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Physical Attraction

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We are a physics podcast. But not just that - interviews with scientists, scholars, authors and reflections on the history and future of science and technology are all in the wheelhouse. Over the years, for over 200 episodes, we've had shows on the astrophysics of stars, a comprehensive history of nuclear fusion, thermodynamics, particle physics, climate change, economics, philosophy, the psychology of conspiracy theories, and even the lives of Louisiana Senator Huey Long, or scientists under Stalin in the Soviet Union. 

We are an independent show: everything you hear is created by one person out of passion and love. My aim in producing this show is never to talk down to people, but instead to discuss fascinating and vital subjects with scientific rigour, compassion, and an eye for narrative: to educate, inform, and entertain. I hope that you, the listener, will find something you like here. 

You can read about us here, which includes a comprehensive episode guide for new listeners covering all of the shows that we've done, as well as links to transcripts of many of the episodes.  

You can contact us here - everything goes through to my email and I try to answer each one. Your comments and questions help me to improve the show and also motivate me to carry on, so I highly appreciate reading anything you feel like sending. 

If you like what we do and want to help us keep doing it, you can donate here. I am extremely grateful for those of you who have done so. 

You can also subscribe to the Physical Attraction: Extra! Feed over at Patreon: www.patreon.com/PhysicalAttraction - where for a small fee per bonus episode, you can help to support the show, and get some juicy bonus content too. The Patreon includes unique bonus episodes that stand alone, or alongside our existing series. But you will also get episodes as soon as I finish producing them, which is often months in advance: so, if you can't wait for your fix, that's where to go. 

We had a sister podcast, Autocracy Now, which deals with the lives of famous historical dictators. You can find some of their episodes on our feed, or the show itself at www.autocracynow.libsyn.com 

Aug 27, 2020

As a followup to our series on thermodynamics, the briefest of introductions to one of the most fascinating and beautiful areas of physics - Statistical Mechanics.


Aug 24, 2020

Well, I asked Twitter if they wouldn't mind more off-topic content, and although the electorate was pretty tiny, they said they didn't mind.

So, with that shaky endorsement in place, I'm going to spend an hour talking about the psychology of conspiracy theories, US politics, the Anabaptist Siege of Munster,...


Aug 20, 2020

This episode, we talk to Stewart Lansley, who co-edited the book "It's Basic Income" and has written reports on UBI in a UK context. Where is the debate on UBI in light of COVID-19?


Aug 18, 2020

In light of some of the recent furore surrounding a particular algorithm, I thought it might be a good time to release this episode of the show. 

Two stories about the responsible use of algorithms in modern society - one about YouTube's algorithm and another about investigative journalism in the age of...


Aug 11, 2020

We have a guest on the show today - Professor Lewis Dartnell. Lewis is an author, presenter, and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, and has written and researched on topics as diverse as astrobiology, how to rebuild civilization after the apocalypse, and the influence of Earth's geology...