25
votes
Recommended podcasts by experts in their fields?
I have been listening to the PreHistory Podcast, written and produced by an actual academic archaeologist. I enjoy the rigor and specificity but i’m having trouble finding similar content I like, especially without the promotions and ads and fan service. I know that in the age of social media personalities such dry content is hard to come by.
I particularly enjoy ancient history, but feel free to offer other podcasts that feature people who have mastered their discipline and have found clear, effective, and even entertaining ways of sharing it. Thanks!
I really enjoy the BBC's In Our Time podcast. Each episode focuses on a different topic and the host will talk to and interview 3 experts (all usually professors or academics in some way). Topics range from everything from antiquity to science to literature. So one episode might be about a particular dinosaur and the 3 experts will be paleontologists and a museum curator at a natural history museum, then another episode might be about The Odyssey and the three experts will be historians and literature professors. Whenever there's an episode about something relating to my specific background, I've actually recognized one or two of the experts they've had on (probably because I read some of their books in grad school). So in terms of accuracy and depth it's a hard podcast to beat. My only downside to it is that some episodes/topics as well as some of the experts can be a bit dry (which it does not sound like you mind), but since each episode is a different topic and has different experts, you can just skip to a new episode that interests you and hopefully enjoy it more. I've learned all sorts of random stuff about topics I would have never thought to seek out.
Also, not 100% what you asked for, since he technically is not an expert and there are definitely ads at the beginning of each episode (which are consistent and therefore easy to skip depending on your podcast player), but I really enjoyed the History of Rome and the Revolutions podcasts, both by Mike Duncan. He's not technically an expert, but the amount of research he did for each episode is commendable, and he does a good job of conveying complicated histories to the average listener while keeping a relatable and level-headed take on things (like he'll clearly point out when evidence is lacking for certain things, or that sources differ on this particular event that may or may not have happened).
I got distracted before pressing post on my message and that was just about 35 minutes ago, so you ended up beating my Revolutions recommendation!
Mike Duncan is good at what he does, so I'll just second this and consider the former as a new addition for myself.
There's a bunch of overlap in things I see you say/play/listen so I should give it a try!
I too started with the Revolutions podcast and then later learned that he also did the History of Rome. So it’s interesting to see his progression from one to the other. I never noticed how clean and well-produced Revolutions was until I heard the first few episodes of Rome, where he’s still new to the whole podcasting thing. The episodes are perfectly fine, he just hadn’t found his rhythm yet, so the audio isn’t the best and he sort of learns as he goes. But a few episodes in he’s got it nailed down and then it becomes just as high-quality as Revolutions is (which makes sense since it came later).
Thanks, I really appreciate knowing that! (I see my proselytizing of Slay the Spire, Monster Train, Balatro, and EU4 have been effective, lol.) To be honest, I’ve gotten quite a few great recommendations for things here on Tildes. Tons of great podcast/game/book/blog/software/product recommendations to be found here!
Similar to this and also from the BBC is The Infinite Monkey Cage, except it's two hosts (A comedian and a physicist) and usually one of the guests is a comedian instead of an expert. I think it strikes a good balance of being informative and entertaining. Topics tend to be science focused (Plenty of physics but not exclusively) with some history every so often, but no literature (As opposed to In Our Time).
For anyone trying to find the rss-link for "In our time":
https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/b006qykl.rss
And for "The infinite monkey cage" (recommended elsewhere): https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/b00snr0w.rss
Hopefully the pattern is obvious if you find another podcast that interests you in the BBC podcast archive
[Edit:] added correct titles of podcasts
Sean Carroll's Mindscape is really good for having academic experts on, the host is primarily a physicist but also has a strong grasp of philosophy. (He also has some pretty good books on physics)
I love this one! It’s always funny when he catches a guest (who is also an expert in the field) off-guard with a technical question they don’t know the answer to, and then proceeds to answer it for them. At the very least it’s nice to hear a show hosted by a real scientist instead of a “science journalist” or “science communicator.” I’m usually in over my head when I listen, but it’s increased my appreciation for the work and I’m sure I’ve picked up plenty through osmosis.
Revolutions by Mike Duncan.
While not ancient history, he goes through a lot of political and social revolutions throughout the centuries.
He goes in depth, but not too much that you get lost in the weeds.
I quiz myself after listening and I seem to retain a lot of important people and events that I didn't know before, and he's been giving me a solid grasp of past revolutions. It's clear he did his homework on every episode.
Lots of episodes too!
I've really enjoyed Matt Levine and Katie Greifeld's Money Stuff podcast. They're both cheerleaders for financialized capitalism but in a more grounded and reasonable way and are very good at explaining interesting quirks about how things should versus do work. I very much enjoy the columns as well, the podcast tends to cover different topics though there is some overlap.
If you like Money Stuff, you might also like Odd Lots, though it's not exclusively focused on current events, it has similar vibes in being a less serious, while still very informed, take on finance.
I really enjoy lingthusiasm by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. They cover a broad swathe of linguistic topics while remaining fun and accessible to newcomers. The content is basically always the sort of stuff that will make you pause for the next few days mid-sentence reflecting on some aspect of your communication, it's awesome!
Cheap Astronomy
http://www.cheapastro.com/feed/podcast/
Steve's explanations of astrological phenomena are always a treat! He has a huge back-catalogue of episodes on everything from Gravity Waves to Alien life forms. And his implausible engineering episodes are a delightful treat down whataboutism lane.
Do you have a link to that prehistory podcast? That's right up my alley.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pre-history-the-archaeology-of-the-ancient-near-east/id1535005292?i=1000542233385
Apologies for the proprietary Apple podcast link. They are also at www.prehistorypodcast.com.
Thanks!
Data over Dogma and Within Reason are quite good podcasts for a critical understanding of Christianity from a more scholarly perspective
Thoughtful career advice/interviews with experienced Software Engineers: https://podcast.staffeng.com (sadly no longer active, but some very good conversations in the archive). This probably doesn't make sense to listen to unless you work in tech.
Aircraft safety: https://www.youtube.com/@ControlledPodIntoTerrain (weirdly spicy)
US Supreme Court / constitutional law: https://www.fivefourpod.com (also spicy, their recurring episode about law school is one of my favorites)
I also enjoy history podcasts! On the pretty dry end, I like Fall of Civilizations. A much more pop-culture option is the BBC's You're Dead to Me, where each episode features a credentialed historian teaching a comedian about a new subject.
I'm actually surprised no one has mentioned Dan Carlin's Hardcore History unless that's one you may have alluded to with a generous amount of fan service.
Engines of Our Ingenuity is generally very short and often airs on NPR.
The Explorers Podcast seems fairly well researched and includes maps on their website which can aid in visualization of the stories told. I've mainly only listened to the polar exploration episodes but have enjoyed them immensely.
Apologies that there will be ads if you don't purchase a subscription but if you so choose, can be easily skipped over in ~1min 15 second to 1min 30 second increments.
I didn't think Dan Carlin was a historian? I know he's been doing the podcast for quite a while, but that's probably why he wasn't mentioned?
You're right, I misread the prompt it seems. Though I would argue to some degree that even if a podcast host is not academically vetted with a degree, an enthusiastic and well researched host still has valuable output to provide.
Oh I'm not discounting skilled podcasters, just figured OP was looking for the experts. It's why I didn't list my favs, though they're incredibly experienced, neither has a degree in the field