Science Fiction

Kryptonite is a green crystal-like material found on Superman's home planet - Krypton. The radiation from the rock weakens Superman. Professor Bill Williams tells us if there are any real life… Audio

The Philosopher's Stone in the Harry Potter books can change metal into gold and create an elixir of life. Erin Leitao tells Bryan Crump whether either ability is within our reach. Audio

In Total Recall Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a construction worker who recovers memories as life as secret agent trying to stop the mining of Turbinium on the planet Mars. Audio

Kate Andrew tackles Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books in this episode, with a particular focus on the Octiron, the element of magic which makes up the disc's hub. Audio

Spiderman swings from the top of New York's high-rises, fighting crime and beating super-villains. But could spider silk really hold up a full-grown man? Dr Paul Hume and Bryan Crump discuss the super… Audio

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator is a cyborg sent back in time to change the future. Duncan McGillvray discusses the metal that makes up the murderous robotic endoskeleton. Audio

Wonder Woman can stop bullets with her Feminum bracelets but, apart from needing the reflexes to achieve this, could any material that's light enough to wear on your wrists do that?  Audio

Colm Healy chats about the magic of material science and possible real life equivalents to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. Audio

Greedy corporations seeking Unobtainium are the bad guys in James Cameron's Avatar movie franchise. Associate Professor Nicola Gaston discusses the parallels between the fictional mineral and solid… Audio

Rodrigo Martinez Gazoni chats with Bryan Crump about the scientific plausibility of Batman's cape and some of his other gadgets. Audio

The Starship Enterprise crew's tricorders have a multitude of uses, from scanning a new planet's surface to staff health checks. Dr Michel Nieuwoudt chats about whether we could even construct such a… Audio

In Larry Niven's 1970 science fiction novel, Louis Wu and his companions crash land on a rotating ring world constructed by aliens. Dr Chris Bumby and Bryan Crump discuss whether we might one day… Audio

Marvel's Antman can shrink down to the size of an ant but still pack the punch of Mike Tyson. The McDiarmid Institute's Dr Mike Price discusses the difficulties of making this a reality. Audio

Axonite is a 'thinking' material that can replicate and spread across the cosmos to feed. The MacDiarmid Institute's Professor Bill Williams discusses whether this sort of material is scientifically… Audio

Nth Metal is a hyper-conductive metal that negates gravity. It features heavily in DC comics, but how does it stack up in the real world Professor Penny Brothers gives Bryan Crump her scientific take… Audio