Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

What would you do if you had two bony antennae sticking out of your head? Well, if you lived on this starless planet, you might use them to sense the world around you. ***There were some tech issues in the editing of the first 5 minutes (lol, this is what happens when you try to host, produce, and edit a podcast on your own), but it gets better after 5 minutes I PROMISE!*** HOSTED by Moiya McTier...

Olondria is a wonderfully complex and beautifully crafted fictional world created by Sofia Samatar, who was kind enough to answer all of Moiya's burning questions about her creative process. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Sofia Samatar is a professor of English at James Madison University and the author of award-winning books like A Stranger in Olondria...

We're essentially hotboxing our planet, so let's take a fun little trip to a snowball world covered in ice! Let's just hope we don't get there during whaling season because have you ever smelled a beached whale? Neither have I, but I don't want to start now. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Zoe Samuel is a writer and producer who now writes jokes for G...

If you could eat one of your friends and absorb their strength and knowledge, who would you eat? That question might seem weird to you, but creatures on this world have to wrestle with that question every day of their lives. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Crystal Ng is a marine biologist at Chapman University. You can follow her on twitter at @crysta...

Black people in the U.S. have never been free. This world is a glimpse at what could have been without our brutal history of slavery and colonization. Hint: the whole world wins out, not just Africa. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Nikita L. La Cruz is an economic geologist who studies ore deposits in Guyana. You can follow her on twitter at @nleconge...

In an ocean surrounded by a miles-deep sheet of ice, the lady squid reign supreme. Don't let their artsy mating rituals and inverted ice mountaineering fool you; they will rip your head off and throw it to the vents. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Sarah McAnulty is a squid biologist and the executive director of Skype A Scientist . You can follow her...

The shape of Earth's orbit has NOTHING to do with our seasons, but what if there was a world where the orbit shape DID affect its climate? Apparently genital size on that world would depend on tooth size just like it does here on Earth... for some reason. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Misha Grifka Wander is a getting their PhD in English at Ohio Sta...

The Moon's pretty great, right? What if we had a few more just like it?? Well, the amphibious creatures on this planet think the unpredictable tides and seasons are high prices to pay for a pretty view in the sky. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Evin Grody is a zooarchaeologist who spends most of her time doing research in Zambia. S...

Asteroids may bring pretty bling like gold and platinum, but they also make big dangerous booms! The rat-like creatures on this world have learned to cope in the dankest way with the fewest farts. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Noah Guiberson is a getting his PhD in neuroscience at Cornell University. He loves puns and puts them to...

Can you imagine what your life would be like if a volcano erupted in your backyard every month? Well, you don't have to imagine because we've already done it for you, and it is a wild ride filled with rock-eating turtles with mean senses of humor. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist  GUESTS 1. Thea Gessler is a getting her PhD in evolutionary bio...

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist FIND US ONLINE - patreon:  patreon.com/exolorepod - twitter: twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: instagram.com/exolorepod - website: exolorepod.com - subreddit: reddit.com/r/ExolorePod CREDITS - Music:  https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ - Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://...