The Physics of Sci-Fi Monsters, with Charles Liu

Would Godzilla be structurally sound or too big for its own weight? Neil deGrasse Tyson, with co-host Matt Kirshen and “Geek-in-Chief” Charles Liu, takes a look at the monsters that have terrified us, like the zombies in The Last of Us or Godzilla, and the scary speculative science behind them. Are black holes cosmic cookie monsters? Charles shares his favorite creature, Godzilla, as Japan’s way of processing nuclear trauma. What does it mean that the monster came from radiation? Neil recalls his childhood fascination with Rodan’s supersonic flight and asks: could any creature that big actually move? We put monster physics to the test. What would happen if Godzilla really walked the Earth? Would his bones shatter under his own weight? From King Kong’s tragic fall to Frankenstein’s electric creation, we trace how monsters evolved alongside scientific discovery. How did Benjamin Franklin’s experiments with electricity inspire Mary Shelley? Why are we drawn to the undead like zombies in The Last of Us to infected humans in Body Snatchers? Could climate change or fungi actually create a real-life zombie apocalypse? And what if the scariest monsters… are humans themselves? From Finding Nemo to The Twilight Zone, Neil, Matt, and Charles examine how fear of the unfamiliar drives us to monstrous behavior. Can understanding physics and biology make the terrifying beautiful? Do monsters endure because they hold up a mirror to our imagination, our fears, and the edges of our humanity? Thanks to our Patrons Brandon, Ikumi Nakajima, Vanessa Johnston, Thomas Weeks, Vicvegatw, M G, Vijay Kale, Anshuman Rai, Zach Kellogg, Marcus, Glenn Clark, christian mendez pagan, Felipe Rocha, John Olsson, Ralph Kewish, George Vailakis, Rick Stawicki, Stephen Bradley, Jeffrey Moore, matthew gilmer, Cheryl, Jeanne, Bishop PPB, Rob, Moose Polk, Daniel Rajski, Mila Gregory, Magnus, Paul Chatalbash, Koy Corwin, Max A, James Lott, Frosty, Stacy Hughes, Shay Collins, Darryl Barton, Graham Anderson, Akseli, James Bartram, Hacker Man, Dick Feynman, Theresa Hernandez, Shannon Pincombe, Arnab Mukherjee, James Rinker, (Not) Lord Kelvin, Daniel Smith, Rob Woods, Trevor Krumm, Joan Amelia Tarshis, Brendan Shrimplin, Joshua Sahner, Kalin Zlatinov, Jay2Serious, Marcus, Nathan Charland, ciana marie dolphin, Justin Jacob, Toilet machine, T P Hysmith, David Faulkner, Ernest Huntress, N.L. Peterson, Andrew McCall, Ondrej Pinter, Benjamin Froud, Jason Northrop, Sloopy55, Floris Kuik, Jan Leslie, Ameesa, Angi Brown, Mesa Kevin, Tars, Dk, thomas Appleby, StarlitFox117, Jessica Black, Jesse Lakeman, jbas2015, Ethan Stepp, Patricia J Clements, Emmanual Morales Rodriguez, Laura Michelle, Darwin Gregory, Michelle Man, Rebecca Wright, Helen Dahlberg, Franny R, Vassilis Bakosis, Lance Hoopes, Steven Savicki, Melissa Lange, and Riley Ruffin for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Charles Liu 03:24 - Our Relationship to Monsters 08:10 - Dragons 10:39 - Are Vampires Monsters? 12:29 - Godzilla & The Atomic Bomb 20:50 - How Big Can Monsters Be? 23:40 - King Kong 26:33 - Frankenstein’s Monster 32:06 - The Undead, Zombies, & The Last of Us 42:08 - Embodying Our Fears & The Uncanny Valley 48:43 - Physics Monsters 50:49 - A Cosmic Perspective Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson