Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast artwork

Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

209 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 33 ratings

Hosted by planetary scientist and astrobiologist Dr. Michael L. Wong, Strange New Worlds examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek!

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Episodes

Episode 167: Of Hope, Optimism, and Tomorrows

February 05, 2024 12:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MB

Guest: Kayla Smith Getting accepted to grad school isn't something that happens every day. Episode 167 of Strange New Worlds is dedicated to celebrating Kayla Smith, an undergraduate who works with Mike, and her recent acceptances to PhD programs in planetary science. Kayla talks about watching her first Star Trek episode, her journey in academia, her research on Mars, her aspirations to look for life on exoplanets, and why studying planets is both a science and an art. Mike's Carnegie Pos...

Episode 166: Subspace Rhapsody

January 21, 2024 15:19 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MB

Guest: Elise Cutts Science journalist Elise Cutts returns to reflect on Caltech's 2016 Star Trek musical, "Boldly Go!", and dissect the 2023 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody." Watch "Boldly Go! A Star Trek Parody Musical": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtBArmWHdY&ab_channel=BoldlyGo%21 "The Simple Geometry That Predicts Molecular Mosaics" by Elise Cutts: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-simple-geometry-that-predicts-molecular-mosaics-20230621/ "The M...

Episode 165: Mike on Dice in Mind

January 13, 2024 20:26 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MB

On the first episode of 2024, we present Mike's interview on the Dice in Mind podcast, where hosts Jason and Brad ask Mike about his scientific journey, his podcasting journey, and his Star Trek journey. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Dice in Mind: https://twitter.com/diceinmind Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/vagabondkaufman

Episode 164: Data as a Strategist, Part III

December 24, 2023 20:33 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MB

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith return for the final installment of our trilogy about Data as a strategist. In this episode, we analyze how Data defeats Lore in PIC: "Surrender" and saves the galaxy with his gut instinct in PIC: "The Last Generation." Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/CBTSportPsych David: twitter.com/StonewallFit

Episode 163: Data as a Strategist, Part II

November 19, 2023 17:19 - 32 minutes - 30 MB

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith return for part two of our trilogy about Data as a strategist. In this episode, we examine how Data deals with prejudice from his subordinates while commanding of the U.S.S. Sutherland in TNG: "Redemption, Part 2." Then, we talk about how Data foils the Borg Queen's plans in "Star Trek: First Contact." Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason:...

Episode 162: Data as a Strategist, Part I

November 04, 2023 16:31 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MB

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith join Mike to explore Data's evolution as a strategist. In Part I of this conversation, they focus on TNG: "Peak Performance," where Data faces off against Strategema master Sirna Kolrami and learns how to deal with defeat. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/CBTSportPsych David: https://twitter.com/St...

Episode 161: Nationalism & Star Trek

October 03, 2023 11:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MB

Guest: Desun Oka Historian Desun Oka beams aboard to talk about the intersection of nationalism and Star Trek. The United Federation of Planets is often likened to the United States of America, but in space. In what ways is the Federation like a modern nation state? In what ways is it not? And how might Star Trek reflect, examine, and critique what nationalism is all about? "Imagined Communities" by Benedict Anderson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagined_Communities "Ancient Earth" from...

Episode 160: An ALife Address

September 01, 2023 17:30 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike shares his address to the students of the 2023 International Society for Artificial Life summer school. Read more about the concept of "lyfe": https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/4/42 Read more about the concept of "genesity": https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/6/783 "Life Evolves. Can Attempts to Create ‘Artificial Life’ Evolve, Too?" by Shi En Kim for Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/life-evolves-can-attempts-to-create-artifici...

Episode 159: Hailing Frequencies Open with Tim Russ & Kayla Iacovino

August 20, 2023 16:58 - 59 minutes - 54 MB

Guests: Tim Russ & Dr. Kayla Iacovino On this episode of Strange New Worlds, we're bringing you a panel that Mike hosted for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation's "Hailing Frequencies Open!" speaker series. This panel features Star Trek actor and citizen scientist Tim Russ as well as NASA volcanologist and TrekMovie.com editor Dr. Kayla Iacovino. Together, they explore strange new worlds and seek out new life! Watch the YouTube version of this panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29NtHNVuGwY...

Episode 158: Oxygen Reflections

August 12, 2023 15:56 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "Oxygen in Planetary Biospheres" workshop at Green Bank Observatory. "Can You Decode an Alien Message?" by Shi En Kim: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-you-decode-an-alien-message/ A Sign in Space: https://asignin.space/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Episode 157: Cosmic Visions Reflections

July 20, 2023 11:00 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "Cosmic Visions" conference at Johns Hopkins University. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Episode 156: Walter Koenig Remembers Nichelle Nichols

July 13, 2023 14:17 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MB

Guest: Walter Koenig Star Trek actor Walter Koenig joins Mike to reflect upon his friendship with Nichelle Nichols and her boundary-breaking legacy. Both Walter and Mike are on the advisory board for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase diversity and inclusion in STEAM fields. Find out more about the organization and consider donating at: https://nichellenichols.foundation/. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/sci...

Episode 155: The High Country

July 02, 2023 19:31 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB

Guest: John Jackson Miller New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller joins Mike to discuss his Star Trek: Strange New Worlds novel "The High Country"—the first piece of the Star Trek Universe that features Mike's name in it! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country, by John Jackson Miller: https://farawaypress.com/2022/04/08/strange-new-worlds-high-country/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai John:...

Episode 154: Biosignatures in Extreme Environments

June 20, 2023 13:22 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MB

Guest: Dr. Scott Perl NASA JPL astrobiologist Dr. Scott Perl joins us to discuss the science of biosignatures and his work on developing ways to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life in the Solar System and beyond. Scott's paper, "A Proposed Geobiology-Driven Nomenclature for Astrobiological In Situ Observations and Sample Analyses": https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2020.2318 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/mi...

Episode 153: JWST Updates + Picard Finale

May 12, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MB

Guest: Dr. Peter Gao Planetary scientist Dr. Peter Gao beams back aboard Strange New Worlds to discuss the latest JWST exoplanet findings and the Star Trek: Picard series finale. Warning: we don't hold back on spoilers! Follow us on Twitter: Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Peter: https://twitter.com/PlanetaryGao

Episode 152: A.I. Spring

April 22, 2023 18:23 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MB

Guest: Dr. Anirudh Prabhu What's the history of artificial intelligence, and where is A.I. headed next? Most importantly, how close are we to creating Data? In the second half of Mike's conversation with data scientist Dr. Anirudh Prabhu, we explore all of these questions—and more! Anirudh's website: https://www.anirudhprabhu.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Anirudh: twitter.com/Anirudh_14

Episode 151: Mineral Informatics

April 19, 2023 00:06 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MB

Guest: Dr. Anirudh Prabhu Mike speaks to his Carnegie Science officemate, data scientist Dr. Anirudh Prabhu, about the groundbreaking field of mineral informatics and how mineral association analysis can revolutionize Earth and planetary exploration. Anirudh's paper, "What is mineral informatics?" https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.1002/essoar.10511201.2 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Anirudh: https://twitter....

Episode 150: Diary of an Analog Astronaut

April 02, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MB

Guest: Emilie Lafleche On the 150th episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike speaks to Emilie Lafleche, who recently commanded an analog astronaut mission that simulated a visit to Tsiolkovskiy crater on the far side of the Moon. They chat about why do we do analog astronaut missions, the science that Emilie and her crew performed on their mission, what makes a good leader, and more! Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Emi...

Episode 149: What Is Life? Reflections

March 26, 2023 11:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "What Is Life?" conference at UC Santa Cruz. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Episode 148: #NetSciX2023 Reflections

March 19, 2023 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to his first-ever network science conference, #NetSciX2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Episode 147: Astromycology

March 13, 2023 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MB

Guest: Dr. Marta Cortesão Star Trek: Discovery introduced us to the mycelial network, a subspace superhighway that astromycologist Paul Stamets learns to navigate using a piece of technology called the spore drive. On this episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike speaks to real-life astromycologist Dr. Marta Cortesão about the wonderful world of fungi: their mycorrhizal networks, their ability to survive in space, and how they may be vital partners on long-duration space missions. The Virtual T...

Episode 146: The Science Behind Star Trek: Prodigy

January 22, 2023 14:17 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MB

Guest: Dr. Erin Macdonald Star Trek science advisor Dr. Erin Macdonald joins Mike to discuss the science behind Star Trek: Prodigy’s first season, from protostars to red giants, damped sine waves to scientific ethics. Mike also asks Erin about her new children’s book, Star Trek: My First Book of Space, and her cameo appearance in the Prodigy finale! Star Trek: My First Book of Space, by Dr. Erin Macdonald: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710867/star-trek-my-first-book-of-space-by-...

Episode 145: The Craft of Storytelling

January 08, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 60 MB

Guest: Lisa Wong We embark on 2023 with a conversation between Mike and his book editor sister, Lisa Wong. Together, they pick apart Ensign Boimler's holonovel from the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "Crisis Point II: Paradoxus" (Season 3, Episode 8), using it as a case study to discuss everything from romantic subplots to writer flow states to exploring the human condition. Soulful Editing, Lisa's website: https://sites.google.com/view/bookbeta/home "We Need More Books Without Romance" b...

Episode 144: #AGU22 Reflections

December 23, 2022 20:16 - 15 minutes - 14 MB

Mike reflects on 2022 and the most recent American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in Chicago, IL. Mike's Carnegie Science Neighborhood Lecture on "The Science of Star Trek": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYRUnpAtJ3A&ab_channel=CarnegieEarth%26PlanetsLaboratory Mike on Science Friday's episode "Searching For Life On The Red Planet Prompts Deeper Questions": https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/mike-l-wong/ Mike on Science Friday's "Sun Camp: Beyond the Sun": https://www.youtube.com/watch...

Episode 143: Artificial Intelligence in Lower Decks

December 10, 2022 12:00 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MB

Guest: Daniel Nicholls From Badgey to Peanut Hamper, AGIMUS to the Aledo, artificial intelligence is rife in Star Trek: Lower Decks. Daniel Nicholls, the Information Systems Manager at Carnegie Sciences's Earth & Planets Laboratory, joins Mike to discuss how these fictional examples of AI reflect our fears and desires for AI in the real world. Follow us on Twitter: Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Episode 142: Engaging Trekkies & Students About Astronomy

November 12, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.1 MB

Guest: Prof. Rica French Mike speaks to Rica French, Professor of Astronomy at MiraCosta College and the Associate Director of the Center for Astronomy Education, about how she engages Trekkies at Star Trek conventions and students at MiraCosta about the wonders of the universe. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Rica: https://twitter.com/ricadink

Episode 141: Thinking Outside Earth's Box

October 27, 2022 13:20 - 51 minutes - 47 MB

Guest: Prof. Mohamed Noor Dr. Mohamed Noor—Professor of Biology and Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences at Duke University—returns to Strange New Worlds to talk about how being a science consultant for the Star Trek universe inspired his latest paper, "Thinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?" Mohamed's paper, "Thinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12052-022...

Episode 140: Revealing Enceladus's Secrets

October 04, 2022 13:46 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MB

Guest: Lucas Fifer We've given Europa a lot of attention this year, but Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, is also one of the most intriguing places to seek out new life in our solar system. On this episode of Strange New Worlds, we learn all about Enceladus's subsurface ocean, as revealed by NASA's Cassini orbiter and a new computer model developed by planetary scientist and astrobiologist Lucas Fifer. Is Enceladus's ocean habitable? What's the best strategy for looking for biosignatures? A...

Episode 139: Psychology in Strange New Worlds

September 13, 2022 20:11 - 48 minutes - 44 MB

Guest: Dr. Jason von Stietz In Part 2 of our most recent conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Jason von Stietz, we tackle psychological themes from Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, from Spock unleashing his rage to Pike managing the trauma of experiencing his own, gruesome future. Jason's new podcast, Movie House Sport Psychology: https://anchor.fm/moviehousesportpsychology Follow us on Twitter! Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/CBTSportPsych Strange New Worlds:...

Episode 138: Psychology in Lower Decks

August 31, 2022 13:18 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MB

Guest: Dr. Jason von Stietz Clinical psychologist Dr. Jason von Stietz returns to discuss some of the psychological themes in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, from Mariner's therapy in "Crisis Point" to Boimler's perfectionism in "I, Excretus." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/CBTSportPsych Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Episode 137: Disability & Inclusion in Space Exploration

August 22, 2022 11:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MB

Guest: Prof. Sheri Wells-Jensen In Part 2 of a conversation with Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, we learn about Dr. Wells-Jensen's academic work on disability and inclusion in space exploration: why there should be blind astronauts, how disability can be a model for first contact, and portrayals of disability in Star Trek. "The Case for Disabled Astronauts" by Sheri Wells-Jensen: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-case-for-disabled-astronauts/ "Models of Disability as Mod...

Episode 136: Creating Species 10-C's Language

August 15, 2022 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MB

Guest: Prof. Sheri Wells-Jensen In Part 1 of a conversation with Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, we chat about Dr. Wells-Jensen's involvement in creating Species 10-C's language for Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, how deciphering alien languages might work in reality, and the connections between language and thought, mind and body. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Episode 135: Europa Watch Grand Finale

July 30, 2022 11:00 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MB

Guest: Dr. Bob Pappalardo On the grand finale of our #EuropaWatch mini-series based on Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, the Project Scientist for NASA's Europa Clipper mission, Dr. Bob Pappalardo, joins us to tell us about the real-life spacecraft launching for Europa in 2024. Find out more about the Europa Clipper mission here: https://europa.nasa.gov/ Carnegie Earth & Planets Laboratory's Neighborhood Lecture on The Science of Star Trek, featuring Mike Wong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Episode 134: #AbSciCon22 Reflections

June 05, 2022 12:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MB

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on the 2022 Astrobiology Science Conference, his first in-person science conference in nearly 3 years. Galactic Journey: http://galacticjourney.org/ Register for Mike's virtual "Science of Star Trek" Carnegie Neighborhood Lecture (June 16): carnegiescience.edu/events/lectures…ience-star-trek Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/miquai

Episode 133: The Emergence of Science Fiction

May 28, 2022 13:32 - 1 hour - 58.6 MB

Guest: Dr. Anastasia Klimchynskaya Science fiction—like all forms of literature, art, and media—fossilizes a slice of the way that people made sense of the world at the time in which it was created. Dr. Anastasia Klimchynskaya joins Mike to explain the technoscientific paradox behind science fiction’s emergence as a brand-new genre in the 19th century and how Star Trek continues to reflect its themes to this day. Register for Mike's virtual "Science of Star Trek" Carnegie Neighborhood Lect...

Europa Watch 5: Hypothetical Microbial Ecosystems

May 07, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

Guest: Adriana Gómez-Buckley On the final episode of the Europa Watch mini-series, Mike speaks to University of Washington astrobiologist Adriana Gómez-Buckley about her new scientific paper on simulating bacterial and viral ecosystems in Europa's subsurface ocean. "Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean" by Adriana Gómez-Buckley et al.: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/5/620 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: ...

Episode 132: The Science of the DMA and Species 10-C

April 17, 2022 13:00 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MB

Guests: Dr. Erin Macdonald & Prof. Mohamed Noor The official Star Trek science consultants, Dr. Erin Macdonald and Prof. Mohamed Noor, beam aboard to discuss the science behind Star Trek: Discovery's fourth season. We cover the Dark Matter Anomaly, gravitational waves, on-screen physics equations, gas giant aliens, epigenetic clocks, communicating with hydrocarbon pheromones, and more! Erin's Spacetime Productions: https://www.spacetimeproductions.net/ Mohamed's YouTube channel "BioTrekki...

Europa Watch 4

April 12, 2022 12:00 - 10 minutes - 9.34 MB

Inspired by the events of PIC: "Two of One," Mike interviews random Trekkies at Star Trek: Mission Chicago to see if they would want to board a mission to Europa. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Europa Watch 4: #StarTrekCHI

April 12, 2022 12:00 - 10 minutes - 9.34 MB

Inspired by the events of PIC: "Two of One," Mike interviews random Trekkies at Star Trek: Mission Chicago to see if they would want to board a mission to Europa. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Europa Watch 3: Io? Yes, Io!

April 06, 2022 15:50 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Guest: Dr. James T. Keane On the third episode of #EuropaWatch, we talk about Io (surprise!) and life on Io (even bigger surprise!) with Io evangelist Dr. James T. Keane (best surprise!) based on the revelations from PIC: "Fly Me to the Moon." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai James: https://twitter.com/jtuttlekeane

Europa Watch 3

April 06, 2022 15:50 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Guest: Dr. James T. Keane On the third episode of #EuropaWatch, we talk about Io (surprise!) and life on Io (even bigger surprise!) with Io evangelist Dr. James T. Keane (best surprise!) based on the revelations from PIC: "Fly Me to the Moon." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai James: https://twitter.com/jtuttlekeane

Europa Watch 2: Radiation

March 27, 2022 20:15 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Mike's second spontaneous Europa-themed episode takes an in-depth look at the LA Times article in Q's hands from the Star Trek: Picard episode "Watcher." Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/Miquai

Europa Watch 2

March 27, 2022 20:15 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Mike's second spontaneous Europa-themed episode takes an in-depth look at the LA Times article in Q's hands from the Star Trek: Picard episode "Watcher." Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/Miquai

Episode 131: The Art & Science of Starship Design

March 23, 2022 14:16 - 1 hour - 62.3 MB

Guest: Thomas Marrone Designing Star Trek ships is both a science and an art. Thomas Marrone, Star Trek Online's Associate Art Director, joins Mike to talk about the process of creating starships and how his STO designs found their way into Star Trek: Picard's second season. Thomas' ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/thomasmarrone "My Life at Warp Speed," a short documentary about Thomas' work: https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/11510833-star-trek-online%3A...

Europa Watch 1

March 19, 2022 12:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

Let's try something completely new! Every time there is an appearance or a mention of "The Europa Mission" in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, Mike will do a spontaneous episode about some cool Europa science. Here's the first episode of #EuropaWatch, based on PIC: "Assimilation." Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Europa Watch 1: Plumes

March 19, 2022 12:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

Let's try something completely new! Every time there is an appearance or a mention of "The Europa Mission" in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, Mike will do a spontaneous episode about some cool Europa science. Here's the first episode of #EuropaWatch, based on PIC: "Assimilation." Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

DSC 412: Air = Us

March 13, 2022 14:44 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Response to DSC: "Species Ten-C" On the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, the crew makes first contact with Species 10-C, and Captain Burnham decides to relay the concept of "us" using the chemical composition of air. Mike reflects on this utterly brilliant choice. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

DSC 411: The Rocky Core of a Gas Giant Planet

March 09, 2022 13:40 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MB

Guest: Dr. Anjali Piette Astronomer and exoplanetary scientist Dr. Anjali Piette joins Mike to respond to DSC: "Rosetta"—in particular, how gassy planets can transform into rocky ones, just like the 10-C's homeworld did. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Episode 130: Weather & Climate in Star Trek

March 06, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 68.8 MB

Guests: Katie Nickolaou & Dr. Simon Clark Meteorologist and storm chaser Katie Nickolaou as well as science communicator and atmospheric physicist Dr. Simon Clark join us to discuss their favorite instances of weather and climate in Star Trek. Together, they take us on a journey to the beaches of Risa, the cauldron of Caldos, a Borgified Earth, and more! "Star Trek Fandom Forecast" by Katie Nickolaou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N24mG3ZU6y4&ab_channel=SoManyRandomFandoms "Which planet...

Episode 129: Planetary Complexity Biosignatures

February 21, 2022 15:26 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MB

Guest: Dr. Stuart Bartlett Caltech astrobiologist and complexity scientist Dr. Stuart Bartlett joins us to discuss the relationship between complex systems and life, a novel way to assess planetary complexity, and how this technique may one day help us look for new life and new civilizations. Stuart's paper, "Assessing planetary complexity and potential agnostic biosignatures using epsilon machines": https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01559-x "Bleeding edge tech could help us find...

Twitter Mentions

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