October 8, 2014

#090 – THE ROBOT APOCALYPSE

WHEN THE ROBOTS TAKE OVER, will we all be forced to speak bocce? Author and robotics engineer Daniel H. Wilson visits MonsterTalk to discuss the nature of robots and the risk of a robot apocalypse. Steven Spielberg has purchased the rights to produce a film version of his New York Times bestseller, Robopocalypse. References The Mechanical Turk Big Dog robot Cheetah robot Asimo by Honda Self […]

Regular Episode 3 min read
September 24, 2014

#089 – VAMPIRA

A POP-CULTURE INTERVIEW with historian Scott Poole on the first monstrous horror movie host, Vampira (Maila Nurmi). His new book is Vampira, Dark Goddess of Horror. Related Links Scott Poole’s official site Maila Nurmi interview Intro to Vampira show Vampira and Me (Documentary) American Scary (Documentary) TV Horror Hosts (Amazing list of local horror hosts) Aimee Semple McPherson (Evangelist) Chiller Theater […]

Regular Episode 5 min read
September 10, 2014

#088 – CITY LION, COUNTRY LION

WAS AN AFRICAN LION WANDERING the streets of Los Angeles? The case of the Norwalk Lion is solved beyond reasonable doubt—yet why do questions linger? Additional Reading Video of Norwalk Lion at normal speed KTLA Story LA Times has height for frame of reference at 2 feet. How Do Dogs Walk MonsterTalk Facebook Discussion Loren Coleman’s take on the lion sighting The Arkansas […]

Regular Episode 5 min read
August 20, 2014

#087 – MORE BRAINSSSS

WHAT CAN A SHAMBLING ZOMBIE TEACH US about the human brain? According to Brad Voytek and Tim Verstynen, quite a lot. Their new book is called Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? and in this episode of MonsterTalk we’ll be talking “Brainssss…” Further Reading Zombie Apocolypse Science Lisa Feldman Barrett Brad’s blog Tim’s column at Psychology Today Additional Media TEDx zombie neuroscience video Crazy Like Us: The Globalization […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
July 30, 2014

#086 – SLENDERMAN & TULPAS

SLENDERMAN IS AN INTERNET CREATION made for a contest on the Something Awful website. Its creator was Victor Surge (whose real name is Eric Knudsen). The character is tall, thin, faceless, wears a suit and is often shown in the background of otherwise innocent photos — sometimes with tentacles creeping shadowy from behind his back. His fictional story is that […]

Regular Episode 7 min read
July 16, 2014

#085 – ALIENABLE RITES

WHAT CAUSES A PERSON TO BE POSSESSED? Are there demons? Is it mental illness? Is it abnormal neurology? Does exorcism work? in this episode of MonsterTalk, paranormal researcher psychologist Dr. Chris French joins us to discuss the psychology of demonic possession and exorcisms. More about Chris French Read Dr. French’s column at The Guardian Browse Goldsmiths Faculty Page Further Reading http://whatstheharm.net/exorcisms.html http://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/jun/04/childrensservices.childprotection […]

Regular Episode 4 min read
July 2, 2014

#084 – NEW MT ON THE BOUNTY

THE 10 MILLION DOLLAR BIGFOOT BOUNTY television contest is over and we’re going to talk to the science advisers for the show to see how they felt about the outcome. Did science win the day? Did editing take away the good take-aways? Will Justin Smeja be getting in trouble for hunting feral humans? Check it out in this episode of MonsterTalk! […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
June 18, 2014

#083 – THE CURES OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB

UNWRAP THE SECRETS of the Mummy’s tomb as we talk to “Mr. Mummy” Dr. Bob Brier about the history of mummies and the world’s fascination with Egyptology. And then, we discuss the strange history of mummies as medicine with Dr. Richard Sugg. Join as we learn about The Cures of the Mummy’s Tomb! Dr. Bob Brier, also known as “Mr. […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
June 4, 2014

#082 – THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM

THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM—its name conjures up images of fantastic beasts like the sand worms in Dune or the creatures from the film Tremors, but the actual legends are even stranger. We discuss the legends and facts behind this cryptid with the official zoologist for the Center for Fortean Zoology, Richard Freeman. Mentioned in the episode Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowman The official […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
May 7, 2014

#081 – A TIGER BY THE TALE

ARE MYSTERIOUS LARGE CATS killing livestock and stalking the wilds of Australia? Dr. David Waldron returns to MonsterTalk to discuss his research on alien big cats down under: Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Big Cat Folklore, co-written with Simon Townsend. David Waldron and Simon Townsend describe the history and evidence for strange misplaced large cats reported in Australia. Farm animals are being killed — […]

Regular Episode 6 min read