Wizards & Spaceships

The Science Bros Answer Your Science Questions, Part 1, ft. Rob & Jon Mound

Wizards & Spaceships

Show Notes

Suspension of disbelief is a cornerstone of speculative fiction, but as writers and fans, we often find ourselves wondering just how grounded in reality our favourite stories really are. We asked you, our listeners, for questions like: What would happen if I went through a wormhole? Does a Star Trek transporter just kill you and create a new copy of you? What kind of technology can or can’t you use to blow up the world?

And then we got biologist Rob Mound and geophysicist Jon Mound to answer the questions you sent. There were so many we had to split it into two parts! In this part, we look at jumping out of a spaceship without a suit (why?), octopus people (yes!), sex in space (obviously!), and more! Show Notes The Core (2003) The Expanse - 5x07 | Naomi's Leap From The Pella A City On Mars, Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith Star Trek Voyager "Cathexis" on Memory Alpha Gattaca (1997) When You Nut In Space, It Push You Backwards (NSFW) "There Are Four Lights," scene from Star Trek: The Next Generation Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie Gerald Bull The Martian growing poop potatoes

Keep the conversation going, or ask the Science Bros more questions by joining our Discord or Facebook group!

More from Wizards & Spaceships

Oct 15, 2026

Happy Halloween! There's no shortage of horrors, but the best one is the horror found in forces that are so large, so abstract, or upsetting that to engage with them directly would drive you insane. With us to discuss cosmic horror are Devinder Thiara and Jesse Scoble, co-creators of a new comic, Dead Money. Show notes: https://jdstudios.art/ Devinder on Facebook Jesse on Bluesky Jesse’s Substack Moby Dick illustration with the eye

Sep 15, 2026

It’s the 20th anniversary of Blindsight! David and Rachel sit down in Rachel’s living room with marine biologist, critically acclaimed author, and enemy-of-the-state Peter Watts to drink two bottles of wine and talk about theories of consciousness, cigar-shaped harbour seals, the climate collapse, and why dystopian sci-fi authors are in fact childishly optimistic. Additional audio engineering by Rick Innis. Show Notes: Rifters The Collapse Is Coming. Will Humanity Adapt? The Sheep Look Up, John Brunner The Limits To Growth Philosophical Zombie Consciousness and its function, David M. Rosenthal Michael Timothy Bennett Erik Hoel Mirror Test The Hidden Spring Arthur Jafa

Aug 15, 2026

The podcast is part of the oral tradition, and joining us to talk about ancient epics, living texts in dead languages, Babylonian Pride parades, and how all of this relates to sci-fi, fantasy, and horror is writer, translator, and cultural historian Sophus Helle. Show notes: Sophus’ website Electronic Babylonian Library Babylonian Myths, Sophus Helle Critical Antiquities, including Human: Babylonian Reflections on Labour, Sophus Helle Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, J.R.R. Tolkien Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley The Complete Mahabharata (online) The Mahabharata (Penguin Classics) Ovid's Metamorphoses: A New Translation, C. Luke Soucy Query, Zilla Novikov The Ur-Pisode: The Queer Heart of the Epic of Gilgamesh, ft. Julian Gunn

Jul 15, 2026

A contract with one of the five big publishing companies means placement in bookstores and libraries, reviews in major publications, award nominations, and a huge advance—even a chance to get on the bestsellers list. But is this actually the case? Joining us to talk about how the sausage gets made is Jeremy Szal, author of the Common Trilogy. Show Notes:Jeremy’s website Follow him on:Bluesky Instagram TikTok “Everything is random in publishing. Success is random. Bestsellers are random. So that is why we are the Random House!” Are there more libraries or McDonald’s? Author (and professional chef) Rohan O’Duill trying out one of the recipes from the Sad Bastard Cookbook

Jun 15, 2026

So you've trashed the world. An EMP or a nuclear bomb or a plague of zombies have taken out civic infrastructure—now it's your chance to show off your survival skills. Fortunately, there's an incredible resurgence of Indigenous post-apocalyptic fiction that offers alternative visions to surviving collapse. In this episode, we talk to author, educator in Plant Medicine & Midwifery, and hippy prepper Daphne Singingtree about how to survive and thrive after the end. We're nominated for an Aurora Award for Best Fan-Related Work! Check out the ballot (and consider casting a vote for us) at the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

See all episodes →