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Science Vs

Behind the Scenes of ‘Oppenheimer’

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.412.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today we're going behind the scenes of Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.” Professor David Saltzberg, one of the scientists who consulted on the movie (also “The Big Bang Theory”), joins us to chat about the science behind the movie. We also giggle about working with actors like Cillian Murphy to explain complicated science, and what the film got … maybe a little … wrong. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsOppenheimer  In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Meet David Saltzberg (04:09) Science and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ (07:55) Science and ‘Oppenheimer’ (17:22) Talking science with Cillian Murphy This episode was produced by Joel Werner and Wendy Zukerman with help from Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. Editing by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard and So Wylie. Special thanks to Rima Morris and Lindsay Farber. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, I'm Wendy Zuckerberg, a dillistic decides versus a today we're pitting facts against film.

0:14.4

While we're working on episodes for our next season, which I'm very excited about, we're

0:19.3

just fervig up what we're going to be tackling.

0:22.6

In the meantime, we are putting little Easter eggs down our feet and the egg I'm serving

0:28.1

up today is poached by that I mean, it's the best kind of egg.

0:35.2

Don't tell me scrambles is better than poached.

0:39.3

So Christopher Nolan's latest film Oppenheimer just hit the cinemas and it's been going off.

0:45.8

This film tells the story of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer who is sometimes credited as the father of

0:50.9

the atomic bomb.

0:52.7

It's the more you're from the trailer.

0:54.3

You're the man who gave them the power to destroy themselves and the world is not prepared.

1:05.6

Now in truth, the atomic bomb actually had quite a few fathers and mothers, but why let

1:12.5

facts get in the way of a good story, eh?

1:14.7

Well, to tell us all about facts, this week I had a chat with Professor David Salzberg.

1:21.7

He was a scientific consultant on Oppenheimer.

1:24.5

He's also a consultant on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and before you throw a tomato

1:29.8

at him, his job wasn't to write the jokes just to help out with the science.

1:36.3

We talked to David about the science of building an atomic bomb working on a set with actors

1:41.6

and helping them grapple with some pretty tough scientific concepts.

1:46.1

And we also discussed why it's so damn important that the stuff written on blackboards

1:51.4

in science-y-sounding movies is actually correct.

1:55.5

It's a bit of a gripe of mine.

...

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