In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk space travel with a NASA project support specialist! At San Diego Comic-Con, James struck up a conversation with Johnathan Brendle at the NASA exhibit booth and he agreed to come on the podcast! We cover tons of space travel questions, including: What are hyperspace tunnels (purgill holes maybe?)? Do you need headlights in space? Is the Death Star basically a microwave? Show Links: Follow Johnny on TikTok and Instagram! Learn more about NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and some of the projects Johnny mentioned, like the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Solar System Exploration. If you're interested in working at NASA, check out their internship and fellowship programs, or search USA Jobs for positions at NASA. You can pre-order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we take the show on the road to the local science center's dome theater to talk about the science of Episode I. The panel includes neuroscientist Ashley Juavinett, cell biologist Claire Meaders, paleontologist Gabriel-Philip Santos, and engineer Mike Tolley. We chat midi-chlorians (of course) and whether they've got a mind of their own. Does Jar Jar have a brain? Is Magneto a Jedi? Plus some wacky real science like arming cockroaches with canons and testing telepathy. Show Links: Watch the Ted Talk about brain to brain communications here. Read more about the Brain Gate project that turns thoughts into verbal communication. Follow the Fleet Science Center on Instagram and YouTube. And check out their After Dark events! Follow Ashley on Twitter and Instagram! Follow Gabriel on Instagram and Cosplay for Science on Instagram! You can also watch him on PBS Eons on YouTube and TikTok! And check out Cosplay for Science’s first publication about how science communication at comic conventions. Follow Mike on Twitter and check out his lab's website! Or check out the art exhibit Mike's lab assisted with at the Beall Center for Art + Technology. Follow Claire on Twitter! You can pre-order James's crossword puzzle book now! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we're joined by Sawyer Markham to talk about urban ecology! Known as @Sawyeurism online, our expert this month breaks down her love of delving into the science of Star Wars, just like hosts James and Melissa. Sawyer talks the effects of urbanization and climate change on reptiles and amphibians and also shares some of her science education fun facts, like the Hutts having pouches like marsupials and why the son of Hera and Kanan has green hair. Above all, we learn that life finds a way! Show Links: Follow Sawyer as @sawyeurism on all platforms, including TikTok and Twitter, and check out the Yep Sesh podcast! Here's her TikTok explanations of Jabba the Hutt's anatomy and why Jacen Syndulla has green hair. Read Sawyer's article about the biology of Fallout! And her scientific paper about hot lizards! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we're joined by Gabriel-Philip Santos to talk about marine biology! Star Warsologies dives deep into the marine biology of Star Wars. Think water planets like Mon Cala and Kamino. As Qui-Gon says, there's always a bigger fish! We answer such pressing questions as: Are those thicc thala-sirens evolutionarily viable? Are we all evolving into crabs? We did talk for a long time and yes, I did edit out some of Gabe's negative comments about porgs! Show Links: Follow Gabriel on Instagram and follow PBS Eons on YouTube and TikTok! Follow Cosplay for Science on Instagram! Listen to Gabriel as part of episode 22, our "Science of Jurassic World" panel at SDCC 2022! Check out the short documentary-style video Melissa created about ocean creatures in Star Wars! We've previously interviewed Star Wars creature designers Jake Lunt Davies (twice!) and Terryl Whitlatch! Learn more about life evolving into crabs in this PBS Eons video. Learn more about Gabriel's cool walrus in this article, or read the scientific paper! Check out Cosplay for Science's first publication about how science communication at comic conventions. Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we're joined by the curator of the San Diego Automotive Museum and chat about ships, speeders, and other vehicles in Star Wars! What does the state of the Millennium Falcon say about Han Solo, especially since we know it was much nicer when Lando owned it? Why is it important that the Imperial and Rebel are so distinct from each other? Maria Romano de León answers these questions and shares insights about vehicles and culture throughout Star Wars, including a way to think about those shiny speeder bikes in Book of Boba Fett that annoyed so many fans. What's your favorite ship or speeder - and what does that say about you? Show Links: Listen to Maria's episode of The Facts & The Furious podcast! Check out the San Diego Automotive Museum's website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Here's videos of the Naboo starfighter repair scene and speeder bike chase scene we mention in the episode, for those who haven't seen Book of Boba Fett! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we hear from an ornithologist about birds in Star Wars, along with invasive species and extinction events! Justin Hite joins us for this episode to chat about his career studying birds and the environmental chaos they put up with. We get into whether Rey was exposed to harmful chemicals during her years salvaging parts from downed Star Destroyers and of course all the devastation the Death Star wreaks. We also cover more cheerful topics like birds being tiny dinosaurs and . Being a group of 80s kids, we also talk about how great the show Ewoks is! Show Links: Check out the Birds Not Mosquitoes website and Instagram to learn more about the project Justin works on. You can read the fictional account of a wildlife ranger in the Outer Rim that Melissa wrote while watching The Mandalorian. And the opinion piece she wrote for Nerdist about the killings in that show. And to learn more about how porgs are like puffins, check Melissa's my Insider article where I interviewed a puffin scientist and the concept artist that created porgs. Check out ebird.org for bird species to see wherever you live or are traveling. Check out Justin's Instagram feed, scroll back for more birds! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we learn the difference between empathy, compassion, and sympathy and how each is represented in Star Wars! Professor Maureen Day shares her insights with James and Melissa about virtue ethics and vices, and their roles in our galaxy and in Star Wars. Can we forgive the atrocities of Vader and Kylo Ren knowing their backstory of complicated young me? What makes the Sith a good example of empathy? What's the best redemption arc in Star Wars? There's more questions than answers in this episode, but we hope you enjoy pondering these topics for yourself! Show Links: A reading list from our expert, Maureen Day! Richard M. Gula, Reason Informed by Faith   Richard M. Gula, The Call to Holiness  Christian Smith, To Flourish or Destruct: A Personalist Theory of Human Goods, Motivation, Failure, and Evil Check out Maureen's website for more about her research, books, and appearances! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, conflict resolution experts weigh in on the wars, negotiations, and other conflicts in Star Wars! Jen Reynolds and Noam Ebner authored the book "Star Wars and Conflict Resolution: There Are Alternatives To Fighting" and speak with us about the lessons we can learn from Padme, Obi-Wan, and other characters who fight the good fight. From everything from hiring the Millennium Falcon to galactic wars, negotiations occur throughout the saga and mirror the real world in many ways. Apparently there's four ways people typically react to conflict: avoidance, cooperation, competitiveness, and yielding. Which type are you? Which type are your favorite Star Wars characters? Show Links: Buy "Star Wars and Conflict Resolution" on Jen and Noam's website and stay updated about the second book and other offerings. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, an anatomy professor weighs in on the importance of designing aliens that make sense! Dr. Elizabeth Rega is an anatomy professor who consults on movies and video games to help creators add an element of realism to their projects. She worked on Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove, and even the Madden series. Melissa and James ask Elizabeth to speculate wildly about what we can tell about some of our favorite aliens based on the traits they share with humans. Is Klaud related to axolotls? Do Gungans breathe through their butts? What does Yoda look like under his Jedi robes? Fun questions for our anatomy expert! Show Links: Read Stephen Jay Gould's paper about the evolution of Mickey Mouse. Check out the Max Rebo maquette showing off his two limbs. Listen to episode 46 where Elizabeth joined our LA Comic Con panel of science advisors. Check out Elizabeth's paper about a new species of sloth. Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

It's the finale! Lisa and Melissa chat about the physics of the final franchise installment (for now). They're joined by Dr. Erin Macdonald, the science advisor for all the current Star Trek shows. Together, they answer important questions like, is a dam just a vertical road? Do bad guys make good shock absorbers in plummeting elevators? Just how much therapy has Jakob had since the last movie? Is Little B destined for a Nobel Prize in Physics? Will anything come of Little Nobody swiping right on Han's dating profile? We hope you had as much fun listening to these bonus episodes as we had making them! We'll return once there's a new F&F movie out! Follow Erin on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel! Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 10 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss our return once the next movie comes out!

Faaaaaaaacts in Spaaaaaace! Melissa and Lisa welcome NASA JPL systems engineer Bobak Ferdowsi (aka the Mohawk Guy!) to chat about the pros and cons of launching a Pontiac Fiero into space. But that's not the only physics nonsense in this movie - there's also magnets, mines, and more! As Bobak eloquently states, the science of Fast & Furious movies are like La Croix - there may not be any real science in the movie but it seems like the creators saw some science at one point or another.  Learn more about the NISAR program Bobak is working! Follow NASA on Twitter and Instagram! Bobak is also (sometimes) on Twitter and Instagram.  Learn more about the NASA internship program! Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 9 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Does Brixton's heads-up display actually give him helpful information? Can you really hold a helicopter down with a tow truck? Our resident physicist Lisa weighs in on those questions and more. There's plenty of medical jargon in the spin-off movie Hobbs & Shaw, but it turns out the physics holds up for the most part! Melissa and Lisa also interview Joy Phillips and Parag Katira from San Diego State University about the virus, immunology, and biomedical devices that make up a huge part of the plot. Find out what's realistic and what's pure fantasy! Check out Parag Katira's website and follow him on Twitter. And contact Joy Phillips if you have more immunology questions! And if you haven't recently watched Jason Statham dancing in a leopard print speedo while very oily, you should watch it here. Right now.  Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 8 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Melissa moderates this panel of scientists who consult on everything from books and video games to the MCU and Disney animation! Panelists include paleontologist Stuart Sumida (How To Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), registered nurse Toby Wareham (9-1-1: Lone Star, How To Get Away With Murder), physicist Clifford Johnson (Avengers: Infinity War, Paper Girls), biologist Elizabeth Rega (Strange World, The Lion King), and stem cell scientist Ron Coleman (Joe Ledger book series).Thanks to all those who came out! Show Links Follow Clifford Johnson on InstagramFollow Stuart Sumida on TwitterListen to Elizabeth Rega and Stuart Sumida talk the science of Disney's Strange World on NPR's podcast Short WaveRead Cave 13 and The Werewolf's 15 Minutes to see characters based on Ronald Coleman!Watch Code Black and 9-1-1: Lone Star to see Toby Wareham's work! Here's the images Melissa and Stuart talked about! Images of Stitch courtesy of Walt Disney Feature Animations, credit: Alex Kuperschmidt. Photo credit of Darwin Sumida: Stuart Sumida. Images courtesy of DreamWorks Feature Animation. More relevant screen shots and photos coming soon on YouTube! Subscribe and never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Join our Facebook fan group! Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and other fields of knowledge and Star Wars!

Melissa moderates this panel of Star Warsologies favorites! Sam Wynns and Gabe Santos share their critter knowledge when it comes to Loth cats and purgill! Lisa Will and Paul Wynns talk navigation from one galaxy to the next! And James brings us up to date with all the Star Wars lore sprinkled throughout the show. We had a great audience with tons of questions for us. Thanks to all those who came out! Follow Dr. Lisa Will and the Fleet Science Center on Instagram Follow Paul Wynns and Flex Air on Instagram Follow Gabe Santos and Cosplay for Science on Instagram Follow Sam Wynns and Cabrillo National Monument on Instagram Check out the episode on YouTube with relevant screen shots and photos! (coming soon) Subscribe and never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Join our Facebook fan group! Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and Star Wars!

Melissa and Lisa talk about the (relatively) toned down physics nonsense in the 8th installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, Fate of the Furious. Lisa and Melissa are also joined by Bea Gandica, a computer scientist, to talk about all the hacking, ghost flights, and of course Cipher and the Gods Eye. Listen in to answers to important questions like: What does hacking look like in real life? Did Tej go to a coding boot camp at some point? Was the wrecking ball a good idea?  Learn more about the free workshops on coding and cybersecurity from the Nuevo Foundation  Follow Bea Gandica and Nuevo Foundation on Instagram Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 7 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Melissa and Lisa break down the physics nonsense in Furious 7. Can you jump between skyscrapers in a car? What happens when you drop cars out of an airplane with only a parachute? Clinical psychologist Dr. Drea Letamendi joins for a discussion about grief and forgiveness. How important is found family? Should Dom be in therapy? How does Brian's ending help us process Paul Walker's death? Check out Dr. Drea's website! Follow her on Instagram! And listen to her podcast The Arkham Sessions. Read the psychological profiles Drea writes for Fandom Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 6 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

James and Melissa chat about the megafauna of The Mandalorian with Dr. Stuart Sumida. Stuart is a paleontologist, a teacher, and a science consultant for movies, TV shows, and video games. He answers questions for us, including: Do mythosaurs use echolocation? How many Mandalorians would those raptor babies be able to eat in one sitting? Would riding on a horse-wolf actually be comfortable? Follow Stuart on Twitter!Hear Stuart's interview on NPR's Short Wave podcastListen back to episode 22 when Stuart joined our Jurassic World panel at SDCC 2022Check out the nature documentaries we made for Star Wars Celebration 2022 Subscribe and never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Join our Facebook fan group! In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and Star Wars!

Fast & Furious 6 gives us perhaps the most physics-defying hijinks of the franchise. Dom's leap of faith, him taking a bullet, and that epically long runway - there's a lot to discuss. Melissa and Lisa also chat with locations scout Kerry Patten, who worked on the movie. Hear from her about the logistics of filming a car chase in the streets of (not actually) London.  Here's an article calculating just how long the runway would have to be. And writer Chris Morgan's response is fun too. Kerry shared some great videos for people who want to learn more about location scouting and management.  More about location scouting and tech scouting. Insights from location scout Roger Deakins. A cinematographer's guide to location scouting.  Check out the Location Manager's Guild International website.  You can take a location management course at the National Film and Television School.  Search the database of international filming locations. Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick Listen to episode 5 here The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Let's look at the music of Star Wars! So much of what we associate with the galaxy far, far away is connected to the soundtracks composed by John Williams. We take a look at the diagetic music of the films, from the cantina band tracks to the celebratory songs by Ewoks and Gungans. We also examine the common musical themes that John Williams built into the audio DNA of the saga, as well as musical pieces that may have influenced Williams in his composition. Our guest expert is Dr. Jason Giachetti, who teaches music at the college and high school level. He has a doctorate in music education, with an emphasis on percussive instruments. In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and Star Wars! To better understand the music, Dr. Giachetti prepared a presentation that showcases the musical notation in the score, and the YouTube version of this episode has his slides synched up to the podcast audio. You can watch the original Jabba's Palace song on YouTube. Watch the end of A New Hope without any music! Here's Darth Vader's scene with a romantic song playing. Redouble our efforts indeed! Check out the Hans Zimmer Master Class that Jason mentioned.  And here's the books he recommended: The Film Music of John Williams by Emilion Audissino Creative Strategies in Film Scoring by Ben Newhouse  Musical Composition: Craft and Art by Alan Belkin

Melissa and Lisa welcome two guest experts to cover Fast Five, the movie that really accelerates the franchise into greatness. Prison escapes, train heists, and a bank vault crashing through the streets of Rio make up the action, but the movie is also about family (of course) and reunites some of our favorite characters. A city planner and a visual effects artist who worked on Tokyo Drift join our podcast family in this high speed episode! Here's a great behind the scenes video about the practical stunts in the bank vault sequence! And where we got the math about whether Dom and Brian could really tow the vault! Follow James Floyd on Twitter and Instagram.  And check out his Star Wars filming location tours, Galaxy Far, Far Away Journeys! Follow Melissa @melissatruth Follow Lisa @dustchick The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever! Listen to episode 4 here Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!