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PODCAST

Physical Attraction

Physical Attraction is the show that explores topics in science, technology, and the future - from a physicist"s perspective. From the birth of stars to the end of the world, from interviews with experts to meticulously-researched deep dives, we"ll explore the topics that shape our world.

science physics

All Episodes

01:24:38

Rage Inside The Machine: Algorithmic Bias and What It...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/09/03

I’m very excited today to talk to Dr Robert Elliot Smith, who – after a thirty-year career working in AI and working with algorithms - has written one of the best books I’ve ever read about artificial intelligence and the impact of algorithms on society – Rage Inside the Machine. More than this, though, it’s really about… the dangers that can arise from trying to boil down complex aspects of what it means to be human, or what is valuable and important, to numbers and metrics which can be processed

en

25:01

Statistical Mechanics and Information Entropy

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/27

As a followup to our series on thermodynamics, the briefest of introductions to one of the most fascinating and beautiful areas of physics - Statistical Mechanics.

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52:09

Off-Topic: The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories in...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/24

Well, I asked Twitter if they wouldn't mind more off-topic content, and although the electorate was pretty tiny, they said they didn't mind. So, with that shaky endorsement in place, I'm going to spend an hour talking about the psychology of conspiracy theories, US politics, the Anabaptist Siege of Munster, millennialist thinking, and satanic cabals that may or may not run the world. (Spoiler: they do not.)

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01:11:51

Stewart Lansley on Universal Basic Income

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/20

This episode, we talk to Stewart Lansley, who co-edited the book "It's Basic Income" and has written reports on UBI in a UK context. Where is the debate on UBI in light of COVID-19?

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22:10

Responsible Use of Algorithms - YouTube and...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/18

In light of some of the recent furore surrounding a particular algorithm, I thought it might be a good time to release this episode of the show. Two stories about the responsible use of algorithms in modern society - one about YouTube's algorithm and another about investigative journalism in the age of algorithms.

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01:01:34

Rebooting Civilization and Alien Life in the Cosmos,...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/11

We have a guest on the show today - Professor Lewis Dartnell. Lewis is an author, presenter, and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, and has written and researched on topics as diverse as astrobiology, how to rebuild civilization after the apocalypse, and the influence of Earth's geology on the history of the development of the species. I first came across Lewis' work reading an excellent book he wrote "The Knowledge", which is like a how-to guide on how one might

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54:13

Interview with the CEO of Nori, A CO2 Removal Startup

Physical Attraction ·

2020/08/04

This week, we have a guest on the show - Paul Gambill. Paul is the CEO of Nori, a startup that is aiming to create a marketplace for negative emissions - removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I first became interested in Nori when I saw that they were offering the opportunity to buy negative emissions for the low price of $15/tonne. The increasing importance of negative emissions in our climate change scenarios is something I'm very interested in + will be the topic of future episodes, so I

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01:14:19

Felicity Boardman on the ethics of genetic screening...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/07/28

This week, we have a guest on the show - Professor Felicity Boardman, who works at the University of Warwick on the ethics of genetic screening and genome editing. Specifically, she is co-leader of the Imagined Futures project, which looks at the impact of new genetic technologies on those with rare genetic conditions. This is a little outside the topics we usually cover on this show - but at the same time, it's an extremely important and under-appreciated topic - how the genetic technologies of

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58:49

QE For the People with Frances Coppola, Part II:...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/07/22

This week, we have a guest on the show - economics and finance writer Frances Coppola. She's the author of a book, "Quantiative Easing for the People", which argues that central banks and governments should work in concert to ensure that their response to financial crises really helps the entire economy, rather than just inflating asset prices. In the second part of our interview, we go into much more depth about the specific idea of quantiative easing for the people - essentially, what would

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01:02:24

QE For the People with Frances Coppola, Part I -...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/07/15

This week, we have a guest on the show - economics and finance writer Frances Coppola. She's the author of a book, "Quantiative Easing for the People", which argues that central banks and governments should work in concert to ensure that their response to financial crises really helps the entire economy, rather than just inflating asset prices. In the first part of our wide-ranging discussion, we demystify the economy and debunk some common misconceptions by asking some basic questions: what's a

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01:05:24

Gravitational Waves and Science Outreach, with...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/07/07

Hi all. This episode, we're interviewing Brynley Pearlstone, who hosts the Scicurious podcast, which focuses on LGBTQ scientists. We talk about his scientific work on gravitational waves, and about outreach in physics more generally. Enjoy!

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34:07

BONUS: The Self-Indulgent Experimental Mystery Half-Hour

Physical Attraction ·

2020/07/07

In which I post cringe (unrelated prose and poetry) and lose subscriber to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of this show going on the air.

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44:32

Direct Detection of Dark Matter

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/30

In this episode, we discuss the progress that has been made towards directly detecting Dark Matter in the form of WIMPs, and the recent anomalies observed at the Xenon1T experiment. Enjoy!

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39:13

Can COVID-19 be a tipping point for action on climate...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/24

In this slightly news-y episode, we pick up on last week's episode and talk about progress that governments have made in enacting green economic stimulus to follow the coronavirus, as well as the negative redistributive and climate impacts of quantiative easing.

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28:25

Coronavirus and Climate Change: No Silver Lining...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/17

I explore the possible impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our efforts to deal with climate change.

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11:18

PREVIEW: Physical Attraction Book Club, The Attention...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/10

Hey! This is a preview of something new that we're trying out - the Physical Attraction Book Club. We'll be discussing books at a semi-regular intervals on the Patreon, which you can find here: https://www.patreon.com/physicalattraction This is a preview to tease you all into being tantalised enough to subscribe. If you do subscribe (for $3 per bonus episode) then not only will you support the show and independent podcasters more generally, but you will also get access to the rest of this episode

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27:02

Climate Change and the Coronavirus: Skeptics

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/08

The first of two episodes on climate change and the coronavirus - parallels, similarities, and differences - in which we consider some of the similarities between "climate skeptics" and "COVID skeptics". Also, listener mail.

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57:14

Interview with Phil Torres (@Xriskology) Part II:...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/04

Well, the manifestation of a global catastrophic risk means that it's time for us to bring back the very first guest on this show, from back in 2017. Phil Torres is a scholar of existential risks - you can find him on Twitter @xriskology and his website at xriskology.com, and we are delighted to ask him back to the show to discuss the field of existential risks in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. In the second part of our interview, we discuss the field of existential risks more generally,

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38:30

Re-release: The Psychology of the End

Physical Attraction ·

2020/06/01

Episode first aired in Feb 2018 which deals with cognitive biases surrounding how we conceive of the end-times. Sadly relevant today. Why are we so fascinated with the end of the world? How do we think about it? How do cognitive biases impact how we conceive of it? How can we account for existential risks to humanity? What is millenial thinking, and why do we fall into it?

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01:32:17

Phil Torres (@xriskology) I: Existential Risks in the...

Physical Attraction ·

2020/05/28

Well, the manifestation of a global catastrophic risk means that it's time for us to bring back the very first guest on this show, from back in 2017. Phil Torres is a scholar of existential risks - you can find him on Twitter @xriskology and his website at xriskology.com, and we are delighted to ask him back to the show to discuss the field of existential risks in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

en

252 results

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