Uploaded October 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
WATCH the BEHIND THE SCENES: youtube.com/watch?v=MG3VNLWzJm8&index=2&list=PLiyjwVB09t5yXCYpZkOgxO9dV-XJypmNj
Could You Survive The Movies?: Mad Max is a science film that explores the science behind what you see in movies; specifically George Miller’s modern day classic, Mad Max: Fury Road. Host Jake Roper (me) takes you on an immersive ride through the world, blending scientific exploration with narrative storytelling. The episode follows Jake as he attempts to avoid capture by the Immortan and her horde while simultaneously testing the viability of surviving Fury Road and all the challenges it presents. Jake’s experimentation runs the gamut from determining if it’s possible to survive being strapped to the front of a moving car to finding out what would really happen if you got caught in a movie sized explosion. In addition to practical experiments, Jake dives into the science of the world…from how humanity could end up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, to where to find water, to using live humans as blood bags. It’s equal parts entertainment and education all while celebrating the incredible film Mad Max: Fury Road.
0:00 Could You Survive Mad Max?
1:18 Nuclear War
3:36 Blood Bags
6:19 Gasoline
8:03 Debris
12:17 Movie Explosions
17:28 Extreme Temperatures
23:17 Water
***LINKS TO ADDITIONAL READING***
Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions
https://atmos.washington.edu/~ackerman/Articles/Turco_Nuclear_Winter_83.pdf
Regional Nuclear War
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013EF000205
Plasma Separation from Blood
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565382
Introduction to Fuel and Energy
eyrie.shef.ac.uk/eee/cpe630/comfun1.html
Effects of Horizontal Acceleration
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306901
Blast Wave & Fragment Velocities
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/prep.201600073
Blast Overpressure
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a347634.pdf
Desertification
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php
BP Fuel Study
bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2018-full-report.pdf
Groundwater and Surface Water
pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139
WATCH the BEHIND THE SCENES: youtube.com/watch?v=MG3VNLWzJm8&index=2&list=PLiyjwVB09t5yXCYpZkOgxO9dV-XJypmNj
Could You Survive The Movies?: Mad Max is a science film that explores the science behind what you see in movies; specifically George Miller’s modern day classic, Mad Max: Fury Road. Host Jake Roper (me) takes you on an immersive ride through the world, blending scientific exploration with narrative storytelling. The episode follows Jake as he attempts to avoid capture by the Immortan and her horde while simultaneously testing the viability of surviving Fury Road and all the challenges it presents. Jake’s experimentation runs the gamut from determining if it’s possible to survive being strapped to the front of a moving car to finding out what would really happen if you got caught in a movie sized explosion. In addition to practical experiments, Jake dives into the science of the world…from how humanity could end up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, to where to find water, to using live humans as blood bags. It’s equal parts entertainment and education all while celebrating the incredible film Mad Max: Fury Road.
0:00 Could You Survive Mad Max?
1:18 Nuclear War
3:36 Blood Bags
6:19 Gasoline
8:03 Debris
12:17 Movie Explosions
17:28 Extreme Temperatures
23:17 Water
***LINKS TO ADDITIONAL READING***
Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions
https://atmos.washington.edu/~ackerman/Articles/Turco_Nuclear_Winter_83.pdf
Regional Nuclear War
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013EF000205
Plasma Separation from Blood
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565382
Introduction to Fuel and Energy
eyrie.shef.ac.uk/eee/cpe630/comfun1.html
Effects of Horizontal Acceleration
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306901
Blast Wave & Fragment Velocities
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/prep.201600073
Blast Overpressure
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a347634.pdf
Desertification
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php
BP Fuel Study
bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2018-full-report.pdf
Groundwater and Surface Water
pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139
