While at home, podcasts, books, and movies can be an enjoyable way to escape from reality while expanding your knowledge of scientific content. We asked the College of Sciences community what entertainment they were enjoying while at home, and they shared the content inspiring, educating, and amusing them.
Podcasts
Short Wave Podcast
Recommended by Pooja Parikh
In this podcast series, learn about “new discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines” in a comedic, ten-minute podcast episode. Recent episodes discuss the importance of social interaction, even with strangers, and the concept of zoonotic spillover, and its importance in understanding the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Infinite Monkey Cage Podcast
Recommended by Aarushi Khajuria
This podcast by the BBC takes a “witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists’ eyes.” In recent episodes, learn about historical topics with humor and the possibility of UFO’s and aliens existing and visiting Earth.
ScienceMatters
Recommended by the College of Sciences Communications Team
The official podcast of the College of Sciences celebrates discovery and achievements in the sciences and mathematics. The most recent episode sits down with Susan Lozier, the dean of the College of Sciences, to discuss her physical oceanography research and the physics of the ocean. Past episodes sit down with various Georgia Tech professors and faculty and dive into the various facets of research occurring in the Georgia Tech community.
Books
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Recommended by Yasmine Bassil
This funny, clear, and entertaining adventure explores the realms of human knowledge and explains areas of science in terms appealing to the general public. Starting from the Big Bang and tracing discovery to the rise of civilization, author Bill Bryson helps the reader understand the scientific forces that shaped humanity and the universe.
Television and Videos
QI
Recommended by Chinar Patil
Short for Quite Interesting, this BBC comedy panel game show asks impossible questions with each episode focused on a different letter of the alphabet. To win, you don’t need to answer correctly, you just need to have the most interesting answer. Recent episodes discuss Quads and Quinns, Quizmas, and Quantities.
Smarter Every Day
Recommended by Stephen Nash
In this video series, father, husband and engineer Destin explores the world using science. Every day, he looks to explore the world, and share his findings with others. Recent series focus on the engineering of helicopters and the mechanics of bird flight.
Scooby-Doo
Recommended by Nilesh Hughes
The classic children’s series holds comedic and sentimental merit today. Follow the Scooby-Doo gang as they chase ghosts, solve mysteries and unmask bad guys. Every episode is full of fun and adventure as the team of four teenagers and a dog work as the world’s greatest mystery stoppers.
Connections
Recommended by Deborah Davidson Perkins
In this BBC series, historian James Burke explored the connections of scientific discovery and historic events, to show the evolution of modern technology. Through a combination of dry humor, detailed models, and historical re-enactments, Burke created an entertaining series that premiered on the BBC network in 1978.
Documentaries and Movies
BBC Documentaries
Recommended by Claire Deng
In various documentaries produced by the BBC learn about history, science, and the forces that drive humanity. Recent documentaries measure the brainpower of humans in an intelligence test, and the psychology of modern torture techniques.
Planet Earth
Recommended by Will Ratcliff
Technically, Will Ratcliff recommended “anything by David Attenborough,” a master documentary filmmaker with a talent for making scientific content fascinating. Planet Earth is one of Attenborough’s most notable documentaries. Watch to learn about the variety of the natural world in a series filmed over four years in 64 different countries.
Related Media
Student Reading in the Scheller College of Business. Photo: Fitrah Hamid
For More Information Contact
Grace Pietkiewicz
Communications Assistant
College of Sciences
katiegracepz@gatech.edu
