The Cosmic Shambles Network

Science Shambles

Science EN ↓ 121 episodes

Part of the Cosmic Shambles Network, the network for people with curious minds, Science Shambles is a semi regular collection of conversations with scientists about all manner of scientific things. At the Cosmic Shambles Network we create and curates podcasts, digital content and live events for people who want to find out more about our universe through science, art, history, philosophy, music, literature. People who believe ignorance is not bliss. People who want to keep on discovering and learning about our wondrous universe and who want to have a laugh while doing it. People who believe th...

Author

The Cosmic Shambles Network

Category

Science

Podcast website

www.cosmicshambles.com

Latest episode

Oct 27, 2025

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Episodes

The Moon and the Death of the Universe and Everything in it 22.07.2019

With the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landings this week, we took the chance to record an episode of Science Shambles at none other than the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Helen Czerski, still in the host chair, chats with our astrophysicist Dr Katie Mack about her research into the impending heat death of the Universe (It's ages away, don't stress) and from the Royal Observatory itself, as...

The Deliciousness of The Quantum Realm and The Attack of the Nano Socks 08.07.2019

This week Helen Czerski has two of our favourite nano-scientists in the studio with her. Michelle Dickinson and Suze Kundu join us to chat about the future of nanotechnology, why we need to better educate people about new technology, where nanotech is making your everyday life easier and the upcoming disaster film 'Attack of the Nano Socks'... You can support the CSN by pledging as little as $1 a...

Satellites, Immortality and Reinventing Humanity 01.07.2019

Marek Ziebart is a Professor of Space Geodesy (the science and engineering of using satellites). Andrew Steele is a doctor of physics, who moved into computational biology, and is now writing a book on aging. We left it to Helen Czerski to find where all of that intersects on another fascinating episode of Science Shambles with a conversation that goes from Elon Musk to immortality to health resea...

Infinity, Bananas and Sugar Cubes 17.06.2019

Helen Czerski is still in the host chair this week and she is joined by cosmologist and best selling science author Marcus Chown. His latest book, Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand, looks at fifty bonkers things about the Universe and the two try to dig into as many as possible. Would it matter if the Sun was made of bananas? Can you fit all of humanity in a sugar cube... Support the podcast, and...

Maths Puzzles, Cricket and Signals 03.06.2019

Science Shambles is back from its mini break and Helen Czerski has taken over hosting duties while Robin is on tour! Today she's joined by two of our favourite mathematicians, Matt Parker and Rob Eastaway to chat about the difference between maths puzzles and maths problems (and which is better), the underlying problems with sports rankings, Matt's new number one bestseller Humble Pi and much more...

Cosmics Superheroes Live in Manchester 19.03.2019

On International Women's Day 2019 we did a live panel at the University of Manchester based around our Cosmic Superheroes exhibition (which you can view online here). The panellists were Helen Czerski, Sheena Cruickshank, Suzi Gage and Ginny Smith chatting about their superheroes, women in STEM, their own research and much more. Support the podcast, and the Cosmic Shambles Network by pledging at p...

Gendered Brains and the Science of Evil 08.03.2019

Robin is joined in studio by Professor Gina Rippon and Dr Julia Shaw to talk about their new science books, The Gendered Brain: The New Neuroscience That Shatters the Myth of the Female Brain and Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side. They dive into topics like the lack of women in STEM, the myth of the male and female brain, false memories, why we are all capable of doing awful thi...

Life, Physics and Nano Refrigerators 22.02.2019

Physicist, writer and broadcaster Professor Paul Davies from Arizona State University was recently in the UK to talk about his new book The Demon in the Machine. So he sat down with Robin Ince to chat about the book, what life actually is, nano refrigerators, epigenetics, embryogenesis and a whole lot more. Support the podcast, and the Cosmic Shambles Network by pledging at patreon.com/bookshamble...

Neutrinos and CSI Mesopotamia 04.02.2019

In this episode of Science Shambles, Robin Ince tries to find the bit of the Venn diagram where archaeology and particle physics overlap. He's joined in the studio by archaeologist and one quarter of the Trowelblazers, Dr Brenna Hassett and neutrino physicist Dr Linda Cremonesi. They bounce around from the birth of the Universe to digging up 7000 years of human history in Turkey. Support the CSN b...

Medical Marijuana and MRI Masturbation 21.01.2019

Backstage at Nine Lessons Robin Ince catches up with two of the Cosmic Shambles Network's key bloggers, Dr Suzi Gage and Dr Dean Burnett. They chat about the big news of 2018 in their respective fields from new drug research, to bad claims about mental health to the 'differences' between men and women's brains. Support the CSN by visiting and pledging at patreon.com/bookshambles

Sea Ice and Polar Bears 01.01.2019

On this episode of Science Shambles, Robin Ince chats climate change and the Artic with physicist Dr Helen Czerski, just returned from the Arctic, and sea ice researcher Dr Sammie Buzzard. They chat about melting glaciers, climate change, polar bears and why the thickness of the sea ice is even more important than ever. Support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/bookshambles

Quantum Physics is Weird 30.11.2018

On this episode of Science Shambles, Robin tries to get his head further around quantum physics with two guests who've both just released new books on the subject. Two of Britain's best science writers, Jim Baggot and Philip Ball drop by to talk Einstein, quantum woo and more. This week, as a special bonus, an extended episode of Science Shambles is available for Patreon supporters. Head to patreo...

Brains, Reflections and Books - Blog Network Special 09.11.2018

Robin Ince is joined by two of The Cosmic Shambles Network's blog contributors, Ginny Smith and Marcus Chown. They chat about why the brain is so stubborn about accepting evidence, quantum physics in the studio window and then stand up mathematician Matt Parker pops by for a minute for a spot of maths chat. Support The Cosmic Shambles Network and get great perks and rewards at patreon.com/booksham...

Dark Matter, U2 and NASA Wee - Blog Network Special 17.10.2018

In the first of what will be regular chats with our brilliant bloggers on our new blog network, Robin Ince is joined in studio by Professor Jon Butterworth, Dr Jenny Rohn and Michael Legge. They chat about what’s going on at CERN, Jenny’s lab’s collection of control wee, U2 and Scottish’s pop’s connection to the Columbia Shuttle disaster. Support The Cosmic Shambles Network and get great perks and...

The Magick of the Future 15.08.2018

Recorded live at Latitude, it's a Book Shambles - Science Shambles crossover. Robin Ince hosts a discussion about The Magick of the Future, which is to say, what scientific discoveries and technological advancements are so incredible they seem like magic? Robin is joined by author John Higgs and scientists and broadcaster Dr Suzi Gage and Dr Lucy Rogers. You can support the show at patreon.com/boo...

All Genius. All Buffoon - 100 Years of Richard Feynman - A Documentary 29.06.2018

In 2018 the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman would've turned 100 years old. But Richard Feynman was so much more than just one of the greatest physicists, the greatest scientists, of the 20th century. He was a beautiful writer, a man of boundless curiosity, a bongo player, a clown. Fellow physicist Freeman Dyson once said that Feynman was "Half genius, half buffoon". He would later re...

All Genius. All Buffoon - 100 Years of Richard Feynman Trailer 11.05.2018

On May 11th 2018 the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman would've turned 100 years old. But Richard Feynman was so much more than just one of the greatest physicists, the greatest scientists, of the 20th century. He was a beautiful writer, a man of boundless curiosity, a bongo player, a clown. Fellow physicist Freeman Dyson once said that Feynman was "Half genius, half buffoon". He would...

Cosmic Shambles LIVE Aus/NZ Tour - Q and A - Part 4 29.08.2017

Sat in the green room at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, Robin Ince, Lucie Green, Helen Czerski, Matt Parker, Michelle Dickinson and Shaun Hendy tackle some audience questions from the Cosmic Shambles LIVE NZ tour. There's experiments for kids, the aurora, pies, the meaning of life and more.

Cosmic Shambles LIVE - Aus and NZ Tour - Q and A - Part 3 09.07.2017

Backstage, in a small echoey dressing room, before going on stage in Wellington as part of the Cosmic Shambles LIVE Tour, Robin Ince gathers up some of the remaining questions from the Auckland show. With him to the tackles questions of multiple universes, shuttle disasters, shower curtains and maths homework are Matt Parker, Lucie Green, Helen Czerski and Michelle Dickinson.

Cosmic Shambles LIVE - Aus and NZ Tour - Q and A - Part 2 07.07.2017

Robin Ince poses our missed audience questions from Melbourne to Dr Helen Czerski, Dr Katie Mack, Matt Parker and Professor Lucie Green. There’s questions about recreating Sagittarius A out of pies, dark matter and science schools for girls.

Cosmic Shambles LIVE - Aus and NZ Tour - Q and A - Part 1 07.07.2017

Robin Ince poses our missed audience questions from the Cosmic Shambles LIVE show in Melbourne, Australia, to Dr Helen Czerski, Dr Katie Mack, Matt Parker and Professor Lucie Green. There’s questions about black holes, event horizons, flushing toilets and pie flavours.

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