Sci Fi / Sci Fact

Adamantium is the indestructible material infused onto the skeleton of mutant X-Men hero - Wolverine. But what is it really?

Marvel's Wolverine first appeared in 1974. He is a gruff Canadian mutant who joins the superhero league of X-Men.

Wolverine has super healing abilities and claws that come out when he's angry, which catch the attention of shady military figures who try to turn him into a weapon by fusing Adamantium to...

Dilithium Crystals have been around since the origins of Star Trek. They regulate matter and anti-matter in the Starship Enterprise's warp core. But what are they?

Dilithium crystals enable the Starship Enterprise to enter warp speed and travel across the universe.

Without them, matter and anti-matter in the warp core would create an annihilation reaction. Or would it?

Dr Krista Steenbergen, MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator...

Flubber has been around since 1961 when the mad scientist Professor Brainard discovered the flying rubber. It got a re-vamp with Robin Williams in the late 90s, but how realistic is it?

If we take the 1997 version on Flubber, it is a fluorescent green, slimy-looking rubbery substance with endless energy.

It defies the laws of physics and if it was real could be a terrifying prospect.

When something bounces it looses energy every time ...

From a time-travelling DeLorean to a future where hovercars are everywhere, the movie Back to the Future is a dream for sci fi-loving petrol heads - but could it be a reality?

Throughout the 80s Marty McFly and Doc enthralled viewers with their modified DeLorean, which took Marty back to 1955 and then to the distant future - 2015.

Dr Rodrigo Martinez Gazoni, MacDiarmid Institute research fellow at the University of Canterbury fact ch...

Tonight's the night the magic happens. Old St Nick sets off from the North Pole and delivers presents to children all around the world. How does he do it?

On December 24, every year, Santa Claus piles his sleigh up with presents, he hitches Rudolph and his other reindeer up and heads off to deliver those gifts to every child in the world.

How?

JJ Eldridge, Associate Professor in Physics at the Faculty of Science, University of Aucklan...

Tony Starks's Iron Man suit enables him to fly, it has weapons and it's basically indestructible. What on earth (or space) is it made of?

Tony Stark first put on the Iron Man suit in 1968 and it's changed a lot over the years.

While it has always enabled Stark to fly and wear an arsenal, more recently the suit has been able to repair itself.

Dr Catherine Whitby, a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Massey University and Principal In...

Good news, everyone! Dr Nate Davis, Associate Investigator and Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington brings us the science - or lack of it - behind Jumbonium from Futurama.

Jumbonium from Futurama is a very rare, valuable and fictional element with atoms large enough to be seen with the naked eye. The Jumbonium atom was used for the Miss Universe competition, where it hovered above the prized tia...

In this episode, Professor Justin Hodgkiss, Co-Director of the MacDiarmid Institute talks to Bryan Crump about the scientific feasability of Star Wars' lightsabers. The ubiquitous, Jedi weapon from a galaxy far, far away...

The lightsaber in the Star Wars franchise is the weapon of the Jedi. It can be used to cut through blast doors or enemies alike. It requires skill and training to use, and is greatly enhanced when used in conjun...

In this episode, we welcome Dr Catherine Whitby, Senior Chemistry Lecturer at Massey University, and MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator, to talk about Mandalorian, the super light and super strong material in Star Wars, and its equivalent in this galaxy, Kevlar.

Mandalorian iron, also known by its Mando'a name of beskar, was an extremely durable iron ore whose only known source was the planet of Mandalore and its moon,...

In this episode, our heroes dig deep into the Mines of Moria. Dr Chris Bumby, MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator and Senior Scientist at the Robinson Research Institute of Victoria University of Wellington regales Bryan with scientific tales of Mithril from Lord of the Rings.

Mithril is a fictional metal found in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. A very rare and expensive metal in Middle-earth, it is described as resembling...

Associate Professor Geoff Willmott, MacDiarmid Institute Deputy Director for Commercialisation and Industry Engagement and Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland speaks to Bryan Crump on the stillsuits from Dune; the water-saving suit that recycles sweat and other fluids for survival in the Deep Deserts of Arrakis.

A stillsuit is a full body suit designed to preserveand recycle the body's moisture.

Its vari...

In this whimsical episode, MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Auckland, Duncan McGillivray tries to work out how Rumpelstiltskin made straw into gold.

Rumpelstiltskin is the story of an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a girl's firstborn.

In this whimsical episode, MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Auck...

Professor Nicola Gaston, MacDiarmid Institute Co-Director and Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland talks about the Dragonriders of Pern science fantasy series written by American author Anne McCaffrey.

In the a science fantasy series by author Anne McCaffrey, the planet of Pern has been colonised by humans who have lost much of their technology and history due to periodic deluge of a destructive spore called Thread

The ...

Jan Eldridge, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland on the facts behind the fiction of the Star Trek mind-swap episode - Turnabout Intruder.

Turnabout Intruder is the twenty-fourth and final episode of Star Trek. In the episode, a woman switches bodies with Captain Kirk and then tries to take over command of the Enterprise.

Jan Eldridge, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland on the facts ...

Dr Natalie Plank, MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator and Senior Lecturer in Physics at Victoria University of Wellington investigates the power of the magic wand and we learn some great tricks to try at home.

Michel de Nostradame (1503-66) and Catherine de Medici (1519-89), wife of Henry II (1519-59) King of France. 1559 (pen & ink and wash on paper) by French School, (16th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Franc...

Jan Eldridge, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland, explores the use of supernovae (or exploding/dying stars) in fiction.

A supernova (pl. supernovae or supernovas) is a powerful and luminous stellar explosion that occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. Supernovae have been featured in many works of fiction.

Jan Eldridge, As...

Professor Nicola Gaston, MacDiarmid Institute Co-Director and Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland, explores the science behind the multiverse.

The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them.

Professor Nicola Gaston, MacDiarmid Institut...

In the Ender's Game series, philote is a particle that enables communication across the galaxy. Dr Krista Steenbergen talks to Bryan Crump about the realities of such a thing.

Philote, from the Ender's Game series, is a particle that can travel faster than the speed of light and enable instantaneous communication across vast distances. Bryan Crump speaks to Dr. Krista Steenbergen, Senior Lecturer of Physics in the School of Che...

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 on it.

Professor Penny Brothers, Emeritus Investigator at the MacDiarmid Institute and Professor of Chemistry at the Australian National University gives us her scientific take on Nth Metal from DC Comics, a hyper-conductive metal that...