My Nuclear Life
On July 16, 1945, in a New Mexico desert, the Trinity Test ushered in the Nuclear Age. No other piece of technology has penetrated the American consciousness like the nuclear bomb and found a place in everything from culture to medicine. This podcast explores how nuclear science has impacted and changed our world in both beneficial and destructive ways. We explore the intersection of nuclear science and society using interviews with historians, policymakers, experts in their fields, and first-hand accounts to weave a picture of your nuclear life.
- Update frequency
- every 22 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 74
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
The Atomic Pilgrim | James Patrick Thomas
James Patrick Thomas speaks to Shelly about his walk for nuclear disarmament in 1981 which lasted 20 months. Along with 18-19 other pilgrims, James left Washington and journeyed to Bethlehem, walking…
Tue 05 Aug 2025
The ethics of human radiation experiments | The Uncover Up
Shelly meets up with Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke in Toronto to discuss the ethics behind human radiation experiments. We redefine what "fun" means, Nathan shows off his "ethics" knowledge, and Lee ma…
Tue 24 Jun 2025
Day in the Life of a Nuclear Physicist | Kelly Chipps
What do you think a nuclear physicist does every day? Lone genius or social butterfly? Listen to find out how Dr Kelly Chipps of Oak Ridge National Laboratory fills her time.
00:37:39 |
Tue 13 May 2025
Cold War Human Radiation Experiments | Eileen Welsome
“As all these stories do, it started with a radioactive animal dump in Albuquerque,” is the best first line of a story I have ever heard. Listen as Eileen Welsome and Shelly Lesher discuss some of t…
00:53:49 |
Tue 08 Apr 2025
Cold War Kids | Ann Kordas
Ann Kordas joins Shelly to discuss the gendered roles of boys and girls during the Cold War and how children were taught to protect themselves from nuclear annihilation through toys, sitcoms, and gov…
00:48:32 |
Tue 25 Feb 2025
Nuclear Christmas List with Kelly Chipps
Ever wonder what to buy with your Christmas money? Need a nuclear themed gift for that nerd in your family? Look no further, Shelly and her friend and fellow nuke, Kelly Chipps found lots of items fo…
00:48:05 |
Tue 07 Jan 2025
(rerelease) Jimmy Carter - with Jonathan Alter
On December 29, 2024 humanitarian, nuclear engineer, and the 39th president of the US passed away at 100 years old. Please enjoy this rerelease of Episode 35.
00:40:22 |
Wed 01 Jan 2025
Was the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion inevitable? with Adam Higginbotham
If you were alive at the time, you remember an o-ring caused the January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion 73 seconds after take off. But was it that simple? Adam Higginbotham discusses hi…
00:30:41 |
Tue 26 Nov 2024
Ray Cats Nuke the Moon
This episode was recorded in Toronto with Nathan Radke and Lee Kuhnle from the UnCover Up Podcast and special guest Nina Weston (a young person). We brainstorm some additional ideas on how to "hide" …
00:41:01 |
Wed 06 Nov 2024
The return of Matt Caplan - Twelve Thousand Bombs
Find Matt Caplan's podcast where every you find us.
00:00:52 |
Thu 17 Oct 2024
61. Threads turns 40 with Bob Mielke
Learn about the nuclear horror movie Threads with author Bob Mielke and his new book from Die Die books https://diediebooks.com/products/threads1984
00:39:26 |
Thu 03 Oct 2024
Announcement - Contest & Free Documentary Premiere
Enter our contest to out crazy the crazy email: [email protected] and join My Nuclear Life and The UnCoverUp at our Documentary Premiere. For free tickets email: [email protected]
00:02:52 |
Tue 03 Sep 2024
The Uranium Show with Lucy Santos
What role has Uranium played in our society? Who was "hotter than radioactive yams"? What do fashionable Uranium prospectors wear? Lucy Santos answers these questions and more when she joins Shelly …
00:50:18 |
Tue 03 Sep 2024
What should we do with all the ray cats? with Matt Caplan
What if you discovered warning signs of something very dangerous buried deep underground from an ancient civilization? Would you believe the item was dangerous or would you think it was valuable trea…
00:52:18 |
Thu 01 Aug 2024
The journey of a citizen scientist with Frank von Hippel
Physicist and activist, Frank von Hippel discusses his career in arms control and what the future may hold for the world.
Two corrections – 1) The Nuclear Weapons Freeze march was from the UN to Cen…
00:51:23 |
Tue 28 May 2024
The Black Sea Experiment: Data taking and legacy
Our team returns to the Soviet Union to take data on the Slava. We hear about the spectroscopy of a nuclear weapon and the legacy of the Black Sea Experiment.
Guests include: Steve Fetter, Frank von…
00:42:21 |
Tue 30 Apr 2024
Prelude to the Black Sea Experiment: Soviet Scientists Reach Out
This episode sets the stage for the Black Sea Experiment. We are introduced to Tom Cochran and Frank von Hippel, two people who had a hand in changing the way the US viewed arms control verification.…
00:38:08 |
Tue 30 Apr 2024
Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 2
Shelly continues her stay in Tbilisi, Georgia and speaks to two Physicists, Giorgia Japaridz (Illia State Univ.) and Revaz Shanidze (Tbilisi State Univ). They discuss what life as a physicist was li…
00:52:44 |
Wed 27 Mar 2024
Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 1
Spend time with Shelly and two guest as she travels to Tbilsi, Georgia. First she discusses storytelling and Georgian’s atomic Odyssey with Shorena Lortkipanidze from the Civil Council on Defense and…
00:58:03 |
Tue 27 Feb 2024
The new face of the nuclear nerd - Miss America (2023) Grace Stanke
Start the New Year off with a bang. Join Shelly & Miss America 2023, nuclear engineer, and fellow Badger Grace Stanke to discuss a range of topics.
00:40:16 |
Tue 30 Jan 2024
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