An astrophysicist reviews "Project Hail Mary"

Astrophysicist Adam Frank joins us to review the hottest movie in the country, "Project Hail Mary." Did the writers get the science right? How about the alien representation? We go to the movies for a little break from reality. Our guest: •Adam Frank, Ph.D., author and Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester 00:00 Introduction 03:55 What’s driving Project Hail Mary’s success 07:15 Fear, cooperation, and alien portrayals 11:50 How sci‑fi sets its own rules 15:20 The physics of space travel on screen 18:55 Why the sun isn’t actually dying 22:30 Climate change, desperation, and power 26:54 JD Vance and UFO disclosure claims 31:45 How hard it is to find alien life 34:55 The scale problem in space travel 45:35 Why interstellar travel may be impossible 49:35 A longer view of human challenges __________________________ For more shows and information head to https://www.wxxinews.org/show/connect.... Be part of the program with questions or comments by phone at 844-295-TALK (8255), emailing [email protected] or using the chat on the live stream. Do you have a story that needs to be shared? https://www.wxxinews.org/pitch-your-s... __________________________ Become a member of WXXI: https://donate.wxxi.org/wxxi/connecti... Never miss a headline with our daily newsletter: https://www.wxxinews.org/newsletter.