‘Project Hail Mary’ brings a new kind of alien to the big screen
Podcast: Science FridayPublished On: Fri Mar 20 2026
Description: Science fiction nerds, rejoice: the long-awaited adaptation of “Project Hail Mary” is in theaters now. Host Flora Lichtman chats with book author Andy Weir and astrobiologist Mike Wong about the film’s aliens, and how they buck the trend of what extraterrestrials usually look like on screen. Guest: Andy Weir is the author of “Project Hail Mary” and “The Martian.” Dr. Mike Wong is an astrobiologist and planetary scientist at Carnegie Science in Washington, D.C. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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