Schlock and awe: The Paradox Men (1953) by Charles L. Harness 7:47

7d ago7:47

7:47

Get in touch with a text message! Charles L. Harness' 1953 novel The Paradox Men was originally published under the title Flight Into Yesterday. It is a classic example of elevated pulp, which features swordfights, superpowers, voyages to the sun, and a strange furry creature that can speak - if only to speak the phrase "don't go..." The Paradox Me…

1
Acoustic Fibers 22:17

11d ago22:17

22:17

From traffic to TVs and portable devices, people are surrounded by unwanted noise. Grace Yang, who worked on her doctoral degree as part of the fiber group at MIT, joins to discuss developing materials with acoustic properties for noise cancellation and sound suppression applications.By U.S. National Science Foundation

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#117: Man and machine: “A Meeting with Medusa” (1971) and The Medusa Chronicles (2016) 7:28

12d ago7:28

7:28

Get in touch with a text message! Originally published in the December 1971 issue of Playboy, “A Meeting With Medusa” is generally thought of as Clarke’s last significant shorter work. Notably, it won the Nebula Award for Best Novella the following year. It was also an early inspiration for two of Clarke’s successors in the British SF scene. 45 yea…

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Imageomics 22:15

20d ago22:15

22:15

Most living creatures reveal themselves visually and are routinely photographed by humans from all walks of life. What if researchers could use those photos to answer fundamental biological questions? Tanya Berger-Wolf, a professor and computer scientist at The Ohio State University joins to share how she is using technology to extract information …

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Songbird Migration 17:00

27d ago17:00

17:00

Every year, songbirds across the United States make the arduous journey south to warmer winter climates and back again. But what behaviors, environmental cues, or genetic factors tell them it's time to go? Kira Delmore, assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University, joins to share new insights into songbird migration.…

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#116 End of days: The Forge of God (1987) by Greg Bear 7:44

28d ago7:44

7:44

Get in touch with a text message! In The Forge of God (1987), the Earth’s demise is an inevitability. Greg Bear’s novel of apocalypse was published when he was establishing himself as a leader of American hard SF in the 1980s. This is a sophisticated, chillingly believable, and scientifically rigorous view of the end of the world. Crucially, Bear i…

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Mysterious Return of Atlantic Surfclams 18:51

1M ago18:51

18:51

In the 1990s, Atlantic surf clams largely died off in their southernmost range off the coast of Virginia. Daphne Munroe, associate professor at the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Lab, joins to discuss Atlantic surf clams, rebounding fishing efforts, and how this species may be adapting to changing conditions.…

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Repurposing Carbon Dioxide 25:34

1M ago25:34

25:34

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide act like an atmospheric blanket, but what if society could capture and repurpose those gases into useful products? Burcu Gurkan, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Case Western Reserve University, joins this episode to discuss electrochemical methods of carbon capture, how the re…

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#115 Faith in the stars: To Open the Sky (1967) by Robert Silverberg 7:55

1M ago7:55

7:55

Get in touch with a text message! Robert Silverberg's To Open the Sky (1967) combines five pre-planned stories originally published in Galaxy magazine in 1965 and 1966, it is an interestingly structured piece of work published at a time when Silverberg was just entering his own personal golden age. It also combines themes of religion, psychic power…

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Cicadas 13:23

2M ago13:23

13:23

This year billions of cicadas will emerge as the annual varieties are joined by the periodic Brood XIX and Brood XIII species that pop up every 13 and 17 years. Allen Moore, division director for the Division of Environmental Biology at the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to discuss cicadas and answer some questions about these mysterious i…

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#114 A Thousand Worlds: Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986) by George R.R. Martin 11:20

2M ago11:20

11:20

Get in touch with a text message! George R.R. Martin is easily one of the best-known, most successful, and wealthiest genre writers still working today - albeit slowly. While Martin is a giant of modern fantasy writing, even some of his ardent fans may not be aware that he first made an impact in science fiction. This episode first covers his debut…

1
Mayan Archeology 24:31

2M ago24:31

24:31

Prior to European arrival, the Maya peoples built a civilization in the inhospitable lowland jungles of Middle America. David Lentz, professor of biological sciences and executive director at the University of Cincinnati Center for Field Studies, joins to discuss his archeological findings from ancient Mayan cities.…

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#113 A pair of Aces: The Atlantic Abomination (1960) and Sanctuary in the Sky (1960) by John Brunner 10:14

2M ago10:14

10:14

Get in touch with a text message! John Brunner was a startlingly prolific British writer of science fiction, whose reputation rests on four acclaimed books he published from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s. However, earlier in his career he wrote many SF adventures which while less ambitious, are a rich source of pulp excitement. This episode focus…

1
Black Hole Questions 13:22

2M ago13:22

13:22

Advancing tools and techniques are revealing more about black holes, but they also raise more questions that continue to capture the imaginations of people everywhere. Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist with the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to answer some popular questions.By U.S. National Science Foundation

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#112 Empire in time: The Fall of Chronopolis (1974) by Barrington J. Bayley 7:34

2M ago7:34

7:34

Get in touch with a text message! Pure SF pulp, The Fall of Chronopolis (1974) is the fifth novel by British author Barrington J. Bayley. While it superficially resembles a space opera, it is really more of what could be called a "time opera". The Chronotic Empire rules hundreds of years of human history, using powerful time-ships to head off threa…

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Clarifying Quantum Information 25:11

2M ago25:11

25:11

With applications across the sciences and beyond, quantum information science is revolutionizing the world around us. We are joined by Scott Aaronson, Schlumberger Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin and director of its Quantum Information Center, to discuss quantum computers, how to understand quantum mechanics and how a…

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#111 SF’s greatest partnership? Three novels by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth (1952 - 1959) 17:34

2M ago17:34

17:34

Get in touch with a text message! This special feature episode focuses on three novels written in partnership by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbbluth - The Space Merchants (1952), Gladiator-at-Law (1955), and Wolfbane (1959). Each unique in their own way, these three books are classics of the genre in the 1950s. They are the products of a special …

1
Biofilm Resistance 20:46

3M ago20:46

20:46

Over six million people get bacterial infections that develop into biofilms every year, but what if you could cut off the bacteria before infection occurs? We are joined by Amber Doiron, assistant professor in the University of Vermont Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, to discuss developing biofilm-resistant wound dressings, the …

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#110 Outside context problem: Excession (1996) by Iain M. Banks 8:13

3M ago8:13

8:13

Get in touch with a text message! Winner of the BSFA Award for Best Novel, Excession (1996) is the fourth novel in Iain M. Banks ever-popular Culture series of SF novels. In this entry, the awesome power of the post-scarcity Culture civilisation is challenged by two linked threats. One is the increasing aggression of a cruel species, the Affront. T…

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Graphene Health Monitor 17:59

3M ago17:59

17:59

Tattoos have been a part of human culture for a very long time, but what if your tattoo could help diagnose your health? We are joined by Dmitry Kireev, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to discuss developing graphene biosensors, how they're like a tattoo, and how this technology may impact the…

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#109 No brakes: Tau Zero (1970) by Poul Anderson 10:45

3M ago10:45

10:45

Get in touch with a text message! Poul Anderson's Tau Zero, published in 1970, is a landmark of hard SF which pushes out far further, beyond the Milky Way and into the frightening emptiness of intergalactic space. It also deals memorably with time dilation, and a vast spain of eons. Significantly, Anderson does all of this in a scientifically convi…

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Citizen CATE 2024 22:36

3M ago22:36

22:36

For a few minutes on April 8, when the moon passed between the sun and Earth, millions of people in the path of totality from Maine to Texas experienced a total solar eclipse. We are joined today by Amir Caspi, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, who explains the Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse 2024 and his role…

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#108 Fashion victim: The Garments of Caean (1976) by Barrington J. Bayley 8:58

3M ago8:58

8:58

Get in touch with a text message! The Garments of Caean is a science fiction novel by the British author Barrington J. Bayley (1937 - 2008). It forms a part of his classic run of unusual and energetic books in the mid-1970s, and is included in guide 100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels. This is a space opera with an odd hook - it is about clothes, …

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Total Solar Eclipse 15:05

3M ago15:05

15:05

On April 8, parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico will experience a total solar eclipse. We are joined today by Carrie Black, a program officer in the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences Division; Alain Brizard, a professor of physics at Saint Michael's College; and Maria Kazachenko, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado As…

1
#107 Living with the dead: The Falling Woman (1986) by Pat Murphy 8:17

3M ago8:17

8:17

Get in touch with a text message! American fantasy in the 1980s is often associated with big, bloated series of novels steeped in Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons. The Falling Woman is something very different. It isn't set in some imagined world stuck in the middle ages - the story occurs in contemporary Mexico, in and around an archaelogical dig …

1
Smart Dope Quantum Dots 23:27

3M ago23:27

23:27

In chemistry, advances in artificial intelligence are allowing automated and self-driving labs to quickly realize complex experiments while providing new avenues for exploration. We are joined by Milad Abolhasani, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University to hear about how he developed Smart Dop…

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#106 Raising Titans: Imperial Earth (1975) by Arthur C. Clarke 13:43

3M ago13:43

13:43

Get in touch with a text message! Imperial Earth is the second of three novels Arthur C. Clarke published during the 1970s - and of those three, it is the least well-known. The main focus of this episode is to assess this tale of 2276, which takes in the quincentennial of the United States, a technological utopia, and Clarke's coy take on sexuality…

1
Solar Weather Astronomy 17:42

4M ago17:42

17:42

Using cutting-edge tools such as the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, astronomers can study the sun as never before. We are joined by Maria Kazachenko, assistant professor in the University of Colorado Boulder Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences department and assistant professor at the National Solar Observatory, to hear about how why it's importa…

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Pluripotent Polymers 19:49

4M ago19:49

19:49

Plastics have historically been developed to be optimal for a specific use, but what if a single material could be made flexible for one application or sturdy for another? We are joined by Stuart Rowan, professor of molecular engineering innovation and enterprise at the University of Chicago, who shares how he is developing materials whose properti…

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Crocodilia 18:33

4M ago18:33

18:33

Crocodilian species first appeared during the Mesazoic era 252-66 million years ago and have since adapted to survive changing environments and mass extinction events. We are joined by Greg Erickson, professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleobiology at Florida State University and curator at FSU's Biological Science Museum, who shares how he measure…

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STEM and Downtown Boxing Gym 22:39

4M ago22:39

22:39

Since 2007, Detroit's Downtown Boxing Gym has provided a free academic and athletic program to students aged 8-18, where they have seen long-term, life-changing impacts and a 100% high school graduation rate. We are joined by Purdue University Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology Amanda Case, Downtown Boxing Gym Executive Director Jessica H…

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#105 Pulling the trigger: Use of Weapons (1990) by Iain M. Banks 10:37

4M ago10:37

10:37

Get in touch with a text message! Use of Weapons (1990) is the third novel in the Culture series of science fiction novels by the much-missed author Iain M. Banks. Originally drafted in 1974, the book follows the interstellar supersoldier Cheradenine Zakalwe, an efficient agent of the Culture. Combining two interleaved narratives, Use of Weapons te…

1
Quantum Computing 22:18

5M ago22:18

22:18

Quantum information science is a rapidly advancing field. The unique possibilities that quantum phenomena offer will create breakthroughs in areas such as sensing and measurement, computation and simulation, communication, networking, and security. Dolev Bluvstein, a doctoral student at Harvard University, working in the Lukin Group at the Quantum …

1
ZEUS and the Frontier of Laser Science 21:02

5M ago21:02

21:02

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (ZEUS) is the highest power laser system in the United States, providing world-leading capabilities for scientific, medical, defense and industrial research. We are joined by Karl Krushelnick, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and dire…

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Geographic Information Science 25:57

5M ago25:57

25:57

From weather apps to maps, geographic information systems (GIS) are the computer-based tools that drive many modern-day conveniences. The U.S. National Science Foundation has played a central role in the technology's development and growth. NSF established the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) in 1988 and funded more t…

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#104 Finding a place in the future: China Mountain Zhang (1992) by Maureen F. McHugh 13:42

5M ago13:42

13:42

Get in touch with a text message! Maureen F. McHugh published her debut novel China Mountain Zhang in 1992 and it went on to win multiple awards. An impactful social science fiction story, the book is set in a 22nd century world in which China is the dominant superpower. Zhang Zhongshan is a young, gay construction engineer in New York City, trying…

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Macrophages and Cancer 15:49

5M ago15:49

15:49

In the immune system, white blood cells help protect the body from viruses and bacteria. A subset known as macrophages offer great promise for cancer treatment. We are joined by Kolade Adebowale, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to hear about his macrophage studies, how they might be ma…

1
Tyrannosaurids 22:16

6M ago22:16

22:16

Since the discovery of incomplete dinosaur skeletons in the early 1800s, the collective knowledge about these creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago has grown dramatically. We are joined by Greg Erickson, a professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleobiology at Florida State University and curator at FSU's Biological Science Museum who …

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Lasers and Extreme Ultraviolet Light 25:58

6M ago25:58

25:58

Light catches the imagination and raises questions about phenomena such as rainbows or why the sky is blue from an early age. We are joined by Franklin Dollar, professor of physics and astronomy and associate dean of graduate studies in the School of Physical Sciences at University of California, Irvine to hear about how he uses extreme ultraviolet…

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Advancing Computational Chemistry 19:04

6M ago19:04

19:04

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Center for Computer Assisted Synthesis is developing data science tools and computational workflows that aim to shape the future of synthetic chemistry. We are joined by Gabe Gomes, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, to hear about the work being done at the…

1
#103 A dishonourable discharge? Commandos: Strike Force (2006) 13:01

6M ago13:01

13:01

Get in touch with a text message! In 2006, Spanish developers Pyro Studios had big hopes for the fourth entry in the successful Commandos series. Strike Force was intended to help them break into the World War II shooter market, and onto consoles. Unfortunately, it was a critical and commercial disaster. Strike Force sank the Commandos series, and …

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A Look Back at 2023 22:05

6M ago22:05

22:05

From the Viking age to a Cold War military installation revealing insights into the ice age, advances in artificial intelligence, and looks at black holes and gravitational waves in the depths of space, these are just some of the stunning findings produced by U.S. National Science Foundation-supported researchers in 2023. As we start a new year, we…

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Searching for Technosignatures 22:20

6M ago22:20

22:20

Humans have always looked up to the sky and wondered about the stars and what life may be out there. Astronomers are using tools such as the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Observatory and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to search for radio waves, technosignatures sent from distant stars. David DeBoer, a research astronomer at the…

1
Listening To Giants 17:20

7M ago17:20

17:20

Blue whales are the largest animals to ever inhabit the planet and were hunted to near extinction in the era of commercial whaling. Since the 1960's, these giants have been protected but continue to be considered endangered and are seldom seen. Kate Stafford, an associate professor and bio-acoustician at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Inst…

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Demonstrating Potential 24:54

7M ago24:54

24:54

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) has helped ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce by recognizing and supporting outstanding graduate students since 1952. Kyle Johnson, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, joins us to talk about his work…

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Microplastics in the Environment 23:37

7M ago23:37

23:37

The ubiquity of plastic materials in modern life has meant that plastic debris can be found everywhere. A subset of these environmental contaminates, smaller than a sesame seed, are called microplastics, and an even smaller subset of those are called nanoplastics. We are joined by Lauren Pincus, an environmental chemist and post-doctoral fellow at …

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At the Edge of Artificial Intelligence 21:22

7M ago21:22

21:22

The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars to establish the National AI Research Institutes. We are joined by D.K. Panda, from the AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment; Giovanni Vigna, from the AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Ope…

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The History Makers 20:38

8M ago20:38

20:38

The HistoryMakers is the world's largest searchable oral history archive, featuring the first-person accounts of over 3,000 African American people from a wide variety of disciplines, including a special subset of STEM community members under a project called "ScienceMakers." Founder Julieanna Richardson tells us about early challenges, memorable m…

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