SIO509: What Project Hail Mary Gets Right (And Very Wrong...) About Biology

SIO509: What Project Hail Mary Gets Right (And Very Wrong...) About Biology

Author: seriouspod.com April 4, 2026 Duration: 56:10

Everyone's favorite biologist and dinosaur enthusiast Dr. Eric Jaffe is back! Project Hail Mary is a very fun, and quite good, sciency movie that is cleaning up at the box office right now. You should see it! Eric is going to take us through the biology of the movie (and book) and what it gets right, and what it gets quite wrong.


The conversations on Serious Inquiries Only start from a simple premise: that complex ideas deserve clear, thoughtful examination without sacrificing wit or approachability. Host Thomas guides these explorations, sitting down with experts and thinkers to untangle questions from the realms of science, political discourse, philosophical debate, and skeptical inquiry. What you’ll hear isn’t a stiff interview or a lecture, but a genuine dialogue that values curiosity over confrontation. The tone is friendly and the pace is engaging, allowing for both depth and detours, ensuring that even the most rigorous topics feel like a compelling chat rather than homework. This podcast operates on the belief that serious subject matter doesn’t have to be dry or inaccessible, and that humor is a powerful tool for understanding. Each episode is built on a foundation of critical thinking, aiming to dissect arguments, examine evidence, and navigate the nuances of issues that shape our world. It’s a space for listeners who want to engage with substantive content but appreciate a conversational, human touch in the process. You can find Serious Inquiries Only, created by seriouspod.com, within News podcast categories, where it offers a blend of intellectual substance and relatable delivery.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Serious Inquiries Only
Podcast Episodes
SIO515: A Vast, Global Network! ... of 3 Guys [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:02
Continuing the discussion of the CNN Rape Academy article. It gets even worse. And also, how our information environment is ruined and getting ruineder.
SIO512: NO It Was Not Staged. Stop Being Joe Rogan. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:45
It wasn't staged. None of them were staged. Yes Trump was shot in the ear. I thought you all were doing a bit, but apparently you weren't. This isn't good and you should stop doing it, please. In discussing this current…
SIO511: What a Recent Chappell Roan Incident Teaches Us About Sexism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:03
Well, what do you know - it's a day that ends in y so the internet has a woman to hate. You might have seen some of the chatter about child-hating Chappell Roan lately, and it's just so depressing every single time one o…
SIO510: Digging Into the Science of the Placebo Effect [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:16
Popular media will tell you that placebos, inert inactive substances taken as if they’re medication, can work miracles. …Placebos don’t “work”. But what does that even mean? And if that’s true, why would we include a pla…
SIO507: Shirley You're Joking, Minnesota Fraud Man! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:48
It's part 2 of the Minnesota fraud stuff. We get a little more Nick Shirley, dumbest person ever to testify in congress. And then I debunk the main claims against Gov. Walz and AG Ellison. Did Walz un-stop the payments t…
SIO506: Minnesota Fraud and the Death of Information [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:48
So now that we've covered a real hearing with brave whistleblowers that got NO attention, it's time to look at what happens over on the other side of the aisle.