Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast
215 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsHosted 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 57: Short Treks Review
January 15, 2019 01:21 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBWelcome to 2019! In this first episode of what's bound to be a Star Trek–packed year, Mike gears up for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery by reviewing the first four Short Treks episodes. Also inside: how science is benefitting restoration and preservation projects in the Angkor region of Cambodia! Brandon-Shea Mutala's recent interviews with Star Trek composer's on TrekFM's Melodic Treks podcast: Dennis McCarthy: http://www.trek.fm/melodic-treks/89 Nicholas Meyer: http://www.trek.fm/melodic-...
Episode 56: The Beginning of an Odyssey?
December 21, 2018 06:39 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBGuest: Elise Cutts In the final episode of 2018, Michael interviews former co-host Elise Cutts about the Short Treks episode "Calypso." Also, there's plenty of space news—from InSight to OSIRIS-REx to Voyager 2. Astro Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl__Ae2qk1Y&t=2s Michael's Planetary Report story on the emergence of life: http://www.planetary.org/explore/the-planetary-report/the-making-of-life.html Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy
Episode 55: #DPS18 Day 5: Who Let J.J. Abrams Direct Reality?
December 16, 2018 23:46 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBGuests: Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Laura Mayorga, Danica Adams Michael is joined by Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Laura Mayorga, and Danica Adams to recap the 2018 Division for Planetary Science meeting. Each summarizes the science that they presented at #DPS18 and shares their favorite aspect of the conference. Also, Peter talks about how he hid subtle Star Trek references in his conference talk and faculty applications. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao Laura: @mayorgalc
Episode 54: #DPS18 Days 1–3: Captain's Logs
December 08, 2018 18:31 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBMichael recaps the exciting science from the first three days of the 2018 Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) Meeting in a series of Captain's Logs. DPS is the annual conference for planetary scientists of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Follow me on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai
Episode 53.5: BONUS! Discovery NYCC Trailer Analysis
December 04, 2018 01:15 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao In this BONUS episode of Strange New Worlds, Michael and Dr. Peter Gao pick apart the Discovery Season 2 trailer (released at the New York Comic Con in October) from a science and Star Trek perspective. NYCC Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6eoD9rQHL4 Oxygen on Mars, from PBS/NOVA: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/living-mars-oxygen/ Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao
Episode 53: Oxygen Isn't Everything & A "Runaway" Postcard
December 01, 2018 17:46 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao Postcard: Dr. James T. Keane Dr. Peter Gao visits Michael in Seattle to share his research on how atmospheric oxygen can be made without life. Such copious amounts of oxygen might fool astronomers as false-positive biosignatures—but there are clever ways to combat this uncertainty. Then, Michael and Peter respond to Dr. James T. Keane's digital postcard reviewing the first-ever Short Treks episode, "Runaway." Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao J...
Episode 52.5: BONUS! Happy Tryptophan Day
November 22, 2018 05:29 - 15 minutes - 34 MBIn this BONUS episode of Strange New Worlds, Michael wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving and talks about the recent groundbreaking discovery of the amino acid tryptophan deep below the bottom of the ocean—and what that might mean for the origin of life. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @miquai
Episode 52: The Cloud Academy
November 11, 2018 21:49 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBGuests: Dr. Tony Del Genio, Maria Steinrueck, Ryan MacDonald Clouds and hazes play important roles in controlling planetary climates and can both help and get in the way of astronomers who are trying to learn about an exoplanet. In this episode, Michael interviews scientists at The Cloud Academy at the Les Houches Advanced School for Physics, and stumbles upon some surprising connections to Star Trek. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai NASA NExSS (contributed to by Tony): @nexssinfo Ma...
Episode 51: The Sun Never Sets
November 04, 2018 18:13 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBGuest: Desun Oka The Kepler Space Telescope has discovered thousands of exoplanets—perhaps some of them are ripe for future human colonies. But is colonialism the right framework to think about humanity's expansion into the cosmos? Or is it a problematic concept mired in our own Eurocentric/Amerocentric mythologies? Historian Desun Oka helps me discuss how colonialism is reflected in science fiction at large, whether the Space Force an extension of manifest destiny, and why Vulcans are the ...
Episode 50: #DPS18 Day 4: Laugh Lots & Prosper
October 30, 2018 15:27 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBGuests: Dr. Laura Mayorga, Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Alex Lockwood, Dr. James T. Keane, Dr. Rob Zellem, Josh Lothringer We time travel to Day 4 of the 2018 DPS Meeting, where Michael interviews planetary scientists about the breaking news of Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series coming to CBS All-Access. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Laura: @mayorgalc Peter: @PlanetaryGao Alex: @AskAstroAlex James: @jtuttlekeane Josh: @JDLothringer
Episode 49: Parting Gift of Laughter
October 22, 2018 20:23 - 37 minutes - 68.4 MBFor their final episode together at Caltech before Michael leaves for the University of Washington, Elise and Michael choose a random Star Trek episode and comment on the exciting science that they find within! Get ready for a random journey of asteroids, life detection, and facepalms. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy
Episode 48: Andoria, Winter Wonderland
October 15, 2018 02:28 - 35 minutes - 64.7 MBGuest: Celeste Labedz "The Vulcans say that the desert teaches men the meaning of endurance, but it's the ice that forges real strength." In Episode 48, cryoseismologist Celeste Labedz talks about the science of glaciers and how knowing more about the physics of ice could have helped Captain Archer and Shran during their visit to Andoria in ENT: "The Aenar." Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Celeste: @celestelabedz
Episode 47: Ten Percent Bones, Thirty Percent Spock, Sixty Percent Kirk
October 07, 2018 22:19 - 49 minutes - 91.6 MBGuest: Brian Brophy BREAKING! We have our very first Star Trek alumnus on Strange New Worlds! Brian Brophy portrayed Commander Bruce Maddox in the seminal episode of TNG "The Measure of a Man" and is now the director of Theater Arts at Caltech. In this episode, Brian tells us about going face-to-face with Patrick Stewart on the set of Star Trek, putting on a Star Trek parody musical at Caltech, and how he believes that the art of storytelling can bring scientists to their full potential. W...
Episode 46: How to Find a Snowball in a Desert
October 03, 2018 15:02 - 46 minutes - 85.8 MBGuest: Cecilia Sanders The pages of Earth's history are written in its rocks, and geobiologist Cecilia Sanders is interested in a sequence of rocks that tell the story of one of Earth's coldest periods: the Cryogenian. In order to read those pages—and the fossilized fine-print that describes life some 600-700 million years ago—she has to embark on an away mission to Namibia. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy
Episode 45: Star Trek Las Vegas 2018 Recap
September 30, 2018 19:23 - 48 minutes - 90.1 MBIn Episode 45, Dr. Peter Gao takes over Strange New Worlds to interview Michael and Dr. James T. Keane about their experiences at the 2018 Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao James: @jtuttlekeane
Episode 44: Volcanologist, Not Vulcanologist
September 22, 2018 01:38 - 35 minutes - 66 MBGuests: Dr. Kayla Iacovino & Dr. David Williams Can you really get high off of volcanic gases, like Cadet Tilly did in Star Trek: Discovery? Or stop a volcano from erupting, like Spock did in Into Darkness? Volcanologists Kayla Iacovino and David Williams are here to set the record straight about how volcanoes work both on Earth and across the solar system. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Kayla: @kaylai David: @davidaw222
Episode 43: Duck, Cover, and Hold On
August 17, 2018 14:41 - 47 minutes - 87.8 MBGuest: Ollie Stephenson In Episode 43, Michael chats with geophysicist Ollie Stephenson about the science of earthquakes, using examples of earthquakes in Star Trek to guide the discussion. Caltech Letters: https://caltechletters.org/ Michael's story, "Stolen": https://caltechletters.org/science/stolen Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Ollie: @SeismoOllie Caltech Letters: @caltechletters
Episode 42: The Cinematography of Discovery
August 11, 2018 15:43 - 40 minutes - 75.6 MBGuest: Nicole Wallack In Episode 42, Michael sits down with Nicole Wallack to talk about the lighting, cinematography, and costuming of Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Nicole: @Nicole_Wallack
Episode 41: Ocean Worlds and the Search for Life
July 30, 2018 15:48 - 51 minutes - 94.6 MBGuest: Professor Jonathan Lunine In Episode 41, Michael talks to Professor Jonathan Lunine about ocean worlds, the Cassini–Huygens mission, and searching for life on Enceladus.
Episode 40: A Lungful of Fluorine & The Cancri Confusion
July 25, 2018 15:40 - 28 minutes - 52.5 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao In Episode 40, Michael chats with Dr. Peter Gao about various science and Star Trek topics, from Michael's thesis defense to DS9: "Starship Down" to whether or not Cancri IV in Star Trek: Discovery is a real exoplanet. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao
Episode 39.5: BONUS! Discovery Season 2 Trailer Analysis
July 21, 2018 20:17 - 38 minutes - 71.2 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao In this emergency episode of Strange New Worlds, Michael tags up with Dr. Peter Gao to dissect the BRAND-NEW Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 trailer that dropped at Comic-Con on Friday, June 20, 2018! Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIlBDRkPDI Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao
Episode 39: The New Communications Officer
June 25, 2018 15:07 - 44 minutes - 21.2 MBGuest: Erika Carlson In Episode 39, Michael opens a hailing frequency to speak to Erika Carlson—a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Discover magazine—about what it's like to be a science writer and why science communication is important, both in our society and in Star Trek. Erika's bibliography at Discover: http://discovermagazine.com/authors?name=Erika+K.+Carlson Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Erika: @erikakcarlson
Episode 38: Reg Barclay is Spider-Man
June 23, 2018 05:27 - 56 minutes - 26.7 MBIn Episode 38, Michael and Elise cover some recent Star Trek news, tell the story of how they met, watch ENT: "Two Days and Two Nights" and recap their own shore-leave adventures, and watch TNG: "Genesis" to facilitate a discussion of the theory of evolution. The Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgohe_W_0Po "Boldly Go!" Caltech's Star Trek parody musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtBArmWHdY&t=1s Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emc...
Episode 37.5: BONUS! The Trial Never Ends
May 26, 2018 17:55 - 30 minutes - 14.5 MBIn this bonus episode of Strange New Worlds, Dr. Peter Gao helps Michael prepare for his PhD thesis defense and reminisces about his own Star Trek–themed dissertation talk. Follow Peter (@PlanetaryGao) on Twitter to watch a live stream of Michael's (@Miquai) thesis defense on Thursday, May 31, at 1:30 pm Pacific.
Episode 37: Predicting the Future
May 05, 2018 18:06 - 42 minutes - 20.4 MBGuest: Harriet Brettle In Episode 37, Michael asks first-year Caltech planetary science graduate student Harriet Brettle, "Can science fiction predict the future?" We also talk about The Planetary Society—an international nonprofit foundation advocating for space exploration—that Harriet and Star Trek: Voyager's Bob Picardo are heavily involved in. Follow us on Twitter: Harriet: @harriet_brettle The Planetary Society: @exploreplanets Michael: @Miquai
Episode 36: Burnham's Breakfast
April 22, 2018 04:13 - 22 minutes - 10.7 MBGuest: Jon Wong In Episode 36, Michael brings aboard his brother, Jon Wong, to talk about diet and nutrition and critique the breakfast that Burnham orders for Tilly in DSC: "Lethe." Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai
Episode 35: Shadows & Symmetries
April 15, 2018 23:03 - 32 minutes - 15.5 MBGuest: Desun Oka In Episode 35, Michael and Desun Oka chat about Star Trek: Discovery's bonus scene featuring Section 31, clandestine organizations in general, and the metaphor behind the Battle of the Binary Stars. Bonus Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGRJ4CvOvhc Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai
Episode 34: Polarize the Hull Plating
April 09, 2018 04:10 - 20 minutes - 9.79 MBGuest: Dr. Pushkar Kopparla In Episode 34, Michael invites Dr. Pushkar Kopparla to speculate on what "polarize the hull plating" means and explain how he uses polarization in real life to characterize the properties of exoplanets. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai
Episode 33: What Life Does
March 20, 2018 16:40 - 40 minutes - 19.4 MBGuest: Dr. Stuart Bartlett In Episode 33, Michael and Elise continue their discussion about the origin and nature of life by bringing in Dr. Stuart Bartlett to share his "four pillars of life" and how molecular machines drive life's functions in the face of Brownian chaos. Follow us on Twitter! Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 32: Q's Little Pond of Goo
March 17, 2018 18:59 - 48 minutes - 23.2 MBIn Episode 32, Michael and Elise watch TNG: "All Good Things..." and discuss different theories for the origin of life. Follow us on Twitter! Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 31: Mirror Lorca's Wild Adventure Ship
March 03, 2018 21:34 - 58 minutes - 27.6 MBGuests: Cecilia Sanders, Shreyas Vissapragada, & Dr. James T. Keane In Episode 31, Michael recaps Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 by hosting a roundtable discussion featuring Cecilia Sanders, Shreyas Vissapragada, and Dr. James T. Keane, who are all joined by Elise Cutts via transporter midway through. Follow us on Twitter: James: @jtuttlekeane Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 30: Titan, an Organic Chemist's Paradise
February 15, 2018 23:53 - 36 minutes - 17.5 MBGuest: Dr. Morgan Cable In Episode 30, Michael sits down with NASA JPL's Dr. Morgan Cable to talk about the exotic chemistry on Saturn's moon Titan and the possibility of life not as we know it. Follow us on Twitter: Morgan: @starsarecalling Michael: @Miquai
Episode 29: Sketching Pluto & Sketchy Captains
February 03, 2018 17:58 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBGuests: Dr. James T. Keane & Dr. Peter Gao In Episode 29, Michael and Elise are joined by Dr. James T. Keane & Dr. Peter Gao to talk about James' scientific illustrations from the 38th New Horizons Science Team Meeting, the #SuperBlueBloodMoon, and all of the wildest developments in Star Trek: Discovery. Follow us on Twitter! James: @jtuttlekeane Peter: @PlanetaryGao Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 28: Many Ways to Be Alive
January 28, 2018 19:59 - 44 minutes - 21.1 MBIn Episode 28, Michael and Elise use TOS: "The Devil in the Dark" and "The Tholian Web" to spark a discussion about Earth's subsurface biosphere and silicon-based life. Cosmic Motivations, by Michael and Prof. Katie Mack (@AstroKatie): https://www.redbubble.com/people/astrokatie/collections/835103-cosmic-motivations?asc=u Follow us on Twitter! Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 27: Tales from Pluto
January 26, 2018 23:41 - 18 minutes - 8.61 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao In Episode 27, Michael opens a subspace channel to Dr. Peter Gao, who recently gave a talk at the 38th New Horizons Science Team Meeting. Follow us on Twitter! Peter: @PlanetaryGao Michael: @Miquai
Episode 26: The Drake Equation
January 21, 2018 19:40 - 53 minutes - 25.4 MBIn Episode 26, Michael and Elise rewatch VOY: "Future's End" and discuss the Drake equation and SETI as they appear in Star Trek and in reality. Mike & Denise Okuda's article: http://1701news.com/node/939/drake-equation-shaped-star-trek-universe.html Follow us on Twitter! Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @miquai
Episode 25: Mars: Astronomy & Culture
January 12, 2018 15:37 - 20 minutes - 9.55 MBIn Episode 25, Michael is rejoined by Elise Cutts to talk about Mars: Astronomy & Culture, an exhibition at ArtCenter College of Design. Did you know that Mars has already made an appearance in Star Trek: Discovery? Visit Mars: Astronomy & Culture: http://www.artcenter.edu/connect/events/mars-astronomy-and-culture.html Follow us on Twitter! Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @Miquai
Episode 24: Swamps, Sinkers, & Stamets
January 06, 2018 06:12 - 22 minutes - 10.7 MBGuest: Dr. Peter Gao In Episode 24, Michael catches up with Dr. Peter Gao at the AGU Fall Meeting to recap the conference and the first nine episodes of Star Trek: Discovery. Michael was recently on two trek.fm podcasts: The Edge, Episode 23: http://trek.fm/the-edge/23 Warp Five, Episode 128: http://trek.fm/warp-five/128 Follow us on Twitter! Peter: @PlanetaryGao Michael: @Miquai
Episode 23: The First Messenger
December 16, 2017 18:01 - 27 minutes - 13.1 MBGuest: Qicheng Zhang In Episode 23 of Strange New Worlds, Michael chats with Qicheng Zhang about ʻOumuamua, the first interstellar asteroid ever detected. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai
Episode 22: Habitable Worlds
December 08, 2017 16:33 - 47 minutes - 22.4 MBGuests: Dr. Sarah Brothers & Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman In Episode 20, Michael sits down with Dr. Sarah Brothers & Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman at the Habitable Worlds conference to discuss what makes a planet habitable, what Star Trek's "M-class" designation means, and how to search for life in the cosmos. Follow us on Twitter: Shawn: @shawndgoldman Mike: @Miquai
Episode 21: Captain Georgiou Cosplay
November 28, 2017 04:00 - 33 minutes - 15.7 MBGuest: Cecilia Leung For Halloween, Cecilia Leung dressed up as Captain Phillipa Georgiou: https://twitter.com/CelestialCess/status/925787276587679744. In Episode 21, Michael asks her about making that costume, her thoughts on Star Trek: Discovery, and her PhD thesis about water in Mars's atmosphere. Follow us on Twitter: Cecilia: @CelestialCess Michael: @Miquai
Episode 20: The Away Mission
November 20, 2017 03:37 - 39 minutes - 18.6 MBGuests: Nathan Stein & Alistair Hayden In Episode 20, Michael sits down with Nathan Stein and Alistair Hayden to hear the true tale of their geologic survey of Little Ambergris—an adventure sandwiched between two monstrous hurricanes.
Episode 19: Probing Giant Planets
November 09, 2017 07:23 - 16 minutes - 7.81 MBGuest: Professor Jonathan Fortney In Episode 19, Michael interviews Professor Jonathan Fortney about how we know what's inside of giant planets both within and beyond our Solar System. Follow us on Twitter! Jonathan: @jjfplanet Michael: @Miquai
Episode 18: The Chemistry & Clouds of Hot Jupiters
November 04, 2017 05:06 - 33 minutes - 15.9 MBGuests: Maria Steinrück & Peter Gao At the 2017 Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Provo Utah, Michael interviews Maria Steinrück & Peter Gao about their research on hot Jupiter atmospheres and their thoughts on Star Trek: Discovery so far. Follow us on Twitter! Maria: @MariaSteinrueck Peter: @PlanetaryGao Michael: @Miquai
Episode 17: Dark & Edgy
October 08, 2017 17:32 - 29 minutes - 14 MBGuest: Elise Cutts In Episode 17, Michael opens a channel to Edinburgh to discuss the first three episodes of Star Trek: Discovery with Elise Cutts. Follow us on Twitter: Elise: @emcuttsy Michael: @miquai
Episode 16: The Real V'gers
October 03, 2017 16:08 - 28 minutes - 13.7 MBGuest: Jamie Sue Rankin In Episode 16, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of NASA's Voyager mission to the outer Solar System and beyond with a chat with Jamie Sue Rankin, who studies the radiation environment outside the heliopause...where no spacecraft has gone before.
Episode 15: Discovering Discovery
September 27, 2017 15:31 - 47 minutes - 22.5 MBGuests: Peter Gao, Desun Oka, Aida Behmard, Shreyas Vissapragada, and Cecilia Sanders Our minute-old thoughts on the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery!
Episode 14: It's a Colorful Universe
September 22, 2017 07:23 - 27 minutes - 13.3 MBGuests: James Keane & Peter Gao In Episode 14, we talk about The Art of Planetary Science, what gives planets their colors, and offer our final thoughts on what we hope to see in Star Trek: Discovery. The Art of Planetary Science: https://www.sites.google.com/site/lpltaps/ Follow us on Twitter: James: @jtuttlekeane Peter: @PlanetaryGao Michael: @Miquai
Episode 13: How Pluto Followed Its Heart
September 19, 2017 02:54 - 27 minutes - 13.2 MBGuests: James Keane & Peter Gao In Episode 13, Michael sits down with James Keane and Peter Gao to talk about the quickly rotating planet in VOY: "Blink of An Eye" and how a glacier reoriented Pluto over millions of years.
Episode 12.5: BONUS! The Wrath of Khan 35th Anniversary
September 12, 2017 04:58 - 16 minutes - 7.86 MBIn this bonus episode of Strange New Worlds, Michael recaps his experience seeing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan during its 35th-anniversary screening and shares some new science-related tidbits that he noticed in the end credits of the movie. Phil Plait's "Wrath of Khan at 35: Entering the Mutara Nebula": http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/wrath-khan-35-entering-mutara-nebula