It is not a secret to anyone who knows me even a little bit that I am a sucker for podcasts. I listen to them every single day when on commute to and from work, when shopping, doing chores.
I started with some of the major shows like the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, The Infinite Monkey Cage, Radio Lab and The Naked Scientist. I still very very much enjoy those shows and try to learn new things from them since they are wildly successful.
I do have my year’s favorites and in 2018 I discovered many new shows which are absolutely amazing to listen to. I’ve divided my favorite shows podcasts (very arbitrarily) into 3 sections.
Most favorite non-(strictly)-science podcasts
20k Hz
"The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds"
With this show I discovered how amazing and varied the world of sound creation, design, and editing is. I love the voice of Dallas Taylor – the host. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to experiencing the phenomenon people call ASMR, something I’m still not convinced I have really experienced before.
And I absolutely adore learning all the unexpected ways sound and noise impacts my life and my perception of the world.
And don’t even get me started on the quality of the sound effects and the whole show (duh!).
Flash Forward
"Possible & not so possible futures"
Only in the past years I became a true fan of science fiction. Before I was all about the science.
While there’s a lot of science going into sci-fi, I listen to this one as a educated fantasy. So naturally, this podcast became an almanach of the sci-fi I have missed through the years (with their frequent references to sci-fi culture) and a window towards imagining the world of the day after tomorrow. Love the little dramatisations in the beginning – totally make the show format stand out and be more memorable!
The Bulgarian History Podcast
"1,300 years of the most exciting history you've never heard of before"
I’ve always loved history, but I also always hated studying it. In my humble opinion, history was no thought
the right way when I was growing up. And of course, being Bulgarian, my own history interests me – you’d be surprised by the rich history of the country –
it reads like an awesome historical drama/ mystery/ adventure!
And I particularly like the point of view of a foreigner talking about Bulgarian history, because I get to hear the “different perspective” from what I’ve been taught at school.
Nerding out with science podcasts
Science Vs
"Science Vs takes on fads, trends, and the opinionated mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between"
Wendy Zukerman is an absolute delight to listen to. She charges me with good vibes when I listen to the show. The evidence-based approach to all their topics is what I love about science and science communication in the first place. I love the nerdy puns that are an intrinsic part of the show and the sound effects always make me smile.
Gastropod
"Food through the lens of science and history"
I’m a foodie. Food for me is often a reward and a consolation. It shouldn’t be
that way. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have been overweight, but it’s a fact of my life. So having loved food all my life, I love finding out the amazing ways food came/comes to be the thing it is today.
I really love the travel episodes and the numerous guests they have on the show.
WARNING: Do not listen on
an empty stomach – will bring you unbearable hunger!
Undiscovered
"Undiscovered is a new podcast about the left turns and lucky breaks that make science REALLY happen"
Development of science and how discoveries came to be. What I particularly like about this one is the humanity of scientists, doctors, researchers or whomever they decide to be the hero of each episode they masterly put to the front of the story together with the discoveries. What’s more – I love that they show the flip side of each discovery, because everything has a good and a bad thing about it. It promotes open mindedness and critical thinking, which is very very necessary today!
One of my favorite episodes is a bit tough to listen to, but it’s absolutely amazing and it had my mind working for days on end on the topic covered. Consider yourself warned! 🙂
My own podcast babies
Bluestreak Science
"Providing a voice for science in an increasingly anti-science world. Our goal is to help scientists get their message to the public"
I listen to the episodes – always, even to the ones I was part of the recording. And it’s the funniest show I know in the science tab of podcasts. I giggle all the time (which is kind of embarrassing given that I listen to podcasts exclusively on commute) and it totally makes my day. I love our format and I absolutely adore my co-hosts!
This show is my first home of podcasting so I will always listen, love it and be grateful I’m part of it!
SciComm_JC
"Evidence-based research in social sciences and education into your outreach efforts"
I’m learning so much about science communication! Not only from the topics we cover, but also from my co-hosts and our guests. And I discover so many new things about pre/post production, sound editing and recording – I love it! It still takes me forever to edit an episode, but the satisfaction of finishing it and finding better ways to do it with each new one just gives me an amazing confidence boost I sometimes really need.
