1274: How a sound designer gave an alien its voice (and 250 words) episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 10, 2026 · 18 MIN

1274: How a sound designer gave an alien its voice (and 250 words)

from Science Friday · host Science Friday

Movies may be a largely visual medium, but sound plays a huge role in setting tone, creating new worlds, and fleshing out characters. Sound designer Erik Aadahl has brought some of Hollywood’s iconic creatures to life with sound, like the Transformers, 2014’s Godzilla, and Rocky the alien from “Project Hail Mary.” He joins Flora to talk about the science of sound design, and how he uses his background in biology to look for sounds in the animal kingdom.Guest: Erik Aadahl is a sound designer and editor at E² in Los Angeles, California.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 10, 2026

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Erik Aadahl, the sound designer behind “Project Hail Mary” and 2014’s “Godzilla,” uses his background in biology to bring characters to life.

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1274: How a sound designer gave an alien its voice (and 250 words)

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