Astro-physicist Dr Jen Gupta and comedian Alice Fraser travel the parallel worlds of science and sci-fi.

Starting with the latest books and films, they discover real life science that sounds too strange to be true - from babies grown in bags, via black hole Jacuzzis, to flowers that behave like our ears.

In this episode, Jen and Alice try to work out the truth behind telekinesis – moving things with your mind. They look at the real history behind the hit show Stranger Things. It turns out the CIA spent a long time investigating the truth behind paranormal phenomena as part of their efforts to out-think the Russians during the Cold War. But it's the actual science that is much more interesting than the sci-fi.

They talk to the Brazilian scientist Miguel Nicolelis about inventing the brain-machine interface and how he got a monkey in America to move a robot in Japan with its mind. What will the consequences be for human beings now we can link our brains to machines?

Produced by Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Peggy Sutton
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4 Show less