Popcorn Science Podcast

John E. Moores & Catherine Neish
  • 5.0 (3)
  • ASTRONOMY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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

  1. 1 HR AGO

    Jurassic Park

    God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man, Man destroys God. Man creates podcasts. Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth. In this episode of "Popcorn Science," discuss the 1993 film Jurassic Park Topics Science Gripes (5:30) DNA from mosquitoes = impossible. Half life is too short. Humans cannot produce lysine either, we're alright. Not "billions of strands" in a drop of blood. T-Rex, from brain casts: Good sense of smell, vision, and hearing... sitting still not a good strategy. Velociraptors: not so big, not so fast. Humans can probably outrun dinosaurs (19:15) $112k/yr. Enough for fieldwork? What do dinosaurs sound like? Mating tortoises. Science Shine (27:34) Dinosaurs related to birds, checks out. Animals fail to show up at the safari ride. Cloning is a thing, sequencing older samples produce good science Mosquitoes did exist contemporaneously with dinosaurs. Chicxulub impact described well Dinosaur gizzards / gastroliths. Sex switching does happen in some species. Chaos Theory Of it's time (40:39) What could have been James Cameron: Dark Jurassic Park Jim Carey as Malcolm? Groundbreaking CGI, but also practical effects. Clothing is firmly rooted in the 90s CRTs and floppy disks, adjusted refresh rates. "That's not what unix looks like". This was an actual unix system called IRIX running a real program called fsn ("File System Navigator for cyberspace"). 90s hacker tropes and fat shaming John Williams: Wrote the score for everything in the 70s, 80s and 90s Ratings (54:44) References Jurassic Park (1993) Amplification and sequencing of DNA from a 120–135-million-year-old weevil Chicxulub Gastrolith Chaos Theory File System Navigator

    1 hr

  2. APR 5

    The Fifth Element

    In this episode of "Popcorn Science," discuss the 1997 film The Fifth Element. Topics Science Gripes (5:10) Technobabble "Memo-groups", the perfect being, genetic memory Generate skin by exposure to UV Gravity will mess you up (10:05) 3D grid lock? Fog layer in NYC? How big is the death sphere anyway? New Moon? What about tides, tho? How do shadows work? (18:41) -5000 degrees? (22:57) Parable of the Broken Window (22:37) Science Shine (24:23) Aziz! Light! The fifth element is... Boron... err... Ether (25:40) Languages (29:40) Planetary Protection (32:12) Diva Dance (33:40) We bring the evil with us where we go (36:32) Single-use beds Garbage strike 65 trillion served, plausible? Hallway disguise Of it's time (41:05) 23rd century look an awful lot like the 90s. Phonebooks? CDs? Bruce Willis is in every 90's action film. Space Die Hard! Misogyny. Luc Besson is a creep as are most of the male characters. Ruby Rod is ahead of his time. Zorg is a techbro, but what's his motivation. Ratings (56:52) References The Fifth Element (1997) Luc Besson - director New York 2140 - Kim Stanley Robinson Kármán line Parable of the Broken Window Divine Language Toki Pona Laura sings the "Diva Dance" from the Fifth Element

    1h 2m

  3. MAR 21

    For All Mankind

    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 For All Mankind (Wikipedia) Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) A City on Mars Mars Phoenix Korolev Crater Mars Odyssey Bruce McCandless II Mars Watch Methanogenesis OSIRIS-REx

    1h 11m

  4. 2025-10-04

    2001: A Space Odyssey

    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 2001: A Space Odyssey (film, 1968) 2001: A Space Odyssey (novel, 1968) Stargate Effect Arthur C. Clarke Stanley Kubrick Also sprake Zarathustra - Richard Strauss Sapians Homo Habilus (tool users) Stanford Torus Andromeda Strain: Book (1969), Film (1971) Lunar Swirls Vacuum Suit Accident Reaction Wheel Computer sings "Daisy Bell" (1961) Douglas Rain Universe (1960) - National Film Board of Canada

    1h 4m

  5. 2025-09-20

    Deep Impact

    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 Deep Impact (1998) Carolyn Shoemaker Gene Shoemaker Meteor Crater DART Orion Deep Impact (NASA Mission)

    1h 2m

  6. 2025-09-07

    Blade Runner

    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)

    1h 5m

  7. 2025-08-24

    Battlestar Galactica

    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 Battlestar Galactica (2003)

    59 min

  8. 2025-08-10

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    Many Bothans died to bring us this episode. In this episode of "Popcorn Science," John and Catherine discuss the science behind the movie Rogue One. References Star Wars: Rogue One

    1h 2m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    John E. Moores & Catherine Neish
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Popcorn Science Podcast