
The Mad Scientist Podcast
The Mad Scientist Podcast is a comedy show about the history and philosophy of science and pseudoscience. Hosted by Chris and Marie, join our intrepid hosts as they talk about all the weird stuff your science textbook left out. Because sometimes, the...
Evergreen Podcasts | Killer Podcasts · Christopher Cogswell
Show overview
The Mad Scientist Podcast has been publishing since 2016, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 207 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 210 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 7th season.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 47 min and 1h 11m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Science show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 2.6 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2018, with 50 episodes published. Published by Christopher Cogswell.
From the publisher
The Mad Scientist Podcast is a comedy show about the history and philosophy of science and pseudoscience. Hosted by Chris and Marie, join our intrepid hosts as they talk about all the weird stuff your science textbook left out. Because sometimes, the best way to learn how to think like a scientist is to talk about all the bad science floating around out there!
Latest Episodes
View all 207 episodesMad Scientist Interlude: Still Alive
This is a quick update on the podcast and things going on in our lives! We are coming back this week with the continuation of our series on the science of death (and undeath). Love all of you who listen to us, and who have been so patient during this great summer of our discontent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S7 Ep 3Science Denial with Gale Sinatra and Barbara Hofer
How do individuals decide whether to accept human causes of climate change, vaccinate their children against childhood diseases, or practice social distancing during a pandemic? Democracies depend on educated citizens who can make informed decisions for the benefit of their health and well-being, as well as their communities, nations, and planet. Understanding key psychological explanations for science denial and doubt can help provide a means for improving scientific literacy and understanding—critically important at a time when denial has become deadly. In Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It, the authors identify the problem and why it matters and offer tools for addressing it. In this episode we interview the authors about the book, their work, and what we can do about it! Get a copy of the book, and the new paperback here: https://academic.oup.com/book/39889 or https://www.amazon.com/Science-Denial-Happens-What-About/dp/0190944684 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Death Part 1: Light Opener
This episode Chris and Marie discuss the last thing you'll ever do: die. What does it mean to die? We seem to think it is pretty simple to say something is alive versus dead, but actually it's a pretty difficult question. Join us as we begin our series on Death and human attempts to stave off the grim reaper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S7 Ep 1Thinking is Power!
Welcome to season 7! We are so lucky to be joined by Melanie Trecek-King, one of the best up and coming skeptics in the business. She leads Thinking is Power, a wonderful website with strategies, course guides, and other resources for educators looking to include critical thinking and science communication in their students education. You can find out more about the website here: https://thinkingispower.com/ Since its launch in January of 2021, Thinking Is Power has rapidly become a go-to resource in the area of science communication and critical thinking education. TIP’s content has been featured in a range of publications (such as Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptical Science), translated into different languages (such as Italy’s CICAP, France’s Citizen4Science), and used by dozens of educational institutions globally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mr. Musk's Wild Ride
It's bonus episode time of the season! This time, we are chatting about the world of social media, and if it is evil or not. It is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nope
Join Chris and Marie as they discuss the movie Nope, what its themes and ideas are, and how it is a satire of all things paranormal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mad Blurry Hysteria: Dead Aliens Love Kesha
Bonus episode with Brent from Hysteria 51 and Flora from Blurry Photos! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mad Scientist Promo
trailerCome get weird with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Irish Famine Part 4: Death
This episode we end our series on the Irish Famine. It is a shocking time of cruelty, put upon the starving people by a government that would rather let a million suffer than have a single penny given out in unnecessary welfare. Something something repeat our mistakes if we don't learn from history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bonus: Nuclear Weirdness with Laura Krantz
This bonus episode we are joined by Laura Krantz, host of the Wild Thing podcast. The show covers topics such as Bigfoot, Aliens, and this season Nuclear disasters! Check out the show here: https://www.foxtopus.ink/wildthing and take a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Irish Famine Part 3: Disaster
This episode we dig into the early years of the famine, from the time of the first loss of a potato to the end of the Peel government. This begins a long series of disasters, some naturally occurring, and others created by the government in their quest to starve the Irish into becoming good capitalists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Irish Famine Part 2: The Great Hunger
What made the government response to the Irish famine so ineffective? What were the social and economic issues which made the blight lead to such significantly worse outcomes for the Irish than other countries in Europe? We dig it into these issues on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Irish Famine Part 1: That's Capitalism
This episode we dig deep into the philosophical underpinnings of the Great Irish Famine, and begin to look at some of the causes of this catastrophe. Guess what, it's capitalism and the destructive effects of an extractive economy. Damn you trickle down economics, we've been fooled again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tulpas Part 3: Summoning a Friend
In this episode we delve deep into the history and theory behind tulpamancy, the crafting and creation of Tulpas. It's going to get pretty weird and fun. Don't use them for anything gross, for the love of God. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tulpas part 2: Brains versus People
This episode, join Chris and Marie as they discuss another form of thought form, that created by the consciousness of it's own body! We get into projecting the astral body, how to get into astral projection yourself, and how these ideas differ or coincide with things like dreaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tulpas Part 1
This episode we dig into the wide, weird world of Tulpamancy or the creation of a Tulpa. A tulpa is an imaginary friend gone amuck, with it's own powers, sentience, and ability to affect the world around you. And sometimes, your Tulpa just so happens to be a trademarked creation of the Nintendo Company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UAP Congressional Hearings
This episode join Chris and Marie as they discuss the latest congressional hearings on UAP, or Unidentified Ariel Phenomena! It's been a month, so are aliens real yet? Did congress vote to turn Skinwalker Ranch into a national park? Has anyone found Stephen Greer's shirt? Find out on this week's episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S6 Ep 4Denver International Airport Part 3: Finally, an Airport
On this episode we join Chris and Marie as they expose the illuminati lizards who run one of the least enjoyable forms of public transportation: airplanes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S6 Ep 3Denver International Airport Part 2: Conspiracies are for Losers
This episode, we dig deep into the reasons behind flourishing conspiracy theories so that we can better understand the wackiness surrounding this airport. Are conspiracy theories growing faster than in previous years? What conspiracies do the public believe in? How do we differentiate between a conspiracy theory, and state sponsored propaganda? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S6 Ep 2Denver International Airport Part 1: Oddly Specific Horse Anatomy
Listen we don't have much time, but the airport is secretly a base for the Illuminati Lizard people and they are trying to turn us into Sheeple, man. Join us this episode as we delve into the most interesting part of history there is: long term public infrastructure development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices