WEBVTT 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:09.760 Hello! 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:18.000 You're listening to the MSU Ansible, a discovery podcast where we review and reflect on the crossroads of science fiction and science. 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:19.440 I'm Jody Coulter. 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.960 If you're joining me, it's likely you are interested in science fiction. 00:00:23.200 --> 00:00:24.880 Great news, so am I. 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:32.800 I'm a fan of science fiction and I love talking about what I've read, how science is incorporated, and how science fiction reflects society. 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:40.880 It almost feels like we're living through another golden age of science fiction, which is awesome, and I want to give it the consideration it deserves. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:47.600 To get us started, I want to take a moment to discuss what an Ansible is and what I mean when I say science fiction. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:52.000 The term Ansible was coined in 1966 by Ursula K. 00:00:52.160 --> 00:00:55.280 Le Guin, one of my favorite science fiction authors. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:01.120 She used the term to describe fictional devices that were capable of faster-than-light communication. 00:01:01.440 --> 00:01:03.920 Wikipedia does a great job of describing it. 00:01:04.160 --> 00:01:15.040 An Ansible, quote, can instantaneously transmit and receive communication across vast distances and obstacles, including between stars and even across galaxies, end quote. 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:25.680 Because this is a podcast and because I hope to be able to talk across vast distances and obstacles with all of you, I thought The Ansible might be a great title for our podcast. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.080 I also want to take a moment to talk about my definition of science fiction. 00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:32.080 I'm not a science purist. 00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:36.240 I don't believe in such things as hard science and soft sciences. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:39.840 I know that some people find these terms useful, but I don't. 00:01:40.160 --> 00:01:45.200 Science seems rigid, but methods that work in one field don't work in another. 00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:47.680 Does that make those fields less than? 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.360 Absolutely not. 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.440 Science is science, even if it looks differently depending on your field. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:58.640 So this podcast isn't going to just tackle chemistry and physics and math and engineering. 00:01:58.880 --> 00:02:04.720 It's also going to explore social science and anthropology and political science and anything else in between. 00:02:04.960 --> 00:02:10.640 To expand this, science fiction to me is a massive umbrella term that covers a lot of other genres. 00:02:10.880 --> 00:02:16.880 For example, we might read speculative fiction or alternative histories or something else that might strike our fancy. 00:02:17.200 --> 00:02:20.240 I also want to take a moment to talk about who I am. 00:02:20.480 --> 00:02:23.600 I work as the life sciences librarian at Michigan State University. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:29.040 I'm also an entomologist, which means I've studied insects, though I currently don't work as an entomologist. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:32.080 One of my majors as an undergrad was English lit. 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:38.800 I've been fascinated by science fiction, and I have strong opinions about its place in literature with a capital L. 00:02:39.040 --> 00:02:40.640 I'm also a big Star Trek fan. 00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:45.280 Voyager is a super underappreciated series, and I'm happy to talk about it. 00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:47.280 So why am I doing this? 00:02:47.600 --> 00:02:55.680 I'm in touch with a lot of scientists across campus and the nation, and I want to showcase where science leaves off and fiction picks up in science fiction. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:00.880 This podcast is meant to bring scientists closer to you through the medium of science fiction. 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:06.800 Personally, I've wanted to do a podcast that looks at how science fiction reflects society for some time. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:12.240 Science fiction explores some amazing concepts that can be hard to look at straight on. 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:22.080 If you warp or twist the fabric of reality a little, some of the subtler themes start to pop out, and those themes can have big impacts on how we view the world. 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:28.960 I want to wrestle with those themes because I think they're important, but also because talking about them gives me hope. 00:03:29.200 --> 00:03:35.920 I'm a helpless optimist, and I believe if we can dream of a more hopeful future, we can actually make a hopeful future. 00:03:36.160 --> 00:03:41.600 I don't remember when I read my first sci-fi, but it became exceptionally important to me in my 20s. 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:44.080 I'm particularly fond of Ursula K. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:45.440 Le Guin, J.S. 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:50.880 Dews, Ted Chiang, Martha Wells, Arkady Martine, James S.A. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:52.000 Corey, and N.K. 00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:52.880 Jemison. 00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:59.840 I know that last author might spark some strong opinions, but she's amazing and I strongly stand by that one. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:05.920 Currently, we have one season planned and six episodes laid out in that season. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.160 We will release one episode a month. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:13.920 Each episode will explore a new book and talk about some of the main science themes in that book. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:21.440 I will have one or two new guests with me each episode, someone I know who might be able to give us a deep look into the science of the book. 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:27.920 With each season, we hope to bring you an abundance of other materials that will help you dive deeply into some of those themes. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:38.640 These might include essays, lists of resources to help you understand complex topics, threads where you can join the discussion, and hopefully many other things as the podcast grows. 00:04:38.960 --> 00:04:43.360 I want to wrap up this intro by saying that I really appreciate you listening. 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:48.720 Science fiction is an incredibly fun and gripping study, and I hope you will join us.