When Science Ruins Fiction

About When Science Ruins Fiction

Introducing When Science Ruins Fiction. A podcast that no one needs, but more than a few people have asked for - and thus, we caved. Will Tingle is a conservation filmmaker, marine biologist, and has consumed more obscure works of science fiction than he has hairs on his head (still impressive as of writing this). Alice Thomson is a science communicator with a Master’s focusing on the impact of Sci-Fi on the public understanding of science, too many opinions, and far too dyslexic to express them in a written format. Together, every two weeks we will be tackling a piece of science fiction media, discussing how accurate the science is, how enjoyable it makes the film, and most importantly, if it ultimately makes or ruins it. We’re trying to build a community of people to chat with, educate, and learn from, and we’d love for you to be part of it!

Publisher

When Science Ruins Fiction

Category

science · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Aug 2026

Latest episode

3 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

8 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Nov 2026

   WSRF #7: Below - Some good Krak

   In this episode, we look at the smash-hit Netflix show, Below. Where do myths of giant squid come from, and can you actually destroy an iceberg with a bullet?

2. 

   20 Oct 2026

   WSRF #6 - The Halloween Zombi Combi Special

   In this episode of When Science Ruins Fiction, we look at zombies from Resident Evil to 28 Days later and ask: Do zombie films affect how we tackle real world pandemics?

3. 

   6 Oct 2026

   WSRF #5 - Hope & Colony: The South Korean Cinema Special

   In this edition of When Science Ruins Fiction, we take a look at two recent but very different Korean releases, in terms of content and quality...

4. 

   22 Sept 2026

   WSRF #4 - The End of Oak Street: Wormhole woes, and daft dinosaurs

   In this episode of When Science Ruins Fiction, we ask how easy it would be to kick a velociraptor...

5. 

   8 Sept 2026

   WSRF #3 - Brand New Day: Spide effects may vary

   In this episode of When Science Ruins Fiction, Spiderman is being all hormonal isn't he? Sources cited: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00619125 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00619125) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/210294378_Neuroception_A_Subconscious_System_for_Detecting_Threats_and_Safety (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/210294378_Neuroception_A_Subconscious_System_for_Detecting_Threats_and_Safety) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8301990/ (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8301990/) Fire, A., Xu, S., Montgomery, M.K., Kostas, S.A., Driver, S.E. and Mello, C.C., 1998. Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans. nature, 391(6669), pp.806-811. Setten, R.L., Rossi, J.J. and Han, S.P., 2019. The current state and future directions of RNAi-based therapeutics. Nature reviews Drug discovery, 18(6), pp.421-446. Wu, J., Platero-Luengo, A., Sakurai, M., Sugawara, A., Gil, M.A., Yamauchi, T., Suzuki, K., Bogliotti, Y.S., Cuello, C., Valencia, M.M. and Okumura, D., 2017. Interspecies chimerism with mammalian pluripotent stem cells. Cell, 168(3), pp.473-486. Cinel, S.D., Hahn, D.A. and Kawahara, A.Y., 2020. Predator-induced stress responses in insects: A review. Journal of insect physiology, 122, p.104039. Heim, M., Keerl, D. and Scheibel, T., 2009. Spider silk: from soluble protein to extraordinary fiber. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 48(20), pp.3584-3596. Labonte, D., Clemente, C.J., Dittrich, A., Kuo, C.Y., Crosby, A.J., Irschick, D.J. and Federle, W., 2016. Extreme positive allometry of animal adhesive pads and the size limits of adhesion-based climbing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(5), pp.1297-1302. https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-spider-silk-research-spawns-a-web-of-literary-offerings (https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-spider-silk-research-spawns-a-web-of-literary-offerings)

6. 

   25 Aug 2026

   WSRF #2 - Backrooms: The horror of the hazmat suit

   In this episode of When Science Ruins Fiction, we take a look back at Backrooms and ask: what makes hazmat suits so horrifying? Sources cited: Muir, J. K. (2012). The Horror Lexicon #17: Bio-Hazard Suits. Reflections on Film and Television. Kirby, D. A. (2011). Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists, and Cinema. MIT Press. (See also: Kirby, D. A. (2003). Scientists on the Set: Science Consultants and the Communication of Science in Visual Fiction. Public Understanding of Science). Moodley, P., & Lesage, S. S. (2019). A discourse analysis of Ebola in South African newspapers (2014–2015). South African Journal of Psychology, 50(1) Modern, M. (2019). Visualizing Ebola: Hazmat Suit Imagery, the Press, and the Production of Biosecurity. Canadian Journal of Communication, 44(2) Jones, H., & Arnould, E. J. (2025). Mythologized Counter-Futures and Self-Protective Consumption: A Netnography of Doomsday Preppers. Journal of Consumer Research, 52(4)

7. 

   11 Aug 2026

   WSRF #0 - Another Podcast? Really?

   Introducing When Science Ruins Fiction! A podcast that no one needs, but more than a few people have asked for - and thus, we caved. Will Tingle is a conservation filmmaker, marine biologist, and has consumed more obscure works of science fiction than he has hairs on his head (still impressive as of writing this). Alice Thomson is a science communicator with a Master’s focusing on the impact of Sci-Fi on the public understanding of science, too many opinions, and far too dyslexic to express them in a written format. Together, every two weeks we will be tackling a piece of science fiction media, discussing how accurate the science is, how enjoyable it makes the film, and most importantly, if it ultimately makes or ruins it. We’re trying to build a community of people to chat with, educate, and learn from, and we’d love for you to be part of it!

8. 

   11 Aug 2026

   WSRF #1 - Disclosure Day: Are we really ready for aliens?

   In this inaugural episode of When Science Ruins Fiction, we take a look at Steven Spielberg’s latest release, Disclosure Day, and ask: would we listen? Papers mentioned in episode: Discovery of extraterrestrial life: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5767786/ Unite Against: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103119301866 Empathy: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.06.007 (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.06.007) Differences in empathic concern: https://doi.org/10.1177/002202211667391 (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116673910) Cross-group concern: https://doi.org/10.1177/002202211667391 (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116673910) Extraterrestrial message: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0094-5765(00)00041-3 (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0094-5765(00)00041-3)

Contact When Science Ruins Fiction

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.