Fiction

Unobtainium Podcast

by Adam Sigel & Dr. Amy Mainzer

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Latest episodes

Could You ACTUALLY Survive on Mars? Planetary Scientist Dave Paige Breaks Down Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian, breaking down what the film got right, what was exaggerated, and what real NASA missions face when exploring the Red Planet.

October 6, 2026 · 47 min

Episode Description In this episode of Unobtainium, hosts Adam and Amy sit down with UCLA Planetary Science Professor Dave Paige to dissect the science behind Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian. From the atmospheric physics of…
We came for Star Wars. We found something much bigger. Inside the Lucas Museum: Star Wars, Narrative Art, and the Power of Myth

September 22, 2026 · 44 min

Why does the museum look like a spaceship? What does Luke Skywalker have in common with a scientist? And could an N-1 Starfighter actually fly? Come inside with us. What’s really inside George Lucas’s new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art?…
Neil deGrasse Tyson on Superheroes, Time Travel, Aliens, Bad Movie Science and growing up in the geekosphere.

September 15, 2026 · 24 min

What superhero would Neil deGrasse Tyson be? Where would he go if he could travel through time? And how much bad science will he forgive if a movie tells a great story? And how he grew up an athlete who lived in the geekosphere. In this…
What’s lurking in the unexplored deep? Liquid Breathing, Decompression Issues, & Alien Sea Life in James Cameron’s mysterious film The Abyss with marine geomicrobiologist Dr. Tina Treude

September 8, 2026 · 46 min

Episode Description Could humans really breathe liquid? Could we actually live hundreds of meters beneath the ocean—and what might be waiting for us in the unexplored deep? In this episode of UNOBTAINIUM, hosts Amy and Adam “dive” into…
Could a Snake Robot Find Alien Life? | Mars, Enceladus & the Future of Space Robotics

September 1, 2026 · 10 min

What does it take to build a robot that can explore another world—and maybe even help us find extraterrestrial life? In this special bonus mini-episode of UNOBTAINIUM, roboticist Dr. Hiro Ono takes us from the surface of Mars to the hidden…

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Could the Rage Virus in 28 Days Later actually happen? Dr. Seema Yasmin joins us to unpack the terrifying real science of viruses, outbreaks, R-naught, and why this horror classic hits very differently after COVID.

August 25, 2026 · 42 min

Is the "Rage Virus" in 28 Days Later scientifically plausible? Amy and Adam sit down with Dr. Sima Yasmin—medical doctor, former CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, author and disease detective! – to separate the real science of…
More on Astrobiology with Dr. Betül Kaçar

August 18, 2026 · 10 min

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Why We Deny Scientific Warnings? A Deep Dive into the Science of Climate Change, Searching for Hope, and the Art of Integrating Science into Emotional and Evocative Storytelling

August 11, 2026 · 35 min

Episode Description What begins as a discussion of climate change expands into a deep dive into the science as well as the misinformation, political inertia, corruption and the psychology behind why societies struggle to respond to…
What’s our plan for a planet-killer comet? The facts about NASA’s Planetary Defense (Kinetic Impactors vs Armageddon Nukes) and more in Adam McKay’s film "Don’t Look Up."

August 4, 2026 · 28 min

Episode Description How do long-period comets (like Comet NEOWISE) actually move, how NASA’s real-life Planetary Defense Coordination Office operates, and whether kinetic impactors (like the DART mission) or nuclear explosives could divert…
How Real is the Science in Star Trek? Amy and Adam Talk Terraforming, Genetic Engineering, and Trekkie Love for the Wrath of Khan

July 28, 2026 · 40 min

Episode Description In this episode of The Unobtainium Podcast, Amy shows her true Trekkie colors as she and Adam unpack the science and themes of the beloved TOS cast film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Together, they explore the…
Is a “Severance” Split Brain possible? How Are Memories Formed? Can Different Aspects of Personality Be Isolated Inside the Brain? Memory, Identity, and Neuroplasticity with David Eagleman

July 21, 2026 · 42 min

Could your mind really be split in two? Can a chip in your brain divide your work life from your personal life? Hosts astrophysicist and UCLA Professor Dr. Amy Mainzer and writer/producer Adam Sigel welcome back Stanford neuroscientist…
Mining on the Moon? Explore the possibilities of Fusion Using Helium-3, a New AI Computer in Space, and the Ethics of Reaching Humanity's Next Frontier with Lunar Expert Dave Paige

July 14, 2026 · 42 min

Is the 2009 movie Moon pure fiction, or is lunar mining the future of clean energy? Could automated harvesters actually strip-mine the lunar surface regolith (moon soil)? Could we really harvest enough helium-3 to power nuclear fusion…

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About the show

The Unobtainium Podcast is hosted by Adam Sigel, a Hollywood writer-producer, and Dr. Amy Mainzer, an astrophysicist. Together, they explore the science in science fiction. Each episode unpacks the Unobtainium behind movies—what’s real, what’s cinematic, and why filmmakers bend reality. This is for the nerds, sci-fi fans, film junkies, and anyone curious about the science behind the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.