podcasts and lectures

Season Two

Flash Forward

future

A relationship bridging the divide between scientists and artists is reflected in a fight over where to store tomatoes.

Alison graduated with a BSc in Astrophysics from Newcastle University. Leaving for London to seek her fortune, she worked for several years in building services engineering in investment banks; first as an operations manager and then as a consultant. She left this career to pursue her love of physics, completing a Masters in Space Science and a PhD in solar physics at UCL. She is now at Queen Mary looking after outreach and student recruitment for maths and physics.

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Allison Hartshorn: Common Ground

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

When neuroscientist Carl Hart meets with his cousin he wonders about what he now knows about psychiatric medication and society, and whether his own life is a success.

Carl Hart is a member of the faculty at Columbia University, jointly-appointed in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in neuroscience, psychology, and pharmacology and has been recognized for excellence in teaching with the University's highest teaching award. Dr. Hart is also a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in the Division of Substance Abuse. For High Price, his first trade book, he received the 2014 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.

Carl Hart: My Cousin's Meds

What would happen if we rounded up all the critically endangered animals and plants and put them in armored zoos?

Caged

A chemistry set is the perfect opportunity for Nate Charles Troisi to connect with his engineer father.

Nate Charles Karagiannis-Troisi is an award-winning, multifaceted theatre maker and performer whose work spans decades, genres, mediums, and continents. He has studied, created, and performed extensively across Australia, The Netherlands, and the USA. His current focus lies in autobiographical explorations of multiculturalism, intergenerational trauma, sex, relationships, and contemporary Australia through a CALD and queer lens.

Trained at the Victorian College of the Arts in Naarm and currently residing and creating work in Tarntanya, Nate has worked as a facilitator for SAYArts Youth Theatre, Riverland Youth Theatre and a story-collector for Open Space Contemporary Arts (OSCA).. Most recently he performed the role of Freidrich von Schoen in the upcoming Asylum Studios film The Land That Time Forgot, and featured in the subsequent making-of documentary Mockbuster by Anthony Frith, and has received funding through Carclew to mentor young indigenous playwright Mali Harkin-Noack as she writes her first play Burn Your House to the Ground. In his spare time, he performs as keyboardist Howlin’ J. Weatherill in satirical country band Brad Chicken and the Bootstraps, and functions as half of theatre-trash duo Muse of Fire.

Nate Charles Troisi: Family Chemistry

Erik Vance searches for the real meaning of biology while chasing porcupines.

Erik Vance is a native Bay Area writer replanted in Mexico as a non-native species. Before becoming a writer he was, at turns, a biologist, a rock climbing guide, an environmental consultant, and an environmental educator. His work focuses on the human element of science – the people who do it, those who benefit from it, and those who do not. He has written for The New York Times, Nature, Scientific American, Harper’s, National Geographic, and a number of other local and national outlets. He is currently working on his first book, under contract with National Geographic Press about how the mind and body continually twist and shape our realities. 

Erik Vance: Is This Biology?

What would happen if the whole world stopped being able to recognize people by their face? Welcome to season two of Flash Forward! 

Face Off

Right now there’s a whole lot of buzz about sex robots. Some people are really excited about them, and think we’ll be marrying robots by 2050. Other people are really worried about them, and are organizing whole campaigns against sex robots. This week, we travel to a future where sex robots are realized, and talk about everything from warranties to ethics.  

[A note: if you listen to our show with or near young kids be aware that today’s episodes discusses the future of sex, and goes into some detail about sex toys, sex work and other sexy time things. If your kiddos are ready for a calm, reasonable discussion of sex and the sex industry, carry on! If you’re not there yet, that’s cool, but maybe skip this one.]

Love At First Bot

Today we travel to a future without lies. What would it be like if we all wore accurate lie detectors around all the time?


Don't Lie To Me

Today we travel to a future where humans have decided to eradicate the most dangerous animal on the planet: mosquitos. How would we do it? Is it even possible? And what are the consequences?


The Ultimate Swatting

Today we travel to a future where your microbiome becomes a key part of your identity. From health to your child’s kindergarten, here are all the ways knowing about your microbiome might impact your life.

Micro But Mighty

Today we travel to a future full of spreadsheet approved lives. A future where everything we do is tracked and quantified: calories, air quality, sleep, heart rate, microbes, brain waves, finances, happiness, sadness, menstrual cycles, poops, hopes and dreams. Everything. 

My Everything Pal

Today we travel to a future without pets. What would it take for us to give up our fuzzy, slithery, fishy friends? Should our pets get more rights? And if we didn’t have dogs or cats, would we domesticate something else to take their place?

Unpawful

Today we travel to a fully digital world, a world where paper is a thing of the past.


Tree Free

Okay, you asked for it, and I finally did it. Today’s episode is about conscious artificial intelligence. We talk about everything from what artificial intelligence and consciousness even mean, whether you’ll ever have a moral obligation to pay Siri, and what happens when your intelligent secretary needs a therapist. 


Rude Bot Rises

This month on Flash Forward, we go to a future where anybody can make a video of you doing anything they want. And that technology is cheap and easy to access. What happens?

Unreel

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.