6: Icarus

FromScience(ish)

Start listening View podcast show

6: Icarus

FromScience(ish)

ratings:

Length:

35 minutes

Released:

Feb 7, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

When Bryan Fogel’s 2017 docu-thriller Icarus exposed Russia's Olympic doping programme, it sent shockwaves through the sports community. This week the boys explore the long and bizarre history of doping in sport and the perpetual arms race between the dopers looking for a little extra boost and the scientists trying to catch them.
Featuring: Professor Chris Cooper
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Released:

Feb 7, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Flâneur and irrepressible commentator, Rick Edwards, and "Indiana Jones in a lab coat" Dr. Michael Brooks, delve into the science behind popular culture.

Skip carousel

010 – Interstellar: The boys go intergalactic with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. We’re talking gravity, we’re talking black holes, and we’re talking the theory of how every single thing in our universe came into existence. No biggie.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scien... by Science(ish)
51 min listen
013 – The Abyss: Rick & Michael delve into the underwater world of James Cameron’s 'The Abyss'. Ignoring, as Michael puts it “those silly wet aliens” this episode explores the limits of the human body, liquid breathing & what lurks in the deep.https... by Science(ish)
46 min listen
008 – The Circle: What’s the Internet doing to us? Are we being controlled by our office spaces? How transparent is online transparency? Michael, Rick and web psychologist Nathalie Nahai dissect Dave Eggars’ dystopian masterpiece The Circle.https://radiowolfgang.com/s... by Science(ish)
52 min listen
001 – Inception: Dr. Michael Brooks attempts to enter the world of lucid dreaming. Rick – not so much.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
46 min listen
006 – The Time Machine: Dr Michael ‘Morlock’ Brooks and Rick ‘Eloi’ Edwards transcend time and explore the future of humanity.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
49 min listen
002 – Brave New World: Brace yourself for stories about cloning, aggressive ice hockey players, happy buildings… oh, and the ethics of using genetics to create a content underclass.http://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
51 min listen
009 – Planet of the Apes: The boys go back to basics with an exploration of the 1968 classic Planet of the Apes. How did we humans end up on top? Could the apes ever take over? And of course will dolphins ever have hands?https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
46 min listen
Special(ish) 002 – Rise of the Machines: Following AlphaGo’s trouncing of the World ‘Go’ champion, we’ve pulled some unheard material from our Ex-Machina episode about the potential impacts of the ever-extending arm of AI, as told by contributor Jeremy Howard. by Science(ish)
10 min listen
Special(ish) 003 – A Head Above: Transhumanist and neurosurgeon Dr Sergio Canavero shares his big plans for 2017, which include a sharp knife, some polyethylene glycol, and a pair of human heads. by Science(ish)
14 min listen
005 – Comics: Tackling all things super - the boys delve into the world of comics, superheroes and villains. Along the way, they take a look at the weird and wonderful history of animals in warfare, the power of poisonous plants, and reveal that we're a lot clo... by Science(ish)
48 min listen
Special(ish) 006 – A Criminal Mind: Neuroscientist Jim Fallon spent years searching for patterns in the brain scans that he saw. But it wasn’t until he turned to the scans of his own brain that he stumbled upon his biggest discovery yet. by Science(ish)
9 min listen
Special(ish) 022 – The Red Planet: Dr Joe Michalski talks us through the terrain of Mars. Michalski specialises in the mineralogical and geomorphic studies of the Red Planet. Turns out we've got more in common with the martians than we thought. by Science(ish)
19 min listen
011 – Minority Report: Michael and Rick gaze into the criminal crystal ball, as per Spielberg’s 2002 thriller Minority Report. Can we predict a criminal? Should we pre-convict them? And is the Universe pre-determined? Standard.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
51 min listen
Special(ish) 010 – The Great Escape: Rick and Michael deliver some strong science chat about Inky the escaping octopus, a slippery little fella who managed to slide out of his tank and make a break for the pacific ocean. But what does this mean for evolution? by Science(ish)
7 min listen
Special(ish) 012 – Stuck in the Mud: In 1990 Professor Cindy Lee Van Dover became the first woman to pilot deep-ocean submersible Alvin. In anticipation of Science(ish) episode 'The Abyss’, Cindy recalls a particularly sticky dive involving Alvin and the seabed. by Science(ish)
7 min listen
Special(ish) 001 – Sticks & Stones: The very first instalment of our Special(ish) sees the boys dwell on some recent field research that blurs the line between animal and human. A sign of things to come in the next episode of Science(ish), Planet of the Apes. by Science(ish)
12 min listen
004 – The Day After Tomorrow: Dr Michael Brooks and Rick Edwards take on a world covered in ice – as depicted in The Day After Tomorrow – both literally and metaphorically. Along the way, they talk climate change, climate skeptics and, of course, salmon bacon.https://radiowolfgan... by Science(ish)
44 min listen
Special(ish) 005 – Pale Blue Dot: Milan Kundera once wrote; “While pondering the infinity of the stars, we ignore the infinity of our father.” We asked experts from our Interstellar episode if they agree. by Science(ish)
10 min listen
003 – Jurassic Park: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a T-Rex? No! It’s a woolly mammoth. And it’s back from the dead. Maybe. Soon. Michael and Rick are on the case.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
47 min listen
Special(ish) 013 – King of the Swingers: If you thought we were the only species capable of infidelity, think again. In this episode of Special(ish), Rick and Michael explore the cunning world of animal deception with help from primatologist, Dr. Kit Opie. by Science(ish)
9 min listen
Special(ish) 008 – Dark Night: Chris French, a professor of psychology who specialises in paranormal belief and ostensibly paranormal experiences, takes us through the terrifying ordeal of sleep paralysis and its surprising link to alien abduction. by Science(ish)
9 min listen
Special(ish) 007 – Area 51: At the southern tip of the Nevada Desert lies an area shrouded in mystery. With aliens, spaceships, and mind control, all said to be part of its history – Area 51 is a melting pot of conspiracy. by Science(ish)
13 min listen
Special(ish) 004 – Life on Mars: In anticipation of the next episode of Science(ish), we hear how the search for other habitable planets has well and truly begun. by Science(ish)
13 min listen
007 – Ex Machina: Dr Michael Brooks and Rick Edwards delve into the murky world of Artificial Intelligence as depicted in Alex Garland's masterpiece Ex Machina.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
55 min listen
014 – Lord Of The Flies: In this episode Rick and Michael dissect the 1954 novel Lord of the Flies by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding.https://radiowolfgang.com/s/scienceish by Science(ish)
47 min listen
012 – Alien: The boys return to the outer expanses of the universe. This time, they’re not after black holes but ET, as depicted in Ridley Scott’s classic ‘Alien’. Are we alone? What will ‘it’ look like? And are ‘they’ already amongst us?https://radiowolfgang.com... by Science(ish)
50 min listen
20: Still Alice: Could we ever cure dementia? Science(ish) takes on one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century: unravelling the science of Alzheimer’s disease. From chance discoveries to next generation brain imaging, the search for a cure is now b... by Science(ish)
35 min listen
Special(ish) 017 – The Uncanny: Is flesh and blood still necessary to be considered alive? Writer and psychotherapist Dr Aaron Balick and web psychologist Nathalie Nahai draw on Freud’s definition of 'The Uncanny’ to ponder the future of human level AI. by Science(ish)
9 min listen
3: Children of Men: Michael continues the dystopia with Alfonso Cuarón’s fertility thriller ‘Children of Men’ by asking ‘could humans go infertile?’ (Includes hints of a mid-life crisis from a certain Rick Edwards - not to be missed).Featuring: Professor Shanna Swan by Science(ish)
31 min listen
Special(ish) 011 – The Deep: In this Specialish, world scuba diving record holder Verna Du Preez describes her experiences of the deep and talks about just how difficult it is to ascend. Dr Oliver Firth offers insight into the extreme physiology of diving. by Science(ish)
13 min listen

More Episodes from Science(ish)

Skip carousel

8: Episode 100: The Invisible Man: Will we ever be able to turn invisible? The idea of magically disappearing has fascinated humanity for centuries. Once dismissed as impossible, a promising new wave of technologies could bring this dream one step closer to reality. Rick and Michael wra... by Science(ish)
45 min listen
7: Dark Waters: Have we all been poisoned? PFAS chemicals are all around us and almost certainly in your blood. But just how worried should we be? Michael sits down with Mark Ruffalo and Rob Bilott to talk about the shocking true story behind Dark Waters.Link to Rob B... by Science(ish)
46 min listen
6: Robocop: Will we inevitably all become Cyborgs? More than ever, we’re hearing from Silicon Valley types that humans are going to need to merge with machines. But just what would our augmented future look like? Rick and Michael plug in to the techno-dystopian cl... by Science(ish)
46 min listen
5: Silence of The Lambs: Why aren’t there more cannibals? Through the unforgettable horror of Silence Of The Lambs, Rick and Michael discover that eating your own has all sorts of surprising evolutionary benefits. So why have humans (for the most part) given it up? Time to set... by Science(ish)
41 min listen
4: Star Wars: Is the Force a real thing? Michael takes Rick on a mind bending tour through a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars! Crucial questions will be answered: did Luke Skywalker get his powers from a parasite? Can we use quantum entanglement to summon a lightsa... by Science(ish)
44 min listen
3: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Looking to escape to another reality? Why not try a virtual one? In this episode Rick and Michael get sucked into the world of Jumanji, as they pose the question on everybody's mind's right now, "could we ever live in a game?" Wheth... by Science(ish)
43 min listen
2: Game Of Thrones (Live): Rick and Michael go full Westeros at a special live show from the Underbelly comedy festival. So, could you really build an Ice Wall that big without using magic? Could a Dragon really fly and breathe fire? And the big one - just how bad is incest real... by Science(ish)
51 min listen
1: Jaws: Is there such a thing as a perfect predator? Rick and Michael kick off Season 5 with the mother of all blockbusters, Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece Jaws. From a deep dive into the evolution of predation, to a nasty encounter with Free Willy, the b... by Science(ish)
43 min listen
12: History of the World: Part 1: How much does Geography inform History? Why did humanity first emerge where it did? What influence do ancient rock formations have on U.S politics? In the final episode of the season, Rick and Michael try to answer all this and more, diving into Mel Br... by Science(ish)
42 min listen
11: Deadpool: Will we ever be able to regrow limbs? The more we learn about the incredible regenerative abilities of salamanders and planarian worms, the closer we come to coaxing our bodies into repairing any injury. Through Marvel’s Deadpool, Rick and Michael tack... by Science(ish)
41 min listen
10: Inside Out: Personality testing is a multi-billion dollar industry. But how reliable are assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Can we really find out which Lord of the Rings character Michael is? Rounding off our animated classics trilogy of animated c... by Science(ish)
40 min listen
9: Antz: Does nature prefer hierarchy? When we look out into nature, we see hierarchical systems everywhere. Is it inevitable that humans follow suit? The lads dive into the 1998 animation Antz to find out why these systems evolved and more importantly, how wro... by Science(ish)
38 min listen
8: WALL-E: Every year we produce over 2 billion tonnes of waste. That figure is only going up. Never before has the question been more pressing: what should we do with all our stuff? From atop a giant pile of broken printers, Rick and Michael discuss Pixar’s 2008... by Science(ish)
41 min listen
7: Geostorm: What if we could control the weather? Inspired by the futuristic disaster film Geostorm, the boys delve into the contentious field of geoengineering. Can or should we tinker with the Earth’s climate to mitigate the risks of runaway climate change? What... by Science(ish)
41 min listen
5: Dante's Peak: Without volcanoes there would be no life on Earth. But just how afraid of supervolcanoes - like the one in Yellowstone National Park - should we be? Inspired by 90s disaster movie Dante’s Peak, the boys explore just how bad it could get for humanity an... by Science(ish)
38 min listen
4: Westworld: What better way to kick off Christmas than a deep dive into the ethics of sex robots? Exploring the science and pitfalls of dystopian drama Westworld, the boys sit down with renowned computer scientist Kate Devlin to discuss her new book ‘Turned On: Sc... by Science(ish)
37 min listen
3: Blindness: Could we be on the cusp of eradicating vision loss? Through the 2008 epidemic thriller ‘Blindness’, the boys explore the mind-boggling complexity of the eye and the conditions that led to its evolution in the animal kingdom. With tens of millions of pe... by Science(ish)
38 min listen
2: Moonraker: With the declaration of Trump’s ‘Space Force’, the domain of space is ever closer to becoming a new and potentially terrifying theatre of war. Through the Roger Moore classic Moonraker, the boys examine our reliance on vulnerable satellites and the ram... by Science(ish)
36 min listen
1: Fight Club: To kick off Series 4, Michael asked Rick to hit him as hard as he can… with knowledge! Through the Brad Pitt/Ed Norton classic Fight Club, the boys dive headfirst into the uncomfortable world of pain research. From the world’s most painful ailments, to... by Science(ish)
37 min listen
33: Is LIGO right?: The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics went to ‘a discovery that shook the world’, gravitational waves. These were detected by the LIGO experiment, a century after Einstein first predicted them. But behind the celebration, another story has been brewing which... by Science(ish)
37 min listen
32: First Man: Just 66 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, humans somehow managed to put a man on the moon. How did this happen? In this bonus episode, the boys mark the release of the film First Man by delving into the perilous science behind the original... by Science(ish)
39 min listen
31: Pi: Do some numbers have special significance? Inspired by Darren Aronofsky’s film Pi, Rick and Michael explore the greatest numbers known to humankind. From the mercurial zero which medieval Italy declared “illegal”, to the golden ratio that can explain s... by Science(ish)
40 min listen
30: Doctor Strange: Can meditation change your brain? Rick and Michael take a moment to reconnect with their breath and journey into the mystical science behind the film Doctor Strange. Exploring how monks use meditation to stave off hypothermia and send their gamma brain... by Science(ish)
36 min listen
29: Frankenstein: Could we create Frankenstein’s monster? The boys celebrate the 200th year anniversary of Mary Shelley’s genre-defining novel with a deep-dive into the underbelly of science: from grave-robbing and re-animating the dead, to the cutting edge of synthetic... by Science(ish)
44 min listen
28: Rounders: Can science beat the casino? Through the Matt Damon-Ed Norton classic Rounders, the boys explore how mathematicians have tried to conquer the world of gambling. From gaming the national lottery to blackjack and roulette, there’s more to probability the... by Science(ish)
40 min listen
27: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: What if our universe is just a giant computer? In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy the Earth is just a computer calculating the meaning of life, and in this episode the boys tackle one of the boldest claims of modern science: that everything we thi... by Science(ish)
39 min listen
26: The Dead Zone: Are we any good at predicting the future? Through David Cronenberg’s film The Dead Zone, the boys explore the fiendishly difficult science of foretelling the course of history. Why do the professional pundits get it wrong so often? Might you have what ... by Science(ish)
41 min listen
25: Nightmare on Elm Street: ‘Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep...’ These iconic words from the 80s classic A Nightmare on Elm Street have got the boys thinking: from sleep paralysis to insomnia to narcolepsy, what’s actually happening when sleep goes wrong? Are we all living thr... by Science(ish)
42 min listen
24: Knight Rider: With the utopian vision of a driverless world hitting the headlines, the boys cut through the hype by exploring the science of fully autonomous vehicles through the TV series Knight Rider. Will we really be better off without humans behind the wheel? A... by Science(ish)
39 min listen
23: Get Out: Does hypnosis work? Science(ish) explores the mend-bending neuroscience behind the Oscar-winning film Get Out. If you think your brain perceives reality in an fixed way, it’s time you opened the door to the world of hypnotic suggestion, trance-inducing... by Science(ish)
38 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

33: Is LIGO right?: The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics went to ‘a discovery that shook the world’, gravitational waves. These were detected by the LIGO experiment, a century after Einstein first predicted them. But behind the celebration, another story has been brewing which... by Science(ish)
37 min listen
ICARUS: How Bryan Fogel Exposed The Biggest Doping Scandal In Olympic History: “It appears that the consequences for truth are high.” Bryan Fogel Last week I sat down with Lance Armstrong to explore... by The Rich Roll Podcast
144 min listen
The Philip Experiment by Supernatural Circumstances
36 min listen
Good COP Bad COP, Shotgun Lead Persistence, and Featherdown Adaptation: UN Environment Programme publishes Making Peace With Nature report ahead of COP 26. by BBC Inside Science
30 min listen
#146 Accelerated end to fossil fuel; double discovery on Mars by New Scientist Podcasts
22 min listen
Spotlight on CRISPR (Neurology Recall Special Report): Spotlight on CRISPR (Neurology Recall Special Report) by Neurology® Podcast
49 min listen
Developments and Scandals Related to Genetic Testing and Technology in Neurology (Delayed Recall May 2019): Developments and Scandals Related to Genetic Testing and Technology in Neurology (Delayed Recall May 2019) by Neurology® Podcast
60 min listen
Icarus: Max Linksy (Longform) interviews director Bryan Fogel. by You Can’t Make This Up
48 min listen
#62: Synthetic life; rescue plan for Earth; muon g-2 new physics by New Scientist Podcasts
29 min listen
We Welcome Black Hole Enthusiasts by The Daily Dive
20 min listen
Seralini's Lumpy Rats - Ten Years Later: Ten years ago a scientific paper claimed definitive evidence linking genetic engineering to tumors. The study by Giles-Eric Seralini and his team at CRIIGEN stunned the world, and it was amplified through social and traditional media. But was it reproduci by Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta
63 min listen
02/08/2020: The Naked Scientist weigh up the science behind the Prime Minister's anti-obesity drive. by 5 Live Science Podcast
54 min listen
The Oppenheimer Effect: Reigniting Nuclear Awareness: Deep Dish explores the recently released 'Oppenheimer' film and journeys back to the Cold War era when nuclear weapons were etched into popular consciousness. Rachel Bronson and Avery Restrepo of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists explore how... by Deep Dish on Global Affairs
40 min listen
Human Genome Goes Global: The Pangenome project captures human diversity with 47 new genomes. by Science In Action
28 min listen
#17: The truth about our appetites, the impact of coronavirus on conservation, mud volcanoes on Mars by New Scientist Podcasts
30 min listen
The First Gene-Edited Babies: A scientist has claimed he used the revolutionary CRISPR gene technology on human embryos, igniting a global controversy. by Radio Atlantic
34 min listen
Bivalent Covid Boosters and Unbalanced Bees: In the news this week, a leap forward in making kidney transplants more accessible by The Naked Scientists Podcast
31 min listen
Abortion Pills, Take Two: Abortion pills — a combo of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol — are on notice: on April 7, 2023, a federal judge said the FDA’s approval of mifepristone was invalid. And then, not more than an hour later, another federal judge in a separate case said that mifepristone had to stay on the market in certain states. With these two contradictory rulings, mifepristone — and medical abortion, in general — is in the crosshairs. So, today, we want to rewind to an episode we made last year. It looks at these two drugs over the last 40 years, from their origin stories and development, to how their administration from doctors to patients keeps evolving. This story, for us, started… Special thanks to Mariana Prandini Assis and Pam Belluck. EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Molly Webster, Avir Mitra Produced by Sarah Qari with mixing help from - Arianne Wack Fact-checking by - Diane Kelly and Edited by - Becca Bressler CITATIONS: Articles: From one of our sources, Abiga by Radiolab
27 min listen
2023 Year End Extravaganza, Part 2: Welcome to Part 2 of our year-end extravaganza, full of bonus content and stories by CrowdScience
27 min listen
#45: Vaccine roll out in UK and China; Chris Packham on connectedness; AlphaFold breakthrough by New Scientist Podcasts
34 min listen
Cicada citizen science, and expanding the genetic code by Science Magazine Podcast
38 min listen
Male Pill, Invisible Shrimp, & Fusion Power in Future?: Science news, and we look at the likelihood of commercial fusion power by 2040 by 5 Live Science Podcast
53 min listen
A Black Flash: On this weeks episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off talking about how bee populations around the world have been in decline for years due to a number of reasons that make it extremely difficult to fix the problem. Urban... by Expanded Perspectives
60 min listen
The Lost Franklin Expedition: On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start out talking about how in tests on mice, alcohol activated the brain signals that tell the body to eat more food. The UK researchers, who report their findings in the journal Nature... by Expanded Perspectives
64 min listen
Circulating MicroRNAs: What Is Their Relevance?: A paper in the May 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry found that circulating microRNAs were deregulated in severe obesity, and the lead author of that study Dr. Francisco José Ortega from Spain joined us earlier for a separate podcast. That paper was... by Clinical Chemistry Podcast
8 min listen
Senolytics - Neurohacker Science Team - Aging by Collective Insights
75 min listen
#125: Poo transplants cure IBS; climate change shrinks the human niche; CRISPR babies; monkeypox latest by New Scientist Podcasts
29 min listen
Is Gene Editing The Next Great Health Revolution? Part II by Intelligence Squared
35 min listen
Extreme heat death risk in Latin America: New study reveals risk of death as temperatures rise in Latin American cities by Science In Action
32 min listen
Icarus: Steroid documentary or spy thriller? | Reaction & Review w/Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos: This month’s media review and react episode is centered on the documentary “Icarus.” Dean Saddoris joins us to discuss this Oscar-winning 2017 documentary. This episode definitely contains spoilers. Filmmaker and cyclist Bryan Fogel made himself... by 50% Facts with Silent Mike & Jim McD
91 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

6: Icarus

6: Icarus

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Science(ish)

Related podcast episodes