Cinema Science Podcast: Scientists Chat About Their Favorite Movies and Shows

Jurassic Park is a classic favorite of many scientists. Except for Anne, who apparently still hasn't seen the movie to this day! In this episode, Scientist Becca Mellema teaches us how to make a dinosaur using cloning techniques! Well... not exactly. But we do talk about the awesomeness of gene editing, the ethics of cloning, and debate what creature laid the dinosaur eggs at the park. Check out Becca's blog: http://gettingthesciencewrite.com/ Follow Becca on Twitter: @beccmel2 Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

We are BACK for Season 2! We're starting our season with a quick (maybe?) episode on Dredd. Neuroscience graduate student Kevin Huang walks us through this dystopian future by teaching us how bees perceive time, why the good times end early, and why meetings feel like they take forever! Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

Fight Club is riddled with commentary on modern society, and it's explosive ending suggested a main character with schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder. But is the movie's depiction of multiple personalities accurate or even fair? Neuroscientist Jenifer Einstein joins us in this season finale to help us understand these disorders, the psychology of economics, what the heck synaptic plasticity means, and how she would fund her own "Project Mayhem." **Follow Jenifer on Twitter! @AerialNeuroSci Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

With our ever evolving technology, Black Mirror addresses the potential dark future of our society's relationship with advanced technology. We discuss "all the cool dark science" (as Anne puts it) in this television series. Dr. Marsa Taheri helps us understand the difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, how a robot could creep us out, and what technology presented in Black Mirror she would most likely use and stay away from.  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

This is our second episode in a two part series on neurotoxins! Check out Episode 12 where we talk about Toxic Shark and toxins from an evolutionary perspective. In this episode, we summarized all of Game of Thrones to Anne, who has never seen the show. Ana Santos joins us to help us understand how poisons work, why we study poisons in the lab, why it's exciting to eat a Puffer Fish, and what venomous or poisonous creature best represents her.  

This is the first episode in a two-part special on neurotoxins! We watched Toxic Shark, a trashterpiece comparable to Sharknado. Peter joins us to help us better understand the difference between poison vs venom, how he'd become best friends with an immortal snail bro, what toxins can do to your brain, and his endless supply of puns! To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.    

The Walking Dead portrays the complexities of life following a zombie apocalypse. Naturally, chaos ensues, but how dangerous are zombies... really? Evan teaches us about zombie-like diseases that occur in real life, why zombies eat, what to do if you see a drooling deer, and how he would survive a zombie apocalypse. Diseases discussed include: mad cow disease, Dengue, tetanus toxin, rabies, and cerebral malaria. To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

James Cameron's epic science fiction film Avatar was a breakthrough in 3D technology when it was released. In it, Jake Sully is a parapalegic former marine who takes control of an Avatar to explore a planet that is essentially a... brain. In this episode, Deeptha joins us to help us learn about spinal cords, what happens when they become damaged, how closely related we are to zebrafish, and whether or not you can (and should) make a tiger avatar. We also debate whether Heidi should continue creating an avatar in her basement or switch to making an exoskeleton out of washing machine parts.   To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

If they hear you, they hunt you. We watched the movie A Quiet Place in which a post-apocalyptic world of silence is overrun by creatures that hunt using sound. A bearded-John Krasinski and his family navigate this quiet world, surviving games of Monopoly, grain silos, and babies. Bioengineering Graduate Student Marta Iversen joins us to help us understand how we hear, how hearing aids and cochlear implants work, and how hearing compares to a cat. To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.

Rick and Morty: Rick Potion #9, Rick creates a love serum for Morty to use at the school dance; as per usual, a mantis-disaster occurs leading to a world of hurt and destruction. Rick confesses the delicate balance of designing a love potion, but what does neuroscientist Joshua Barrios think? In this episode, Josh talks about monogamous voles, whether petting your dog can cause oxytocin release, and what combination of species' DNA he would use to create the most dangerous animal possible. To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

Because our first season is all about the brain, it's no surprise that we would ultimately watch Lucy. This movie stems from the myth that living creatures use 10% of their brain, and unlocking the rest of the brain results in reality-altering abilities. Neuroscientist Danielle Giangrasso helps us understand how much of our brain we use, whether we can manipulate our "brain capacity," and whether or not Morgan Freeman actually knows how to apply the scientific method.  To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

We watched Alien, a movie about parasitic Xenomorphs that can use anything and anyone as their host. Jaycie Loewen joins us to discuss the various parasites that are searching for a home. Could you be their next host?  To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

Christopher Nolan’s Inception ignited a worldwide debate on spinning tops and made us question our dream security. Neuroscience graduate student Kyle Jenks joins us to reveal what our brain is doing while we sleep, why we dream, how we study sleep in the laboratory, and who he would incept, given the chance.  To learn more, check out our website: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative.     

We watched Men in Black, an unforgettable movie that caused 90s kids everywhere to question whether or not their parents are aliens. Graduate student Ariadne Penalva teaches us how we store and retrieve memories, why it's hard to forget that embarrassing thing you did 10 years ago, and whether or not neurolyzers can erase your memory of an alien.  Check out our website for more information: cinemasciencepodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Co-Hosted and Edited by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

Aliens (Xenomorphs) and Predators (Yautjas) have been battling each other for thousands of years, resulting in an evolutionary arms race. For whatever reason, humans find themselves in the middle of this war and are the clear loser. Special guest Andrew Moran joins us to explore the sensory biology of these species and we debate which alien reigns supreme in the Alien vs Predator (AVP) franchise!  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach, @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

In this episode of Cinema Science, we watched Gattaca, a science fiction movie from 1997 that asks the question: what if we could alter our destiny with a little genetic engineering? Sasha Luks-Morgan helps us understand how exactly genetic editing works, what the heck CRISPR stands for, and whether or not we can actually splice super powers into our DNA. Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach @krbreitenbach Edited by Eli Ramsey, @TheVikingBear__ Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

We watched Drunken Master, and worshiped Jackie Chan’s comedic kung fu youthfulness. In this episode of Cinema Science, Andrew Taibi demonstrates that he is not only the biggest kung fu fan in the world, but he’s also incredibly knowledgeable in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and alcohol. How do they affect your fighting technique and your brain? Listen to find out!  Follow us on Twitter: @CinemaSciCast Theme Music by Kagan Breitenbach @krbreitenbach Edited and Co-Hosted by Heidi Febinger, @PandaBumHah Co-Hosted by Anne Gibson, @HubbleGibson Interested in SciComm science writing? Contact Ari on Twitter @endairatena or email us at cinemasciencecast@gmail.com! Cinema Science was graciously funded by the University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative. 

Welcome to Cinema Science!! Neuroscience graduate students Heidi Febinger and Anne Gibson chat with their grad school buddies about their favorite movies, games, and tv shows in this podcast. The show is sprinkled with science, but it's mostly just a rare moment of relaxation for these scientists. New episodes will be released every other Tuesday. Season 1 is all about the brain!