Unobtainium Podcast

Jurassic Park: DNA Extraction

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Unobtainium Podcast, hosts Adam Sigel and Amy Mainzer are joined by astrobiologist and evolutionary scientist Betül Kaçar to explore the real science beneath Jurassic Park. Could dinosaur DNA really survive inside amber for 65 million years? How close are modern scientists to resurrecting extinct species? And what happens when humanity gains the power to rewrite life itself? The conversation dives into cloning, CRISPR gene editing, ancient DNA, microbial evolution, extinction events, and the surprising role bacteria played in transforming Earth’s atmosphere billions of years ago. Along the way, the episode explores the deeper themes that make the Jurassic Park films endure: scientific ambition, chaos theory, corporate greed, the ethics of de-extinction, and humanity’s endless desire to control nature — even when nature refuses to cooperate. Equal parts funny, philosophical, and scientifically grounded, the discussion reveals why Jurassic Park remains one of the most compelling science fiction franchises.

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Back to the Future: Flux Capacitor

Tue, 26 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

What if the greatest time travel device in movie history is just a glowing Y-shaped excuse to ask bigger questions about science, storytelling, and human imagination?

In the premiere episode of Unobtainium Podcast, Hollywood writer/producer Adam Sigel and rocket scientist Amy Mainzer launch a smart, funny deep dive into the science of science fiction through one of cinema’s most iconic inventions: the flux capacitor from Back to the Future.

Along the way, they explore why great sci-fi doesn’t need perfect science — it just needs enough “unobtainium” to make us believe. From Einstein’s theory of relativity and real-world time dilation to wormholes, paradoxes, plutonium, and the narrative genius of a time-traveling DeLorean, the conversation moves between real physics and Hollywood storytelling craft.

The result is a lively exploration of why science fiction matters: not just because it predicts the future, but because it helps us imagine it.

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Inception: Shared Dreaming

Tue, 26 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

In this mind-bending episode of Unobtainium Podcast, hosts Adam and Amy are joined by neuroscientist and bestselling author David Eagleman to unpack the science behind Inception. They explore what dreams actually are, why the brain creates them, and whether concepts like dream manipulation, shared dreaming, mind hacking, and incepting your subconscious could ever become real. The conversation moves from the neuroscience of memory and perception to lucid dreaming and recurring nightmares.

Also, they touch on related issues such as false memories, eyewitness testimony, processing grief, and the unsettling idea that our brains constantly rewrite reality. Along the way, they examine how Christopher Nolan’s film turns neuroscience into cinematic storytelling — using dreams not just as a sci-fi premise, but as a metaphor for filmmaking itself: the act of planting ideas inside someone else’s mind. The result is a fascinating exploration of consciousness, imagination, and why the line between reality and perception may be thinner than we think.

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Unobtainium Podcast Trailer

Tue, 12 May 2026 23:38:10 GMT

The Unobtainium Podcast is hosted by Adam Sigel, a Hollywood producer-writer, and Dr. Amy Mainzer, an astrophysicist. Together, they explore the science in science fiction. Each episode unpacks the Unobtainium behind movies—what’s real, what’s cinematic, and why filmmakers bend reality. This is for the nerds, sci-fi fans, film junkies, and anyone curious about the science behind the story.

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