Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

Moiya is joined by lung scientist/cancer researcher Em Costa to imagine a world that is annoying, but not dangerous to its inhabitants. They end up creating a crabby species who need to be near each other, but complain about it all the time.   HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Em Costa is a lung scientist who studies genes related to cancer. She's also...

Moiya is joined by bestselling author Alyssa Cole, who wanted to imagine a world inhabited by giant gentle rodents.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alyssa Cole is a  New York Times  and  USA Today  Bestselling author of romance and thrillers like When No One is Watching, An Extraordinary Union, and A Princess in Theory. SPONSORS Design your own mini...

Moiya is joined by geneticist Dr. Alex Dainis to imagine a friendly world where life evolved two separate times. They talk DNA, folklore around food, crystals storing information, and wide-orbiting moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Alex is a geneticist and science communicator on all the platforms. Find her on social at @alex.dainis and watch...

Moiya is joined by biochemist Dr. Anicca Harriot to discuss Janelle Monae's multi-media afrofuturistic worldbuilding. They talk about Monae's inspiration and New Dawn nuances, while mostly gushing about how talented Monae is. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Anicca Harriot is a biochemist, molecular biologist, and chief of community development at...

Moiya is joined by neuroscientist Dr. Paula Croxson for a trippy exercise where they imagine the "world" of an animal brain. It doesn't get as weird as you might expect. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Paula Croxson is a neuroscientist, storyteller, and science engagement expert. Learn about her work at paulacroxson.com or @paulacroxson MIDBREAK L...

Moiya is joined by fantasy literature scholar Bezi Yohannes to imagine a brand new world where the meanings of light and dark are switched. Together they create magical slippery creatures who do all of their private acts in public. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Bezi Yohannes is a book reviewer, half of the Dreaming in the Dark team, and literal Blac...

We're revisiting a fan favorite episode this week! Throwback Thursday to that time Moiya learned a process for building coherent and balanced magic systems. This turned out to be the first in a trio of episodes. After this, listen to The World of Touchy Arachnids and then Building Magic Systems part II where Clark comes back to put his process into practice on our homegrown world. HOSTED by Dr. Mo...

Moiya is joined by author Brittney Morris to break down the world of Avatar the Last Airbender! They talk about the in-world origin of bending, the real world martial arts that inspired bending moves, and why the live action movie was so terrible. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Brittney Morris is an award winning author of books including Slay and Th...

Moiya is joined by biochemist Isaac Paddy to build a world inspired by his love of musicals and romcoms. They imagine a world full of singing amphibious creatures who live their lives according to the movement of their planet's six different moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Isaac Paddy is a biochemist in a PhD program at Stanford studying enzyme...

Moiya is joined by Em Meurer to imagine a world with elaborate funeral rituals. Together they create adorable creatures that roll around on bioluminescent moss and communicate emotions through smells. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Em Meurer is a graphic designer, book reviewer, and death communicator. Find her socials, book reviews, and Good Grief o...

Moiya is joined by fellow nerds Connie Gibbs and Delia Gallegos to discuss the worldbuilding in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings! There is so much to unpack, from the creation of the world, origin of its magic, Tolkien's inspirations, and the little matter of having a FLAT WORLD! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Connie Gibbs is a nerd, writer, and social m...

Moiya is joined by chemist Kiara Whittle to imagine a peaceful world where a special stone lets people communicate telepathically. This is one of the most earth-like worlds we've built on the show. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Kiara Whittle is a chemist and science communicator who is actively pursuing her masters in public health while working as...

Moiya is joined by cannabis researcher Dr. Brandie Cross and together they imagine a "weird and psychedelic" world full of mind-swapping trees and dragons who like to get high. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Brandie Cross is a biologist and cannabis researcher who founded The Pot Lab , a research and development collaborative focused on the benef...

Moiya is joined by microbiologist Maren Hunsberger to talk about the world from Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series! They discuss the world's long timescale, the blurred line between sci-fi and fantasy, the importance of strong female leads, and how to write about bathing in your fiction. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Maren Hunsberger is a...

Moiya is joined by astrochemist Ashley Walker and together they imagine life on Saturn's moon Titan! Titan's thick atmosphere, ice caps, and methane lakes inspire them to imagine two related species who value family and HATE Martians. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Ashley Walker is an astrochemist getting her PhD at Howard University studying gas gia...

Moiya invites game master Eric Silver to talk about the original world he built for Join the Party's third campaign. Three words: plant bug pirates! Eric shares his favorite details of the world and lots of great advice for anyone building a world for TTRPGs. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Eric Silver is head of creative at Multitude Productions and...

Moiya is joined by fantasy writer John Bierce who wanted to imagine a world where two drastically different species meet. What they create involves volcanoes, sneaky gossip, complicated social dynamics, and everyone's favorite kind of multipurpose hole: a cloaca! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST John Bierce is a fantasy novelist and history buff who lo...

Moiya is joined by biological anthropologist Dr. Tina Lasisi to imagine a world full of genetic diversity. Along the way they discuss the nature of wind and what it even means to be a biological entity. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Tina Lasisi is a biological anthropologist studying hair and skin pigmentation. You can follow her on socials at @...

Moiya is joined by Princess Weekes to discuss the worldbuilding in Tamora Pierce's Tortall universe. They talk about bisexual icons, long histories in fiction, and the (in)appropriateness of age differences in romantic relationships. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Princess Weekes is a writer, podcaster, and literature lover who hosts the podcasts It'...

Moiya is joined by climate advocate Hannah Feuer to build a world that doesn't rely on fossil fuels. With that goal in mind, they imagined a world where beautiful connections to distant beings foster worldwide empathy. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Hannah Feuer just earned her masters degree in Environment, Politics, and Society from University Coll...

There's a second Avatar movie coming out, so I invited super-fan Jasper Cartwright to refresh me on the rules of this hit world. We talk about gravity's effects on biology, the wonders of Unobtanium, and the importance of consistency in worldbuilding. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Jasper William Cartwright is a TTRPG game master, producer, creative...

Monster Expert Dr. Emily Zarka joins Moiya to talk about the origins of monster myths! Together, they conjure up some spooky monsters to inhabit three previously built Exolore worlds. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Emily Zarka is a professor, writer, host, and monster expert. Find her on twitter at @ZarkaEmily or on her website emilyelizabethzark...

Moiya is joined by Emma Puranen to imagine life on a world being flung away from its home galaxy. Together they create a species of social but selfish airbags who insist on living in the moment. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Emma Johanna Puranen is an astronomer, historian, writer, and PhD student at the University of Saint Andrews. Check out her li...

Moiya and guest Evan imagine a world fit for a eusocial species. They talk about toxic atmospheres, bat wing anatomy, harmonic resonances, collective consciousness, and of course, crystal turds! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Evan J. Peterson is a writer and writing instructor. Find them on twitter at @EvanJPeterson or on their website evanjpeterson....

Artist Beth Zaiken joins Moiya to talk about paleoart. Together, they answer questions like: How do artists work with museums to create gorgeous and educational exhibits about the ancient natural world? How has our understanding of the paleo world changed in the last few decades? And how does an artist decide what to include in the scene? HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist a...