Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
Also pulls from https://www.youtube.com/@StarTalkPlus
From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Kerstin Göpfrich discuss whether life elsewhere in the universe would share Earth’s familiar DNA–RNA–protein system or emerge through entirely different biochemical pathways. They explore the dominance of carbon-based life over potential silicon-based alternatives, the question of whether evolution would always reach the same solutions, and how…
From StarTalk. What does loneliness do to our brains? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly sit down with neuroscientist Ben Rein, author of Why Brains Need Friends: The Science of Social Connection, to explore how the loneliness epidemic impacts our minds, bodies, and even our lifespan. What’s the difference between being alone and…
From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Kerstin Göpfrich explore how scientists are using RNA nanotechnology to design and build synthetic life from scratch. Göpfrich explains her team’s work on creating simpler, self-replicating systems made entirely of RNA—capable of folding, evolving, and functioning without proteins. Their goal is to uncover how life may…
From StarTalk. Scams are a trillion-dollar industry; keep your loved ones safe with Bitdefender: https://bitdefend.me/90-StarTalk Is there anything real left on the internet? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore deepfakes, scams, and cybercrime with the Director of Threat Research at Bitdefender, Bogdan Botezatu. We explore how scammers exploit psychology and…
From StarTalk. In this conversation between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Kerstin Göpfrich, the discussion explores how scientists are trying to create life from scratch by building self-sustaining chemical systems capable of evolution. Göpfrich explains the difference between Darwinian evolution and open-ended evolution, the role of death in evolution, and how synthetic biology aims to bridge…
From StarTalk. What is nothing? Could a dying back hole cause the Big Bang? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice answer fan questions about a black hole’s dying gasp, lunar eclipses, and the meaning of nothing. Why don’t we see a lunar eclipse every month? What happens when a black hole reaches the…
From StarTalk. The conversation explains how Type Ia supernovae are used as "standard candles" to measure cosmic distances, thanks to their predictable brightness patterns. This method led to the discovery of the universe’s accelerating expansion and the concept of dark energy. From ‘Answering Questions About Supernovas, with Michael Shara’: https://youtu.be/CfNGwgGTUX8?si=B7sMwMEaj5mQmeCK Get the StarTalk book, ‘To…
From StarTalk. The conversation explains where Betelgeuse is in its life cycle and why its supernova could happen anytime from “tomorrow” to ~100,000 years from now. It lays out the early warning sequence—neutrinos first, gravitational waves next, and visible light hours later—and notes we could pinpoint the source and watch an historic daylight supernova without…
From StarTalk. What is the rate of change for a rate of change? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down velocity and acceleration, as well as more obscure terms like jerk, snap, crackle, pop, and what they mean. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Obscure Physics Terms 00:31 – Speed & Velocity 01:57 – Acceleration 5:48…
From StarTalk. The conversation explains how massive stars form in giant molecular clouds (stellar nurseries), why star formation will eventually decline as galaxies lose their gas, and how recurrent novae and close binary systems work—highlighting T Coronae Borealis, a white dwarf that periodically erupts by stealing material from a red giant companion. It also previews…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore cosmic fate and power on the grandest scales. They explain why the universe is expanding faster due to dark energy, making a “heat death” (ice, not fire) more likely. From there, Neil introduces the Kardashev Scale—measuring civilizations by how much energy they control (planetary, stellar, galactic,…
From StarTalk. Is social media rewiring childhood and fueling a mental health crisis? Neil deGrasse Tyson is joined by comic co-host Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly to explore the costs of growing up online and how to take back childhood with social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt. Have we been overprotecting…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how plasma propulsion works, why long-distance space travel would involve accelerating halfway and decelerating the rest, and how Einstein’s equivalence principle links rockets and gravity. With examples from The Expanse and missteps in Ad Astra, he shows how physics reveals that acceleration itself can mimic gravity—letting astronauts live in…
From StarTalk. “CONCORDE, a First Visit to Helsinki, May the 22nd 1985” by Kauko Helavuo (YouTube ID: VRP_jkjOTC8), via Wikimedia Commons Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Why does Earth’s atmosphere have layers? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down the different layers in Earth’s atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere,…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jon Kosloski break down famous UFO sightings like “Go Fast,” the Mount Etna object, and the Puerto Rico case. What looks like mysterious crafts often comes down to altitude illusions, motion parallax, or ordinary things like balloons, birds, or lanterns. Careful analysis shows that many “unidentifieds” turn out not…
From StarTalk. What will the future of space look like? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the engineering challenges and scientific questions shaping the next era of aerospace with aerospace engineer and CEO of Portal Space Systems, Jeff Thornburg. From the Mars missions to the development of reliable, reusable rockets, we ask:…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Jon Kosloski discuss how most UAP reports are explainable, but a small fraction (~2%) remains anomalous after rigorous analysis. They review current stats (~40% resolved, ~57% open due to insufficient data), plans to equip law enforcement with data-gathering kits, and how these rare cases inform sensor design and…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and guest David Krakauer dive into consciousness and intelligence. They connect human cognition, AI, and emergence, asking: is consciousness just leftover “programming” from evolution, or something unique? They weigh neural correlates, problem-solving as intelligence, and whether tools like AI make us smarter or dumber. The conversation closes with a provocative…
From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and guest David Krakauer unpack the concept of emergence—how simple parts give rise to complex behaviors and new rules. From gases forming fluids to bird flocks, termite mounds, and even AI, they explore when systems deserve to be called “emergent,” why new languages of description are needed, and how true…
From StarTalk. Can we resolve the crisis in cosmology? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen take on Hubble Tension, the difference between the estimated ages of the universe, and how to solve it with legendary astronomer Wendy Freedman. We trace the debate from the early days with Henrietta Leavitt’s discovery of Cepheid variables through…
From StarTalk. In this interview, Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks with Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, about the current state and future potential of nuclear fuel recycling. They explore whether small modular reactors (SMRs) can repurpose spent nuclear fuel, and why countries like France lead in recycling while…
From StarTalk. What happens to your brain when you use AI? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore current research into how large language models affect our cognition, memory, and learning with Nataliya Kosmyna, research scientist at the MIT Media Lab. Is AI good for us? Nataliya describes her experiment comparing…
From StarTalk. The conversation focuses on the exponential rise in energy demand, driven by the growth of data centers, electrification (especially EVs), and industrial needs such as carbon-free steel. The guests explore whether current infrastructure and clean energy projections are sufficient. A major part of the discussion centers on small modular reactors (SMRs) as a…