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A weekly podcast about the latest scientific controversies, with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie sciencefictionspod.substack.com

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes118Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyScience

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Artwork for Science Fictions

Latest Episodes

You requested; we delivered. Lots of Science Fictions listeners have asked us to take a look into Donald Trump and RFK, Jr.’s recent claims about Tylenol (that is, paracetamol or acetaminophen—all the same thing). Does it cause autism?

It turns out ... more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com

Warning: As you can tell from the title, this podcast covers a potentially distressing topic.

Recent events have had us wondering about “copycat” violence... more

How can both of the following be true? (1) The world has record crop harvests this year; (2) climate change is ruining crop harvests and threatening food security. Does that make sense? Is it even really a contradiction?

We look into how climate ch... more

What is that? What is that!? What is it!? Augh! No! Not the bees! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAUGGGHHHHH MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAGGHHHH!!!!

This episode is about bees. And all insects, actually—are they in the process of being wiped out, in what’s become known a... more

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Recent Guests

Hannah Ritchie
Data scientist from Oxford and Our World in Data
Our World in Data
Episode: Episode 86: Food and climate
Dr. Andrew Bladon
Conservation ecologist at the University of Reading studying insects
University of Reading
Episode: Episode 85: Insectageddon
Andrew Pontzen
Head of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham
Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham
Episode: Episode 83: Dark matter and dark energy
Pedro Gomes
Economist at Birkbeck, advocate for the four-day week
Birkbeck, University of London
Episode: Episode 76: The four-day week
Jesse Singal
Co-host of the Blocked and Reported podcast, known for engaging with controversial topics online
Blocked and Reported
Episode: Invitation to The Studies Show LIVE
Dorianne Coleman
Professor at Duke University, specializing in sports and the law
Duke University
Episode: Paid-only Episode 15: Sex and sport
Keith Humphries
Research psychologist and expert in drug policy and addiction
Stanford University
Episode: Episode 40: Addiction
James Morris
Researcher into addictive behaviors
London South Bank University
Episode: Episode 40: Addiction
Pete Etchells
Author and researcher with insights on digital addiction
Episode: Episode 40: Addiction

Hosts

Tom Chivers
Co-host discussing various scientific topics and controversies, engaging listeners with humor and critical insights.
Stuart Ritchie
Co-host providing critical analysis and entertaining commentary on scientific findings and their societal implications.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 232 ratings
  • Possibly the best science podcast

    I really like how they go wherever the data takes them. They try to figure out what the data really show, how we know what we know, and what we can do about it.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Matthhjjj
    United States5 months ago
  • Interesting topics but cooky

    A lot of simplistic and superficial conclusions

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    aasmund
    United States6 months ago
  • Misleading In Many Ways

    I was disappointed about this one. With the title “The Studies Show” i figured the primary topic of discussion would be “studies”. Boy was i wrong. Tom and Stuart went on and on about United States political stuff. It over took 10 minutes before they had mentioned anything studies related. One of the host, i don’t remember who, was it not good at speaking in a podcast environment and it was extremely distracting. So much of the episode was dedicated to making fun of people and generalizing whole... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    PaulJ93
    United States7 months ago
  • Can’t hear you, which is sad, because your show is great.

    I love your show. It’s great. I also sometimes listen as I work out or in my car. Please, please, please record your show at a higher level. Even with the volume turned all the way up, I can just about hear you above moderate ambient noise.

    Thank you.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Brianbuch
    United States8 months ago
  • the best show on studies with the worst cover art in the history of podcasting.

    Podchaser
    5
    sketchn98
    10 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the informative and engaging approach to often complex scientific topics.
The humor and conversational style of the hosts contribute to a relaxed yet insightful listening experience.
Technical audio quality is noted as an area for improvement, despite high overall satisfaction with content.
Some feedback indicates a desire for less digression in episodes, focusing more on the scientific topics at hand.
There is strong appreciation for the depth of research and analysis provided on various controversial subjects.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#221
United Kingdom/Science
Apple Podcasts
#240
Ireland/Science
Apple Podcasts
#244
Philippines/Science
Apple Podcasts
#247
Belgium/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 86: Food and climate
Q: What are the impacts of climate change on crop yields?
The research suggests that while climate change has generally had a negative impact on yields, the improvements in agro-tech have so far offset these impacts considerably.
Episode 86: Food and climate
Q: How do we know and how do we measure the impacts of these different things?
Human ingenuity and technology advancements in agriculture have largely compensated for the adverse effects of climate change on crop yields.
Episode 69: Conspiracy theories
Q: What did the study involving chats with GPT-4 find?
The study found that chatting with GPT-4 reduced participants' conspiracy beliefs by approximately 21%.
Episode 69: Conspiracy theories
Q: What is the theory of 'crank magnetism'?
Crank magnetism is the phenomenon where believing in one conspiracy theory increases the likelihood of believing in many others.
Episode 69: Conspiracy theories
Q: What is one psychological need that conspiracy beliefs fulfill?
Conspiracy beliefs can help satisfy the need for understanding and meaning in uncertain situations.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Science Fictions

What is Science Fictions about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A weekly podcast that takes a critical look at contemporary scientific issues and controversies, often examining the intersection of research findings and their implications. The hosts engage in witty conversations while discussing a variety of subjects, ranging from dark matter and cancer rates to diversity training and the broken windows theory. The humorous yet informative approach makes complex scientific concepts accessible to a broad audience. Noteworthy is the presentation style, which includes a rich blend of banter and insightful critique of both studies and methodologies, often leading to engaging discussions about the reliability of findings in the scientific community.

Where can I find podcast stats for Science Fictions?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Science Fictions. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Science Fictions and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Science Fictions get?

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What are the audience demographics for Science Fictions?

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How many subscribers and views does Science Fictions have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Science Fictions has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Science Fictions?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Science Fictions:

1. More or Less: Behind the Stats
2. Blocked and Reported
3. Conversations with Tyler
4. Strong Message Here
5. Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

How many episodes of Science Fictions are there?

Science Fictions launched 2 years ago and published 118 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Science Fictions?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Science Fictions?

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What guests have appeared on Science Fictions?

Recent guests on Science Fictions include:

1. Hannah Ritchie
2. Dr. Andrew Bladon
3. Andrew Pontzen
4. Pedro Gomes
5. Jesse Singal
6. Dorianne Coleman
7. Keith Humphries
8. James Morris

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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