From the minds of the world’s greatest scientific experts comes the truth hidden within the pages of science fiction.
Episodes
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Further Reading and Resources:
This episode is based on Invasion of the Body Snachers by Jack Finney and can be purchased here.
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
It was such a wonderful experience chatting with Professor Paul Davies, who is an incredible theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and best-selling science author of 31 books. He has published hundreds of research papers and review articles across a range of scientific fields. He is also well-known as a media personality and science populariser in several countries.
Professor Davies is the author of Demon In The Machine which, in the very first chapter, begins with the question ‘What is life?’ so I naturally had to begin with the question of panspermia, which is the theory which suggests that life on Earth did not originate on our planet. Big questions were tackled this week as we dove into our origins, whether or not we are alone and the hunt for a new earth.
Further Reading and Resources:
This episode is based on The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle and can be purchased here.
The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Finally Solving the Mystery of Life - by Paul Davies
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
In this episode, I chat with Robert Powell who is both a UFOlogist and Chemist.
I sought out to interview Robert after I found he was the co-author of the book UFOs and Government alongside a cast of international authors headed by Michael Swords, a retired professor at Western Michigan University with extensive knowledge of UFO history, and managed by Robert Powell, director of research at the Mutual UFO Network.
The authors spent more than four years researching thousands of government documents and archives in order to present a work of historical scholarship on the U.S. government’s bungling response to the UFO phenomenon. How and why the U.S. government—and other governments around the world—have dealt with the UFO phenomenon during most of a century is the focus of this historical inquiry.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode including the real-life x-files, how many sightings are legitimate and the most convincing, the element 115, the government, and the future with aliens.
Further Reading and Resources:
This episode is based on Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken's and can be purchased here.
UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry by Michael Swords and Robert Powell
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Season 4 is all about making contact with Aliens and how to do so effectively.
This week I chat with Dr Douglas Vakoch, president of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to transmitting intentional signals to nearby stars and hopefully Aliens. There are so many things to consider, wether or not we will be dealing with AI extraterrestrials, how to send messages that express the better traits of humans, how to respond to signals without starting a war.
"There may be more 'wise' civilizations out there, I would bet on humanity being the civilization with the most exquisite balance of joy and sorry of any species in the milky way." - Dr Douglas Vakoch
Further Reading and Resources:
This episode is based on The War of The Worlds by H.G Wells and can be purchased here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hYAz68lJzo
The need to take a long terms perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryLWL-24GMo
Dr Vakoch discussing the messages people would want to send and an analysis of the words to use in those messages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx9i-KRMCCc
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
This week I chat with Dr Federico Carminati the chief innovation officer at CERN openlab. Dr Carminati is investigating potential applications of machine learning and quantum computing for high-energy physics.
We talk about the increasing need for stable quantum computing and the race to discover the elusive algorithm that will inevitably launch quantum computers into the mainstream market. The penny drops when I finally realise the true value of efficient quantum computing coupled with machine learning being the ability to truly analyse data for the benefit of mankind.
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Monday Sep 07, 2020
This week I have a conversation with Casey Pfluger, the founder of Cortex Brainwave Technologies who is building a brain-computer interface headset (BCI) for the treatment of ADHD and Autism. Casey has spent the past two decades as a medical researcher and has a degree in Biotechnology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. The goal of his BCI project is to build technology that allows people to effortlessly harness the potential of neurofeedback in reducing symptoms of neurocognitive conditions.
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
This week I have a conversation with Dr Sofia Vallecorsa from CERN Open-Lab regarding AI and The Singularity.
There are two sides of the camp on AI. The first is that AI and robots will take over the world and the second is that we are so far away from this reality we have enough time to make sure this doesn't happen. In my conversation with Dr Sofia Vallecorsa we discuss her work at Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider. Sofia's extensive experience in software development in the High Energy Physics domain, in particular on Quantum Computing and Deep Learning applications makes for a very interesting conversation on the future of AI.
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Aug 10, 2020
Monday Aug 10, 2020
This week I have a conversation with Dr. Jordi Prat Camps on Invisibility Cloaking devices and the technologies, fabrics, and science being developed to make this once sci-fi idea a reality.
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
This week I dive into the future of AI and Robots with Professor Tom Drummond, Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University, where he is also Chief Investigator and Monash Node Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Robotic Vision. His research interests include High-Performance Computing, Machine Learning, and Computer Vision, with a particular emphasis on real-time systems for Augmented Reality, Robotics, and Assistive Technologies.
This week’s podcast is bought to you by our sponsors and preferred retailers Wordery and the book depository. The book who’s theme we are reflecting on this week is The Culture Series by Ian M Banks which is centered on Artificial Intelligence (in the books they are called the ‘minds’) where the robots control the universe and AI are accepted as citizens in the series with incredible authority and wisdom.
My conversation with Tom Drummond is centered around the ethical dilemmas of AI and Robots governing the world, driving our cars and potentially participating in society alongside humans.
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
This Week on Widdershins Podcast I chat about time travel with the hilarious host of YouTube's 'Ask A Spaceman' with over 30,000 subscribers. Dr. Sutter is an astrophysicist and is known for his commentary on time travel. In fact, it was Dr. Sutter's episode on time travel here that convinced me that he absolutely must share his ideas on Widdershins Podcast.
Further Reading and Resources:
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Monday Jun 01, 2020
This week in season 2 episode 4 we launch into parallel universes and multiverses. My conversation with Professor Yasunori Nomura was deep and I did not expect the reality that we are simply waiting on the technology to allow the science to flourish. For us to view inside the 'bubble' of a parallel universe, we will need quantum computing to speed up...the race is on so we couldn't be waiting that long...could we?
![S02E02 - [Pt 2] Time travel and time loops with Dr Gaurav Khanna and Caroline Mallary](https://deow9bq0xqvbj.cloudfront.net/ep-logo/pbblog8140510/13_300x300.png){kind=logo}
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
In part 2 of our two-part series we are joined this week by Caroline Mallary a PhD student at the University of Massachusettes and our past guest Dr Gaurav Khanna from Episode 1 on Hyperspace. This episode is more focussed on time travel where last week's episode we dove right into time loops. Caroline Mallary has discovered that her time machine, although in its simplest form, does not need exotic matter... matter once thought to be required if a time machine was ever to be built.
Further Reading and Resources:
- Carolines Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6PGaygVwA&feature=youtu.be
- Gaurav and Caroline's paper: Closed Timelike Curves and "Effective" Superluminal Travel with Naked Line Singularities https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.09505
-
Gaurav's article: Time Travel is Technically Possible—But We Need An Object With Infinite Mass. https://www.newsweek.com/time-travel-infinite-mass-einstein-hawking-relativity-time-loop-singularity-1257527
This episode was inspired by the book: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams
See more from Dr. Gaurav Khanna at: http://gravity.phy.umassd.edu
Follow Widdershins and please Rate and Review us in your favorite Podcast app so others can easily find Widdershins!
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Widdershins proudly uses the services of Letitia Stafford - The Ultimate Podcasting Virtual Assistant
![S02E02 - [Pt 1] Time travel and time loops with Dr Gaurav Khanna and Caroline Mallary](https://deow9bq0xqvbj.cloudfront.net/ep-logo/pbblog8140510/12_300x300.png){kind=logo}
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
In part 1 of our two part series we are joined this week by Caroline Mallary a PhD student at the University of Massachusettes and our past guest Dr Gaurav Khanna from Episode 1 on Hyperspace. The theory of time travel and time loops we discuss require two long spaceships parked in parallel. One moves forward really fast, while the other is parked. Caroline explains that a time loop forms between the two cars such that space and time folds on itself. Although almost impossible to create and imagine right now, the science is now here and we have just witnessed another breakthrough in space-time.
Further Reading and Resources:
- Carolines Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6PGaygVwA&feature=youtu.be
- Garuav and Caroline's paper: Closed Timelike Curves and "Effective" Superluminal Travel with Naked Line Singularities https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.09505
-
Gaurav's article: Time Travel is Technically Possible—But We Need An Object With Infinite Mass. https://www.newsweek.com/time-travel-infinite-mass-einstein-hawking-relativity-time-loop-singularity-1257527
This episode was inspired by the book: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams
See more from Dr Gaurav Khanna at: http://gravity.phy.umassd.edu
Follow Widdershins and please Rate and Review us in your favourite Podcast app so others can easily find Widdershins!
Visit our website: www.widdershinspodcast.com/ for member-only access and merchandise
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WiddershinsPodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WiddershinsP
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/widdershins_podcast/
Email us: connect@widdershinspodcast.co
Widdershins proudly uses the services of Letitia Stafford - The Ultimate Podcasting Virtual Assistant
Monday Apr 20, 2020
Monday Apr 20, 2020
This week in season 2 episode 1 we launch into the Time Travel season with an episode on portals. I first learned of Dr Broussard when I came across an NBC article stating that Dr Broussard from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in eastern Tennessee, is trying to open a portal to a parallel universe. My conversation with Leah did get a little science-y and that is what I love most about my interviews, they introduce me to concepts and ideas that have been itching at me for years. Could there be a parallel universe? I think yes, but can we prove it? well with the fire in the belly of Dr Leah Broussard. I think yes.
Monday Mar 16, 2020
Monday Mar 16, 2020
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Monday Feb 03, 2020
Monday Feb 03, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Friday Jan 17, 2020
Friday Jan 17, 2020
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
From the minds of the world's greatest scientific experts, comes the truth hidden within the pages of science fiction.
In a NEW Sci-Fi Podcast we present WIDDERSHINS.
We take the science fiction themes you know and love and put them under the microscope with the worlds leading engineers, scientists and experts who are developing the technology right not. Technology that you thought was impossible or even magic.
COMING JANUARY 2020