We retired this podcast, because we couldn't parse it for 10 consecutive times.
Critical Mass is a podcast about science, religion, and the way they affect one another and the world around us. The show is the brainchild of two writers and former reporters, one who covered and wrote about science, the other who covered and wrote about religion. Each week, the hosts look at issues from the week’s news in which science and/or religion played a major role, discuss an important moment in history that affected science or religion (or both), and look at one work of art that reflects either a scientific or a religious interpretation of the world. If the show has a central thesis (which we are not yet certain it does), it likely goes something like this: Science and religion are not opposing forces, nor are they mutually exclusive realms. They are complementary, interconnected, and at times overlapping systems of thought, both of which hold tremendous power to affect the world in good ways and bad ways.
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2016-05-01 |
Episode 46: Monumental Physics, The Illuminati, Young Adult Content This week, after picking up on a previous story that proves that Tim and Tom are the cutting edge of journalism (sort of), the guys go on to explore a recent story about the Large Hadron Collider, and what it might mean. In the history segment, they ta... |
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2016-04-24 | This week, Tim and Tom discuss the meeting between the Pontiff and The Bern, discuss the founding of the Library of Congress, and observe Prince's passing. All that and the Magic Numbers. |
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2016-04-10 | In this week's news, Tim and Tom discuss a scientific finding that may have implications for interstellar life. In the arts they look at the new trailer for Rogue One, and in history they talk about House of Wax, the first film released in 3-D. All tha... |
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2016-03-27 | In this week's history segment, Tim and Tom talk about Easter, both the ancient and modern traditions. They look at a great essay by British writer Sam Kriss about Neil deGrasse Tyson, and they look back at a wonderful little film that NASA produced in... |
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2016-03-13 | In this week's news segment, Tim and Tom talk about Ego Depletion, a long-standing concept in the psychology literature that may turn out to be bunk. In the arts section they talk about spring break, and in history they discuss the real-life Saint Patr... |
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2016-03-06 | This week, Tim and Tom talk about new social science research regarding competition, they look at a series of posters put out by the Jet Propulsion Lab, and they observe the anniversary of the invention of the telephone, and why it was spurned by its i... |
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2016-02-28 | In this week's news segment, Tim and Tom talk about Super Tuesday. In history they look at Leap Year, and in the arts they talk about the Academy Awards. All that and the magic numbers. |
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2016-02-14 |
Episode 39: CDC Report, Saint Valentine, Tim’s Top Secret Project This week, the guys discuss a recent botched job by the CDC regarding a recommendation about alcohol and pregnancy. In history, they discuss the historical figure of Saint Valentine, and the origin of the holiday that bears his name. And in the arts, ... |
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2016-02-08 | In this week's news segment, the guys talk about the furor over the Zika virus. In entertainment, they talk about the frenzy over the"Big Game," and in history, they look at the possible medical history of England's King Henry VIII. |
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2016-01-31 |
Episode 37: Academic Freedom, The Iowa Caucuses, B.O.B. vs. Neil Tyson This week, Tim and Tom discuss the recent controversy over a faculty member at Wheaton College who is in hot water because of her choice of head covering, they talk about the recent feud between rapper B.O.B. and television personality Neil Tyson, and ... |
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