The Marvels of Science

In this episode, returning guests Daniel and Ross discuss the Multiverse from two very different angles, with broadly the same conclusion about Avengers: Endgame that Ant-Man had about Back to the Future.

Science Expert: Daniel Whiteson (UC-Irvine, CERN, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe)

Philosophy Expert: Ross Cameron (University of Virginia)

(Updated with fixed audio on 3/15/23)

I'm back! There's one more episode to be edited, and then it'll probably be a big long wait again. Thanks for sticking around!

This episode, we talked all about meteor impacts, both real and vibranium. Rock turns to gas, giant craters are formed, and we take a detour to Mars!

Science Expert: Johns Hopkins Planetary Science PhD Student Miché Aaron (@Astrenome)

Color Commentator: Jenny McConnell Frederick (@rorschachdc, @jennymcfred)

Special Guest: T

Images Link: https://imgur.com/a/Cb7wL1a

(Updated episode title and fixed music timing on 1/19/23.)

Thanks so much for listening to Phase 2! And thanks so much to all my guests, who have given their time so willingly and enthusiastically. I am so appreciative.

Here's a quick look back, a look forward to Phase 3, and a brief stand on a soapbox about where you get your information.

See you in Phase 3!

This is the final episode of Phase 2 of The Marvels of Science the first episode of Comic Book Science, all about the science and tech of the DC Cinematic Universe. This episode is all about The Caped Crusader and his inspiration: Bats! Where do they live? Are they blind? Are they really so scary? All this and more!

Science Expert: Dr. Kristen Lear of Bat Conservation International

Color Commentator: Adam Roth-Saks

Important note: this is a one-time thing! The podcast is not changing formats, and your regular Marvel-ous content will resume in Phase 3!

Watch the Bracken Bat Cave FlyThrough here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSQlVJUQyuY

Build your own bat house with this information: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-houses/

In Guardians of the Galaxy 2, our plucky heroes fly through a "quantum asteroid field," zipping around and flying between them until they  eventually go kablooie. Sorry to get technical. But what are real asteroid belts like? And why isn't our neighborhood Asteroid Belt a planet instead? Who is Kuiper? What's an Oort? Find out the answers to these questions (and far more sensible ones) in this episode!

Science Expert: Planetary Astronomer Stephanie Deppe

Wait, is it "prosthetic" or "prosthesis?" How do they work in real life? Is there anything like Bucky's arm out there in the real world? What's the best we can do and what's the best we can imagine? This time I got TWO Science Experts: one in residency and one with 10 years of clinic experience. This is fascinating stuff.

Thor once said that his hammer, Mjolnir, was forged in the heart of a dying star. We see in Avengers: infinity War that what he really meant was that the forge is encapsulating a neutron star. Not the same, Thor. But what is a neutron star? Is it dying? What's at the heart? Why do we always talk about teaspoons of neutron stars?

When I emailed ecologist Tara Stewart Merrill and asked if she'd help me consider the ecological impact of Thanos wiping out half all of creatures on Earth (and everywhere else), she said that she had just gone on a long rant about that very thing! A scientist who also rants about Marvel movies?? Perfectly balanced, as all things should be (and as the Earth's ecosystems are definitely not, thanks to Thanos).

What is a planet? How many are there in the Galaxy? I mean, what even is a Galaxy, really, and why is ours Milky? Is there life out there? Can we visit it? How could we possibly even define what life is before we search it out? And how did I work in a reference to the musical 1776? Will I ever stop asking so many questions? No.

Find the Folklore Society of Greater Washington at https://fsgw.org!

There are a few direct mentions of nanotechnology in the MCU, but there are a LOT of applications that these tiny processes can  explain. Is Black Panther's suit possible? What is a nanite? We continue the conversation we started about nanotech in Episode 4: Vibrrrranium, and we stray pretty far into why conspiracy theories exist. Don't worry, we bring it back around to the science.

Science Expert: Materials Scientist Eric Breckenfeld