Are you more into scientific facts or science fiction? This episode, you don’t have to choose. We’re celebrating podcasts that explore pasts and futures, both real and imaginary.
Will cash soon become obsolete? What does it mean for a work of science fiction to be Afro-futuristic? How did Marie Curie and her husband Pierre discover their first element? And what would happen if an experiment gone wrong suddenly landed you in the past?
Plus, our resident self-described Trekkie, Associate Producer Julian Uzielli tells us why the official Star Trek podcast, Star Trek: The Pod Directive, is a great listen for fans and newcomers alike. The show about a utopian future has a lot to say about the present — and also ambient starship noise is a tried and true sleep aid, apparently.
Podcasts featured this week:
Darts & Letters: “A podcast about arts and letters, but for people who might hack a dart.” This episode is about how science fiction has often been used as a vehicle for discussing progressive ideas. In this clip, author Nalo Hopkinson talks about Afro-futurism.
The Big Story: For many people, use of cash has declined drastically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic—if they hadn’t stopped using it already. Guest Michael Doyle talks about how financial institutions and central banks are preparing for the end of hard currency.
The Episodic Table of Elements: Host T.R. Appleton tells the story of how Marie Curie discovered Polonium.
ars PARADOXICA: “Dr. Sally Grissom is stuck in the past. When a quirk of physics draws her into the middle of a top-secret military test on the deck of the USS Eldridge in 1943, Sally must convince Director Bill Donovan and his Office of Developed Anomalous Resources that she isn’t a hostile force bent on espionage.”
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