Name: The Supernova Next Door by Flash Forward in Meanwhile in the future
Duration: 16 min 5 s
Description: We often think of stars as twinkling, harmless little points of light that fill our night sky with majesty. But stars can be dangerous too. When they come to the end of their lifespan, some stars explode fantastically as supernovae. So what would happen if one of those giant explosions happened nearby?

Meanwhile in the future

Today we travel to a future where humans share our robotic knowledge with the rest of the animal kingdom—for better, and for worse.

This is also the LAST EPISODE of Flash Forward 1.0. Listen to the end for my sappy goodbye to this version of the show, a show that has really meant the world to me. 

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2021/12/21/final-episode-robots-could-robots-replace-animals/

FINAL EPISODE!! ROBOTS: Could Robots Replace Animals?

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2022/06/28/can-you-be-sued-by-a-river/

Can You Be Sued By A River?

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2022/11/07/vanguard-estates-living-with-dementia/

Vanguard Estates: Living With Dementia

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2022/11/14/vanguard-estates-the-future-of-the-aging-brain/

Vanguard Estates: The Future of the Aging Brain

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2022/11/21/vanguard-estates-can-robots-really-help-the-aging/

Vanguard Estates: Can Robots Really Help the Aging?

More info & show notes here: https://www.flashforwardpod.com/2022/11/28/vanguard-estates-the-true-cost-of-care/

Vanguard Estates: The True Cost of Care

This is the final series for Flash Forward ever. The finale is three episodes, each about some aspect of future thinking that has been on my mind. It's part manifesto about the future, part love letter to listeners, part summation of what I've learned from making Flash Forward for eight years. I really hope you like it!

PUPATION

PRECIPICE

HOPE

PRECIPICE (by Lazerbeak)

What happens when women no longer have to physically bear children? Who wins? Who loses? Who takes artificial wombs to a far away planet to create a colony of super-beings? 

A Womb Away from Home

What would happen if the Earth suddenly had a second moon? This week, we work through the impact an additional satellite would have on our planet, from tides, to the night sky, to the potential destruction of Earth. Oh also there are space pirates. 

The Second Moon is a Harsh Mistress

This week’s future is a social experiment. What if Earth had a robotic overlord who decided to ban all weapons? All fights would have to be hand to hand. Would there be less death that way? Less casualties? What counts as a weapon anyway? Listen to the episode to find out!

Forcing the Hand

This week on Meanwhile in the Future we step onto the field and talk about contact sports. What would it take to create a future in which the most dangerous sports die out? What are those sports to begin with? What does a world without football look like?

The Most Dangerous Games

Over the past 85 years, antibiotics have been miracle drugs. They’ve kept infections at bay and opened up a world of medical possibilities: organ transplants, heart surgery, chemotherapy. But they’re not going to work forever. The age antibiotic resistance is coming. So what does a world without these drugs look like? 

Revenge of the Germs

We often think of stars as twinkling, harmless little points of light that fill our night sky with majesty. But stars can be dangerous too. When they come to the end of their lifespan, some stars explode fantastically as supernovae. So what would happen if one of those giant explosions happened nearby?

The Supernova Next Door

Flash Forward is a show about possible (and not so possible) future scenarios. What would the warranty on a sex robot look like? How would diplomacy work if we couldn’t lie? Could there ever be a fecal transplant black market? (Complicated, it wouldn’t, and yes, respectively, in case you’re curious.) Hosted and produced by award winning science journalist Rose Eveleth, each episode combines audio drama and journalism to go deep on potential tomorrows, and uncovers what those futures might really be like. The future is going to be weird, so let's get ready for it together.

The Supernova Next Door

Flash Forward

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