Stephen Kelly
Stephen Kelly is a freelance culture and science journalist. He oversees BBC Science Focus's Popcorn Science feature, where every month we get an expert to weigh in on the plausibility of a newly released TV show or film. Beyond BBC Science Focus, he has written for such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The I, BBC Culture, Wired, Total Film, Radio Times and Entertainment Weekly. He is a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, the apparent football team Tottenham Hotspur and writing short biographies in the third person.
Recent articles by Stephen Kelly
Ghostbusters: A psychologist explains why we believe in the paranormal
Should we get Venkman and co. on speed dial?
Doctor Who: Could aliens really wipe your memory?
Doctor Who at 60: The Doctor's skills extend to wiping people’s memories. But does that ring a bell with real-world research?
Here's how a war between AI and humanity would actually end
There’s no need to worry about a robot uprising. We can always just pull the plug, right…? RIGHT?
Inside the cutting-edge neuroscience that could create real-life Star Wars Jedis
The force is an an energy that lets you control people’s minds and… make things float. And it's a lot more real than you'd think.
Here’s how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would do in a real-life fight
Could adolescent reptiles learn martial arts? A scientist explains.
Oppenheimer | The worryingly real fears scientists have about a single nuke ripping open Earth
Could just one bomb destroy our planet in future? A scientist explains.
The Flash: Here's the biological limit to how fast humans can actually run
Will we all be sprinting like The Flash in future?
A real-life little mermaid would be ridiculously hairy, says science
A marine biologist reveals what a real half-human, half-fish would look like.
Why you’re probably a secret empath, explained by a neuroscientist
Why your ‘mirror neurons’ mean you have better skills of empathy than Guardians Of The Galaxy's Mantis.
From solar sails to hyperspace: Here’s the future of interstellar travel
Will it ever be possible to zip around the cosmos like Baby Yoda and co in The Mandalorian? A physicist explains.
Why Ant-Man is secretly the strongest Avenger by far, a scientist explains
A top physicist unpacks the surprising real-life science behind the shrinking superhero – and that Thanos fan theory.
How aliens will actually make first contact with humanity, a scientist explains
The head scientist in the international Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence committee explains how Earth's introduction to extraterrestrials would most likely unfold.
M3GAN | Could we really make robotic companions for kids?
For good or bad, a kid's toy with artificial intelligence (and killer dance moves) probably won't be possible at any point soon.
The key reason Avatar’s body-porting technology is impossible, explained by a neuroscientist
Will you ever be able to inject your consciousness into another being? Prof Guillaume Thierry breaks down the science of James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of the Water.
How underwater cities could solve Earth's overpopulation problem
Could humans of the future actually live under the ocean? Absolutely, according to the designer of the world's first submerged city.
Could blasters actually exist, like in Star Wars: Andor?
We're enjoying Star Wars: Andor at the moment, which got us wondering: how do the Stormtroopers' weapons work?
Doctor Who: Could regeneration really be possible?
The Doctor makes it look so easy. Is there hope for the rest of us?
House Of The Dragon: Yes, fire-breathing animals could really exist
It’s all a question of GCSE chemistry and fire-resistant materials...
Nope: Could UFOs really exist and how would they fly?
UFOs are a frequent trope in science-fiction, but could they actually exist?
Sandman: Is there any evidence to suggest our dreams have meaning?
Morpheus, the king of dreams, isn't really puppeteering our subconscious at night – so why do we dream?
Mjölnir: The physics that could stop the unworthy from wielding Thor's hammer
Is it security coded, or is it simply tampering with physics?
For All Mankind: What’s stopping us from going to Mars?
The third series of this sci-fi drama posits an alternative timeline in which humans visit Mars in the 1990s. So could we soon be flying to the Red Planet?
Jurassic World: Could we live alongside dinosaurs?
In Jurassic World Dominion, the toothy ones have integrated into society…
The secret psychic experimentation that inspired Stranger Things
With the release of the newest series of this science fiction horror, we ask whether telekinesis could really exist.