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Marty and Holly speak for a second time with Mike Carey in the first installment on our new topic: The Multiverse. Mike has written comics for many big titles in both the DC and Marvel universes, and has also written 19 books including his most recent 'The Pandominion' duology which is comprised of 'Infinity Gate' and 'Echo of Worlds'. The idea of parallel universes arises from an interpretations of quantum mechanics which posits that the wavefunction never actually collapses, just branches into new, independent universes for every possible outcome. It’s a mind-boggling idea offering rich and unique narrative possibilities for science fiction. We discuss some of the ideas which support the existence of the Multiverse, dark matter, the evolutionary history of alternate worlds, colonialism and slavery, sentience and necropolitics.

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https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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Marty speaks with Hollywood writer and director James Kerwin about Quantum Consciousness in his sci-fi film noir ‘Yesterday Was a Lie’, as well as in Robert J. Sawyer's books 'Quantum Night' and 'The Downloaded. We do a bit of a deep dive into the role of consciousness in the foundations of quantum mechanics, discussing the Copenhagen interpretation, the Many Worlds theory, and the Penrose/Hameroff Orchestrated Objective Reduction theory. We go all the way from the quantum superposition of subatomic particles to the possible emergence of collective consciousness, and the possibility of consciousness playing a central role in creating objective reality. We also talk about James’ favorite books and movies, as well as his current project – a new film he is developing called Contre-Coup.

James Kerwin:

Webpage:
https://www.jameskerwin.com/

Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kerwin

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jameskerwin/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thejameskerwin/

IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450123/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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Robert J. Sawyer is one of the world’s science fiction luminaries, and a great source of Canadian pride as one of our most prolific, successful and decorated science fiction authors. In the following conversation Rob discusses his book 'Quantum Night', which explores the social and philosophical consequences of an empirical test for consciousness, self-awareness and conscience. He tells us about the science of evil i.e. the science of psychopathy, and we discuss philosophical zombies as well as the very timely political consequences of blind followers and psychopathic demagogues. We also talk about the disappointing and negative effects of artificial intelligence, the multi-dimensional landscape of the human psyche, and the use of science fiction as an early warning system for the future.

https://www.sfwriter.com/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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Daniel H. Wilson has a PhD in robotics and is the author of the non-fiction books ‘How to Survive a Robot Uprising’, ‘How to Build a Robot Army’ and ‘Where’s my Jetpack’, as well as the bestselling science fiction novels ‘Robopocalypse’ and its sequel ‘Robogenesis’, ‘The Clockwork Dynasty’, and most recently ‘The Andromeda Evolution’ - the authorized sequel to Michael Crichton’s 'The Andromeda Strain'. We talk about how he came to inherit Michael Crichton's mantle and be chosen to write 'The Andromeda Evolution', discussing Planetary Protection as well as the biotech/nanotech crossover in material science in this book. We also consider Artificial Intelligence, First Contact, and the more human and cultural themes in his recent work, especially in his short story ‘The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever’ and his upcoming book ‘Heliopause’, which gives an indigenous perspective on First Contact with an alien intelligence. Finally, we talk about the Western reductionist perspective compared with a more indigenous approach to science, with biomimetic strategies of studying systems embedded in their natural context, as well as developing respect and comfort with the unknown.

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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This is our fourth and final episode on the theme of Sci-Fi Fungi, where we dig a little deeper into the current science and future science of mycology with Dr. Alex Moskaluk, a mycologist and professor of biology at the University of Guelph. She specializes in zoonotic fungi, fungal pathogens that can jump from animals to humans and vice versa. We discuss how fungi are evolving resistance to antifungal treatments in much the same way as bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance, developing mechanisms for evading the human immune system, and learning to specialize in human infection. So basically continuing along our apocalyptic sci-fi themes… did you know that some fungi can kill you by growing abscesses into your brain!? But on the brighter side, we also talk about some cool science fictional possibilities these organisms may offer us in the future: some fungi can absorb radiation and could be used to shield space ships and extraterrestrial colonies from space radiation! They can break down moon regolith or rock on other planets to make soil and building materials. And it seems we are just scratching the surface of even more amazing capabilities – like actually reducing the radioactivity of disaster sites like Chernobyl by… well, you can’t do that with plain old chemistry so, are they somehow capable of inducing nuclear reactions? Can we create future super-materials one day, like fungal Kevlar or a fungal cable for space elevators? Just a few of the crazy ideas that came out of this conversation, in the finest tradition of digging deeper into the science in the fiction.

https://ovc.uoguelph.ca/pathobiology/people/faculty/alex-moskaluk/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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Marty speaks with Kaitlyn Kuehn (KK), creator and host of the Flora Funga Podcast, discussing recent developments in real world applications of fungi, and speculating about the possible roles fungi may play in our science fictional future. We discuss their use as recreational drugs, and the current regulatory and legalization landscape. We talk about creating new materials from fungi, from making bricks in space to creating new green materials for packaging, hats and shoes on earth. We consider fungi in water efficient vertical farming, using yeasts and molds as pesticides, and if they might be helpful in farming insects for as a source of protein. And finally, we do a bit of science fictional thinking about Fungi as a possible agent of panspermia for seeding life on new worlds, creating ecological footholds on dead planets, and as a catalyst for biodiversity.

https://www.florafungapodcast.com/

We touch on a couple FF episodes in this interview:
Ep 135 with Chris Pauli from Tryptomics:
https://www.florafungapodcast.com/florafungapodcast/135
Ep 77 with Adam Cobb from the Soil Food Web School
https://www.florafungapodcast.com/florafungapodcast/77

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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We speak with M. R. Carey about his book 'The Girl With All The Gifts', where the zombie fungus Cordyceps plays a central role in bringing about the end of civilization. We talk about the appeal of a post-apocalyptic story and discuss some of the science in Merlin Sheldrake’s book 'Entangled Life': scientific revolutions and evolutions, gestalt shifts, the ancient evolutionary history of fungi, how they can be both parasitic and symbiotic, and how all of life is like a lichen. Mike tells us how he came to be a writer, and about his experience of benevolent presences on psilocybin – and the ineffability of the psychedelic experience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Carey_(writer)

https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/contributor/m-r-carey-2/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17235026-the-girl-with-all-the-gifts

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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Beginning our highly anticipated new topic of Sci-Fi Fungi, we talk to science fiction author Benjamin Percy about the second book of his Comet Cycle, 'The Unfamiliar Garden'. We discuss Ben's writing career in comic books and novels and soon TV and film, the literary treatment that space fungus gets in this book, as well as the human and emotional stakes that make it a really good story. We discuss the goodies and the baddies of the fungal world, lichenification, symbiosis, collective intelligence, creating wonder and seeing the world with fresh eyes.

https://benjaminpercy.com/

https://benjaminpercy.com/novels/the-unfamiliar-garden/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com

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