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Unobtainium Podcast

Unobtainium Podcast

De : Adam Sigel & Dr. Amy Mainzer
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The Unobtainium Podcast is hosted by Adam Sigel, a Hollywood writer-producer, and Dr. Amy Mainzer, an astrophysicist. Together, they explore the science in science fiction. Each episode unpacks the Unobtainium behind movies—what’s real, what’s cinematic, and why filmmakers bend reality. This is for the nerds, sci-fi fans, film junkies, and anyone curious about the science behind the story.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2026 Cognito Entertainment. All rights reserved. Art Science Science-fiction
Épisodes
  • Could You ACTUALLY Survive on Mars? Planetary Scientist Dave Paige Breaks Down Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian, breaking down what the film got right, what was exaggerated, and what real NASA missions face when exploring the Red Planet.

    Could You ACTUALLY Survive on Mars? Planetary Scientist Dave Paige Breaks Down Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian, breaking down what the film got right, what was exaggerated, and what real NASA missions face when exploring the Red Planet.
    Oct 6 2026
    Episode DescriptionIn this episode of Unobtainium, hosts Adam and Amy sit down with UCLA Planetary Science Professor Dave Paige to dissect the science behind Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian. From the atmospheric physics of Martian dust storms to the realities of growing potatoes in extraterrestrial soil, Professor Paige breaks down what Hollywood got right, what they exaggerated, and what real NASA missions face when exploring the Red Planet. Full SummaryWhy couldn’t the movie’s massive Martian dust storm really happen? Could you actually grow potatoes in Martian soil? How cold is Mars? Is there liquid water beneath the surface? Could microbial life exist there today? How realistic are NASA and JPL’s response to Mark Watney’s predicament? And what would it actually take to keep human beings alive on a journey to Mars? But the conversation ultimately raises a bigger question: Should humans be going to Mars at all?Paige makes the case that increasingly capable robots may be able to explore Mars more safely, cheaply and extensively than astronauts—without risking human lives or contaminating a planet that could harbor indigenous life. That leads to the most consequential scientific question of all: Is there life on Mars, and how far should we go to find it?Along the way, the conversation explores:Mars Environment & Atmospheric Physics: Mars has an atmospheric pressure less than $1/100^{\text{th}}$ that of Earth, composed primarily of carbon dioxide. While daytime temperatures at equatorial regions can approach room temperature, nighttime temperatures drop far below any location in Antarctica. The Dust Storm Exaggeration: The film's inciting incident—a severe dust storm that forces mission abort—is pure science fiction. Although wind speeds on Mars can be fast, the atmospheric density is so low that high-speed winds exert only a mild breeze's force, insufficient to knock down an astronaut or damage heavy equipment. NASA Technical Realism & JPL Representation: The movie accurately depicts the collaborative dynamic of NASA ground control, technical trade-offs, and internal management at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). However, the premise that Mark Watney lost all communication due to a single broken antenna is unrealistic given standard NASA multi-redundant communication systems. Farming Potatoes in Martian Regolith: Martian soil contains oxidizing perchlorates, but experiments with sterile lunar soil prove plants can grow in extraterrestrial dirt when supplemented with nutrients. Applying raw human waste directly to root vegetables introduces severe pathogen risks; real missions would use waste digesters. Geology, Water, and Seismic Activity: Mars features massive subsurface ice sheets past $45^\circ$ latitude, ancient riverbeds, dry lake beds, and Olympus Mons—the solar system's largest volcano. Data from the InSight mission confirmed active "Marsquakes," demonstrating the planet remains geologically active. Robotic Exploration vs. Crewed Missions: While human exploration provides a compelling narrative, human crew vehicles require massive weight, artificial gravity systems, and extensive life support. Autonomous and semi-autonomous robotic rovers offer a far safer, more cost-effective, and scientifically precise method for exploring Mars. Follow Unobtainium Podcast!Website: unobtainiumpodcast.comWatch full episodes on https://www.youtube.com/@unobtainiumpodStay connected: Instagram: @unobtainiumpod TikTok: @unobtainiumpod Bluesky: @unobtainiumpod.bsky.social X: @unobtainiumpodFor Dave Paigehttps://www.space.ucla.edu/david-paigehttps://www.diviner.ucla.edu/daphttps://www.planetary.org/profiles/david-paige#TheMartian #Mars #MarsScience #NASA #ScienceFiction #SpaceExploration #Astrobiology #MattDamon #RidleyScott #UnobtainiumPodcast #JPL #DavePaige #Amy Meinzer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    47 min
  • We came for Star Wars. We found something much bigger. Inside the Lucas Museum: Star Wars, Narrative Art, and the Power of Myth

    We came for Star Wars. We found something much bigger. Inside the Lucas Museum: Star Wars, Narrative Art, and the Power of Myth
    Sep 22 2026

    Why does the museum look like a spaceship? What does Luke Skywalker have in common with a scientist? And could an N-1 Starfighter actually fly?

    Come inside with us.

    What’s really inside George Lucas’s new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? We got a sneak peek—and it wasn’t quite what we expected.

    UNOBTAINIUM hosts planetary scientist Dr. Amy Mainzer and writer/producer Adam Sigel head inside the spectacular new Los Angeles museum expecting plenty of Star Wars. And yes, there are spaceships, droids and enough Death Star vibes to keep two lifelong fans happy. But Star Wars represents only a small part of what Lucas is trying to do here.

    The museum is really an exploration of narrative art: the images societies have used to tell stories. These are the stories that people need to come to understand who they are, from ancient cave paintings and mythology to illustration, comics, movie posters and science fiction. That leads Amy and Adam straight to Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey and the Power of Myth—ideas that profoundly influenced George Lucas and the creation of Star Wars.

    And then things get very UNOBTAINIUM.

    Amy makes a surprising connection between the Hero’s Journey and the scientific process itself: leaving what we know, venturing into the unknown, facing uncertainty, gaining new knowledge and bringing it home.

    Along the way, we explore the museum’s spaceship-like architecture, its unusual argument about “high” and “low” art, the science behind Star Wars technology—and an N-1 Starfighter that raises the inevitable question: how much energy would it actually take to make that thing fly?

    Come with us for a sneak peek inside the Lucas Museum—and a journey through Star Wars, science, mythology and the stories human beings use to understand the universe and ourselves.

    UNOBTAINIUM: Where great movies meet real science.

    #LucasMuseum #StarWars #GeorgeLucas #LucasMuseumOfNarrativeArt #ScienceFiction #JosephCampbell #HeroJourney #Science #UnobtainiumPodcast #LosAngeles

    Follow Unobtainium Podcast!

    Website: unobtainiumpodcast.com

    Watch full episodes on https://www.youtube.com/@unobtainiumpod

    Stay connected:

    Instagram: @unobtainiumpod

    TikTok: @unobtainiumpod

    Bluesky: @unobtainiumpod.bsky.social

    X: @unobtainiumpod


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    44 min
  • Neil deGrasse Tyson on Superheroes, Time Travel, Aliens, Bad Movie Science and growing up in the geekosphere.

    Neil deGrasse Tyson on Superheroes, Time Travel, Aliens, Bad Movie Science and growing up in the geekosphere.
    Sep 15 2026

    What superhero would Neil deGrasse Tyson be? Where would he go if he could travel through time? And how much bad science will he forgive if a movie tells a great story? And how he grew up an athlete who lived in the geekosphere.


    In this special bonus mini-episode of UNOBTAINIUM, planetary scientist Dr. Amy Mainzer and producer Adam Sigel revisit their conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson for a wide-ranging trip through science, science fiction and geek culture.

    Neil reveals why he once imagined himself as “Protector of the Geeks,” explains why the Marvel Universe has a scientific edge over other superhero worlds, and shares his personal rule for giving filmmakers a “hall pass” when the physics isn't quite right.

    Along the way, we get Neil’s takes on the scientifically impossible storm that launches The Martian, why we happily accept the flux capacitor in Back to the Future, whether real physics could make time travel possible, why he'd rather visit the future than the past, and which ideas might someday let us cross the enormous distances between the stars.

    Plus: faster-than-light travel, cryosleep, alien civilizations, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Comic-Con, superheroes, atomic wedgies, and the Revenge of the Nerds.

    If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our full episode with Neil deGrasse Tyson on STAR WARS, the Force, and the science behind a galaxy far, far away.

    UNOBTAINIUM explores the real science behind the movies and television we love, with scientists, filmmakers and other extraordinary guests.

    Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of science, movies, television and pop culture.

    Follow Unobtainium Podcast!

    Website: unobtainiumpodcast.com

    Watch full episodes on https://www.youtube.com/@unobtainiumpod

    Stay connected:

    Instagram: @unobtainiumpod

    TikTok: @unobtainiumpod

    Bluesky: @unobtainiumpod.bsky.social

    X: @unobtainiumpod

    For Neil deGrasse Tyson:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neildegrassetyson

    Youtube: https://youtube.com/@startalk

    Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@neildegrassetyson?_r=1&_t=ZT-9736KZJtaIA

    #NeildeGrasseTyson #starwars #science #scifi #unobtainiumpodcast #physics #space #force #film #moviescience

    #NeilDeGrasseTyson #ScienceFiction #SciFi #Science #Movies #TimeTravel #Superheroes #Marvel #TheMartian #BackToTheFuture #Aliens #UnobtainiumPodcast #physics #moviescience

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    24 min
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