StarTalk Radio

What is the probability of our existence? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the probabilities all around us, the idea of risk, and how they factor into our own security in the digital age with cybersecurity expert Alex Cosoi. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-power-of-probabilit...

How do we predict our planet's most powerful forces? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn about extreme weather, hurricanes, coronal mass ejections, and preparing for space storms hurtling our way with NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Thanks to our Patrons Dwight N Keown, Nathan Veatch, CURTIS J ESSEN, John...

What does it take to truly thrive on Mars? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Terry Crews answer grab bag questions about Mars, magnetic fields, photons, Hot Ones spicy wings and the entropy of muscles.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/explosive-queries-with-terry-crews/ Thanks to our Patrons Jack Walker, Anastasia Kirkpatrick, S...

Is the sun bigger than we think it is? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice break down things you thought you knew about the diameter of the sun, how we got leap year, and the days of the week.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/things-you-thought-you-knew-the-ancient-planets/ Thanks to our Patrons Gloria Swanson,...

Why haven’t we found evidence of alien civilizations? Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with astrophysicist J. Richard Gott III to talk chess, tachyons, and what the Fermi Paradox and Copernican Principle say about humanity’s place in the cosmos. Plus, they rank super-genius movies.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/a-cosmi...

What exactly is consciousness, and why is it such a hard problem to solve? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly take you deep into the mysteries of consciousness and objective reality, David Chalmers, a philosopher and cognitive scientist.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-hard-problem-of-co...

Will we find life alive in our very own solar system? Neil deGrasse Tyson dives into the ocean worlds beyond Earth, exploring the Europa Clipper, and the search for life in our own backyard with astrobiologist and planetary scientist Kevin Hand.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/europa-clippers-search-for-life-with-kevin...

Could humankind outlive the Earth? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice are ready to get spooky. We’ve gathered your fan-submitted Cosmic Queries that explore all things death, from the death of humanity to the death of the universe.    NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/deadliest-cosmic-queries/ (Originally Ai...

What is fire? How do gravitational waves ripple through space-time? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Harrison Greenbaum answer grab bag questions about why supernovae form black holes, photons, the singularity, and more! NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-the-big-stretch/ Thanks to our Patrons Tina Bartenfe...

Are we all living in a simulation inside our brains? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the root of perception, if AI really is intelligent, and The Free Energy Principle with theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-simulation-within-with-karl-...

What is life? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice tackle assembly theory, artificial life, and the origin of lifeforms in the universe as we revise the definition of life with astrobiologist and theoretical physicist Sara Imari Walker. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-origins-of-life-with-sara-imari-walker/ T...

What does a black hole sound like? Neil deGrasse Tyson & Chuck Nice explore the sounds of the universe using JWST and Chandra X-Ray Observatory data with astrophysicist and data sonification expert Kimberly Arcand, Live at Guild Hall.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Thanks to our Patrons Deb, Linda Gibson, Dominic Hamken, JTsolept, Eric Sharakan, Rick Wa...

Did early humans sing before they could talk? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice discover how music helps us recall memories, the Singing Neanderthal Theory, the default mode network, and how music can be used as medicine with neuroscientist and author, Daniel Levitin. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/is-music-the-langu...

Why did Oumuamua, the first discovered interstellar object, accelerate faster than it should? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore the mysteries of the newest objects in the solar system: “dark comets” and interstellar objects with astrophysicist Darryl Seligman.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/dark-comets-with-...

Can time itself die? Astrophysicist Charles Liu is back in the hosting hot seat alongside comic co-host Chuck Nice to explore black holes, big bangs, our understanding of time and how it relates to the universe.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/time-and-the-universe-with-charles-liu/x (Originally Aired December 18, 201...

Is math discovered or invented? Neil deGrasse Tyson & Chuck Nice explore information theory, talking to aliens with prime numbers, Mandelbrot sets, and why math is often called the "language of the universe" with Grant Sanderson, the math educator behind YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/our-...

How close are we to enabling  astronauts to go into deep sleep for long space journeys? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly team up with Ryan Sprenger, Senior Research Scientist at Fauna Bio, to explore whether humans can hibernate like animals do. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/hibernating-for-deep-spacef...

Will alien life look like anything on Earth? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice deep dive into questions about astrobiology, revisiting the Drake Equation, and life beyond Earth with NASA astrobiology strategist, David Grinspoon a.k.a Dr. Funkyspoon. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/revisiting-the-drake-equatio...

What would life be like for astronauts on Mars? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice dive into the world of simulated Mars missions with Commander Kelly Haston, who recently completed a NASA analog mission in a simulated Mars habitat.  NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/life-in-a-mars-simulation-with-kelly-haston/ T...

Was Lamarckian evolution actually right? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly learn about the new field of epigenetics and how the lived experiences of past generations can get passed down genetically with neuroscientist & epigeneticist Bianca Jones Marlin. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/epigenetics-the-ful...

Can nuclear fusion become the ultimate renewable energy source? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice answer fan questions about transporters, the smallest unit of time, expansion, and other ideas that push the boundaries of our understanding of the universe. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Thanks to our Patrons Day53, May Jo Williams, Tisha Bernal,...

What do you wish you had learned in school? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice go back to school to answer questions about simulation theory, time dilation, white holes, the sound of space, and more! NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-back-to-school-edition/ Thanks to...

How do we uncover distant planets’ secrets? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore the recent discoveries in exoplanet study, exo-moons, and finding the stars from our sun’s stellar nursery with astronomer and head of Cool Worlds Lab, David Kipping. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/searching-for-habitable-wo...

Could we use robots to explore the oceans of Enceladus? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Harrison Greenbaum dive deep into the EELS Project, sending a snake-like robot to Enceladus with Matthew Travers, a roboticist at the Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/robots-searching-for...

What happens to the human body in deep space? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore tissue engineering, Wolverine & Deadpool’s healing style, and the science to help humans adapt to long-term space travel with biomedical engineer Ronke Olabisi. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://startalkmedia.com/show/engineering-humans-for-...