The Most Important Question

The Science of Fiction


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Why is it so important that we share the science of fiction, and what do we do with it once we have it?

That's today's big question, and my guest is Maddie Stone.

Maddie is a prolific science journalist. She is a doctor of earth and environmental sciences. She's the former science editor of the technology website Gizmodo, which I love, and the founding editor of Earther, Gizmodo's climate focused vertical, which I love.

Maddie has edited articles for The Verge, Polygon, and Grist, and her original and award winning journalism has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Grist, Vice, MIT Technology Room, Technology Review, and Drilled, and many other outlets we love and link to basically every day.

An avid science fiction fan like me, Maddie runs one of my favorite blogs called The Science of Fiction, an email newsletter and a blog, if you're old, that explores the real world science behind fictional monsters and alien planets and stuff like that (which checks all of my boxes).

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New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

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INI Book Club:

  • Not The End of The World by Hannah Ritchie

  • The Right to Repair by Aaron Perzanowski

  • Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

  • Links:

    • Subscribe to The Science of Fiction

    • Keep up with Maddie's writing, including her recent story holding Microsoft accountable to their sustainability pledges

    • Check out the Climate Reality Check report from Good Energy

    • Follow us:

      • Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com

      • Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade

      • Get our merch

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      • Subscribe to our YouTube channel

      • Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett

      • Edited by Anthony Luciani

      • Produced by Willow Beck

      • Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

      • Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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