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This is the second part of Marty's conversation with Julius Csotonyi about dark ecology in relation to the dark rogue world of Chris Beckettâs book 'Dark Eden'. We discuss the extraordinary existence of anoxygenic autotrophic bacteria that are capable of photosynthesis in the dark of the ocean floor! Julius describes the ecology of thermal vents and geothermal energy as it stems from a hot planetary core, and we speculate about the kinds of planets that could host a dark ecology. We learn about protective and accessory photosynthetic pigments and ancient archaea microbes and not only the Tree of Life, but the more convoluted Bush of Life! We talk about superorganisms and colonial organisms and social insects, plasmodial slime molds, mutualism, and how empathy and cooperation are the real superpowers of life. Finally we discuss how to imagine new possibilities for extraterrestrial life and how to hunt for exobiology using educated speculation and scientific creativity.
https://www.csotonyi.com/
https://sierraclub.bc.ca/learn-to-draw-b-c-wildlife-series-with-julius-csotonyi-gift/
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Julius Csotonyi is a thermal vent biologist with expertise on organisms that thrive on geothermal energy in the dark depths of the ocean where there is almost no light from the sun. He is also someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about âspeculative biologyâ, imagining various exotic possibilities for the existence of life in extreme conditions that are very different from those we are used to on the surface of our planet. Our conversation is a follow-up to our previous episode with Chris Beckett, author of the 'Dark Eden' trilogy, so this is where we put some meat on the bones of the dark ecology which forms the setting of the 'Dark Eden' books. Julius is an absolutely delightful wealth of information, whose love of science radiates throughout our conversation. In this, the first half of our conversation, we talk about the evolution of bioluminescence and light sensing in organisms who live in the dark world on the ocean floor, the different biological strategies that make use of bioluminescence, anoxygenic phototrophs that use infrared radiation rather than visible light to drive photosynthesis in the dark (!) and how that might lead to new and different ideas about the origin of life on earth â and hence the possible origin of life on other worlds.
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Holly and Marty speak with Chris Beckett about his Dark Eden trilogy, comprised of Dark Eden â which won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2012, and was followed by Mother of Eden in 2015 and Daughter of Eden in 2016. Dark Eden has been described as âa superior piece of the theologically nuanced science fictionâ, and is also a story about the development of human culture, religion and civilization. It stands out for its unique setting on a dark planet whose ecology is powered by geothermal forces rather than by a sun, and where a pair of marooned humans have given rise to a growing family of refugees who scrabble for survival in a dark forest filled with bioluminescent plants and animals. Itâs a book youâll never forget, and its characters will stay with you all your life. We also spend some time talking about his more recent book 'America City', a book written in 2017 about an unhinged American president who decides to invade Canada - disturbingly prophetic of recent events threatening the Canadian sovereignty.
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Holly and Marty get together with their friend Susan MacKinnon to discuss the science fiction of Ursula K. LeGuin, literary icon of speculative fiction. We talk about her Hugo and Nebula winning books "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed", which are among the most celebrated classics in science fiction. The first was a pioneering book about the impact of gender on civilization, describing an ambisexual society. The second is about anarchism as an ambiguous utopia in the context of capitalism, and describes some very deep and beautiful ideas about time and the foundations of physics. We also talk about LeGuin's short story "Those Who Walk Away From Omelas", a lasting parable about those whose suffering supports our society and how we confront or submit to that reality. We also chat about higher education, feminism, dresses with huge pockets and a some of the other books we're reading.
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This is part 2 of Marty's conversation with Douglas Phillips about his 'Quantum' Series of hard science fiction novels. In our last episode we talked about 'Quantum Space', and this time we discuss the next two books in the series, 'Quantum Void' and 'Quantum Time'. As before, todayâs exchange focusses on the unifying theme of extra dimensions, in both space and time, and Douglasâ exploration of speculative ideas that push the envelope of modern physics. We discuss visiting aliens using extradimensional spatial distortion, imagining paranormal phenomena as a 3D consequence of 4D activity, and using 4D space a dumping ground for our pollution. We then go on to use a generalization of Heisenbergâs Uncertainty Principle to suggest a second, perpendicular dimension of time and how this leads to a coherent theory of time travel! Along the way we discuss anti-matter and whether it falls up or down, and how to probe for hints of new temporal physics in the physics of anti-hydrogen.
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This is one of those episodes that exemplifies what we try to do here on this show, going deep on some very big science ideas, and then going off the deep end to expand those ideas into the realm of fiction and making them even bigger! Marty has the great pleasure of speaking with Douglas Phillips, who has turned his wide range of scientific experience into the kinds of stories heâs always wanted to readâ. Douglas has made a name for himself with his Quantum series of 5 books: Quantum Space, Quantum Void, Quantum Time, Quantum Entangled and Quantum Chaos â along with the prequel Quantum Incident. This is a conversation in two parts - in this episode we talk about Quantum Space, and in the next episode we'll talk about Quantum Void and mostly about Quantum Time. The unifying theme here is extra dimensions, in both space and time (!) and our conversation is an intellectual romp through speculative ideas that push the envelope of modern physics. To lay the groundwork we talk about the standard model of particle physics, superstring theory and neutrino oscillations, then we make the leap into the 4th dimension, and from there into the far reaches of outer space.
Douglas Phillips:
https://douglasphillipsbooks.com/
Quantum Space on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZY9T5Y5
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This is a rather special episode, and something of a delightful experiment. Barron Wenham is on of the smartest and most well-informed 10-year-olds you are ever likely to encounter - especially on the subjects of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. As an exercise in exploring big ideas, mind-blowing science and science fictional creative invention, Marty sat down with him to discuss the birth of the universe, the balance of matter and anti-matter, as well as some of the things we discussed with Dr. David Curtin in episodes 30 and 31 on Dark Matter. We also cover the black holes, white holes, the standard model of particle physics - right down to neutrinos and strange quarks - and Barron explains the theory of strange matter, which is a real thing! Barron also presents his own cosmological model that accounts for the accelerating expansion of the universe as well as the balance of matter and antimatter, and also his theory of super-matter in a brain-structured universe.
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Marty speaks with Dr. Henry Erlich, whose research career gave him a front seat to the development of DNA sequencing technology from its infancy in the 80âs, to the development of forensic applications in the criminal justice system in the 90âs and through to itâs maturity in Next Generation Sequencing methods now used to study evolutionary biology and the deep history of human and hominid evolution. His book is called 'Genetic Reconstruction of the Past - DNA analysis in Forensics and Human Evolution ', and its unifying theme is how we can now use DNA sequencing technology to study historical events, from the recent past in the case of forensic investigation of crimes, to the ancient past in studies of fossil remains to understand the evolution of the human species and the relationships among contemporary and extinct populations. We talk about the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), detecting sequence and length polymorphism, how DNA tests are used to identify individuals in forensic investigations, how they can be used to track relationships among human populations both ancient and contemporary, and how what we've learned using this technology may help us grow bigger, better, faster brains in our science fictional future.
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Marty talks to Alan Smale, a professional astronomer and author of hard science fiction, alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. We talk to him about his most recent book 'Hot Moon' - an alternate history set in 1979 where the USSR won the space race to land the first man on the moon, changing the balance of power during the cold war and accelerating the space race to push both the Americans and the Soviets to have permanent moon bases, orbiting space stations, and manned spy satellites. We talk about the kind of warfare that would have been possible with the technology available following the first moon landings, what happens when you shoot a bullet in space, the geopolitics of the cold war as well as relations with Russia today. We also discuss spy-craft in space, whether there may be a hidden base on the far side of the moon, and Alan also tells us a little about his research career at NASA studying X-rays from black hole binaries and other extreme space events, and how that research translates to applications on earth.
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Holly and Marty speak with science fiction author Micaiah Johnson about her absolutely incredible 'Ashtown' duology. This isn't really an episode about the Multiverse so much as it is about the deeply human and social themes in Micaiah's books, whose writing is laden with literary pearls and deeply human insights about complex characters, social and economic structures, and the interplay between science and spirituality. She uses science fiction as a lightning rod for discourse of social dynamics, power and justice, privilege and grace and ambition. We talk about choosing your monsters, the vacuous rich and the authenticity of the poor, community care, and crying from beauty, with stories about allowing people the chance to to love you in the way that you love them, and how giving and receiving are two sides of the same miracle.
https://www.micaiahjohnson.com/Email:
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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. Itâs 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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Marty speaks with Hollywood writer and director James Kerwin about Quantum Consciousness in his sci-fi film noir âYesterday Was a Lieâ, 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 Jamesâ favorite books and movies, as well as his current project â a new film he is developing called Contre-Coup.
James Kerwin:
Webpage:
https://www.jameskerwin.com/
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kerwin
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https://www.facebook.com/jameskerwin/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thejameskerwin/
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https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450123/Email:
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Robert J. Sawyer is one of the worldâs 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/Email:
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Daniel H. Wilson has a PhD in robotics and is the author of the non-fiction books âHow to Survive a Robot Uprisingâ, âHow to Build a Robot Armyâ and âWhereâs my Jetpackâ, as well as the bestselling science fiction novels âRobopocalypseâ and its sequel âRobogenesisâ, âThe Clockwork Dynastyâ, and most recently âThe Andromeda Evolutionâ - the authorized sequel to Michael Crichtonâs '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 âThe Blue Afternoon That Lasted Foreverâ and his upcoming book âHeliopauseâ, 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.
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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 â like actually reducing the radioactivity of disaster sites like Chernobyl by⊠well, you canât 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/Email:
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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/77Email:
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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 Sheldrakeâs 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 â 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/Email:
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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/Email:
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Marty and Holly discuss our upcoming theme of Sci-Fi Fungi with interviews of science fiction authors Benjamin Percy and Mike Carey, along with mycologists Dr. Alex Moskaluk from the University of Guelph and Kaitlyn Kuehn (KK) from the Flora Funga Podcast. We'll be discussing space fungi from cometary debris in Ben Percy's book 'The Unfamiliar Garden', the zombie fungus Codyceps in Mike Percy's book 'The Girl With All The Gifts'. And we'll be structuring our conversations around Merlin Sheldrake's popular science book 'Entangled Life', which delves into the apparent motor-controlling abilities of the zombie fungus Cordyceps, the mind-altering effects of Psilocybin, as well as the genesis of land-based ecosystems from the symbiosis of fungi with algae in lichen. Along the way we also introduce an upcoming interview with returning science fiction author and friend of the show Robert J. Sawyer about his books 'Quantum Night' and 'The Downloaded'. Then we go on to introduce our next theme of the Multiverse, in Mike Carey's Pandominion duology - 'Infinity Gate' and 'Echo of Worlds', and Micaiah Johnson's 'The Space Between Worlds' and 'Those Beyond the Wall'.
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We talk to a returning guest and friend of the show, science fiction author Edward M. Lerner, about his latest book 'On The Shoals of Space-Time', on the topic of First Contact. Ed is a fount of scientific insight and information on space science and the possibilities for extraterrestrial encounters, having written 25 books â 5 of them with the legendary author Larry Niven, of Ringworld fame â many of which explore themes First Contact with extraterrestrials, as well as future scientific advancement that would be necessary for interstellar travel. In this interview we discuss a number of his books, we talk about fusion and anti-matter, electromagnetic bottles, the Albercurrie drive for warping space-time to get around the speed limit of light, and neutrino communications. We also discuss the Prime Directive, the Drake equation, the Fermi Paradox, scientific revolutions and evolutions, stealth technologies, and alien monitoring stations keeping an eye on Earth in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. Thatâs quite a lot! So if you like to dig deeper into the real science and big ideas in your science fiction, this conversation is a veritable treasury of insights and learning that will help you get more out of the science fiction you read and watch.
Edward M. Lerner -- official website (edwardmlerner.com)
Books, short fiction, and essays by SF author Edward M. Lerner | Edward M. Lerner (edwardmlerner.com)Email:
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