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Check latest episodes from Fiction Science podcast

What will politics look like on other planets?

2026/11/03

Will Mars be ruled by an emperor? A rebel alliance? None of the above? Astrobiologist Jacob Haqq Misra, the author of "Sovereign Mars," lays out the legal and political scenarios for governing the moon, Mars and other celestial objects.

Quantum physicist explains the mysteries of time

2026/08/31

British physicist Jim Al-Khalili, author of "On Time: The Physics That Makes the Universe Tick," discusses why time flows in only one direction, and why time travel into the past is highly unlikely - but not yet completely ruled out.

How 'Star City' reimagined the Soviet space race

2026/07/10

Cinematographer Brendan Uegama discusses how he and his teammates created a fictional world for "Star City," an Apple TV series that traces a dramatically different version of the U.S.-Soviet space race.

The facts and fiction of UFO 'Disclosure Day'

2026/06/12

A podcast double-feature delves into scientific and social issues raised by the "Disclosure Day" movie. Our guests are Adam Kirsch, author of "We Want to Believe"; and Meg Charlton, author of an alien-abduction novel titled "Voyagers."

Sci-fi pioneer's final novel bridges cultures

2026/05/15

Nisi Shawl discusses the genesis of "The Curve of the World," a newly published novel about an ancient odyssey from Crete to the Pacific Northwest that science-fiction pioneer Vonda N. McIntyre finished writing just before her death in 2019.

The real 'Project Hail Mary': Looking for E.T.

2026/03/10

SETI astronomer Seth Shostak talks about the parallels between the alien connection in "Project Hail Mary" and the real-world search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Occupy Mars? Or the moon? Get a reality check

2026/02/17

Now Elon Musk wants to build a city on the moon before building a city on Mars. Biologist Scott Solomon, author of a new book titled "Becoming Martian," sizes up the prospects for building a city anywhere that's beyond Earth.

Why NASA is going nuclear on the moon

2026/01/30

Aerospace consultant Roger Myers explains why space nuclear power will play a big role in the competition between the U.S. and China to establish bases on the moon in the 2030s.

Pluto shines as a science-fiction star

2025/10/31

Space scientist Les Johnson tells the story behind his role in creating "Pluto," the last novel in sci-fi master Ben Bova's Grand Tour series and one of the first works of fiction to incorporate revelations from NASA's New Horizons mission.

Native American legends are woven into a UFO tale

2025/10/13

Cherokee science-fiction author Daniel H. Wilson blends ancient tales about extraterrestrials with up-to-date speculation about alien visitations in a new novel called "Hole in the Sky."

'Rocket Dreams' and rocket realities

2025/09/26

Washington Post staff writer Christian Davenport, author of "Rocket Dreams," discusses the parallel space races between America and China, and between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Thriller explores Florida's flooded future

2025/08/11

Tim Chawaga, the author of a climate-fiction thriller titled "Salvagia," weaves the implications of future sea-level rise and other high-tech twists into a Florida murder mystery.

Dinosaur facts vs. fiction in 'Jurassic World Rebirth'

2025/07/04

Tech pioneer Nathan Myhrvold and paleontologist Thomas Holtz discuss how dinosaur science has evolved over the past three decades - and do a reality check on the latest "Jurassic World" dino-movie.

How the Rubin Observatory will change astronomy

2025/06/18

Mario Juric, director of the University of Washington's DiRAC Institute, explains why astronomers are celebrating the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's "First Look" at the cosmos - and tells you how to join the party.

Get a reality check on AI hype

2025/05/19

Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna, authors of "The AI Con," say the benefits of AI are being played up while the costs are being played down — and they lay out strategies for fighting the hype.