Is Gravity Truly a Force?

From StarTalk. In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, explores whether gravity should be understood as a traditional force or as the curvature of space and time. Using thought experiments, everyday analogies, and Einstein’s equivalence principle, Neil explains why gravity and acceleration are experimentally indistinguishable and why the…

Why Billionaires Hold Dangerous Power

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, speaks with science writer Adam Becker about why science fiction so often dominates public imagination compared to real science. The discussion argues that the real problem is not science or sci-fi, but weak critical reading skills and the dangerous…

Your Brain is a Time Machine, with Dean Buonomano

From StarTalk. Is time fundamental to the universe or a human construct? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore our brain’s relationship with time, how we remember the past, and project the future with Dean Buonomano, Professor of Neurobiology and Psychology at UCLA. Why do we measure time more accurately than any other…

Is Moore’s Law Dead?

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks with Adam Becker, alongside co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, about the myth of endless technological acceleration and the dangers of Silicon Valley’s belief in exponential growth, AGI, and the technological “singularity.” Becker argues that exponential trends like Moore’s Law are not laws of nature, that…

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About the Big Dipper

From StarTalk. Neil explains more than you ever needed to know about the Big Dipper… Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, ‘To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery’ on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About…

Will AI Really Make Us Immortal?

From StarTalk. In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson is joined by Adam Becker, with co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, to critically examine the idea of technological immortality and the AI-driven “singularity.” Becker argues that popular singularity narratives—especially those promising consciousness uploading and eternal life—are rooted more in science fiction than in sound science, relying…

A Million People on Mars in 2050

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks with Adam Becker, alongside co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, about the realistic challenges of human missions to Mars, pushing back against optimistic claims of large-scale colonization by mid-century. The discussion focuses on radiation exposure, lack of atmospheric and magnetic shielding, communication delays, life-support logistics, toxic…

Why Physics Can’t Predict When Particles Decay

From StarTalk. In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice speak with physicist Brian Cox about the fundamentally probabilistic nature of reality. The discussion explores why particles decay at random times, how quantum mechanics embeds probability into nature itself, how the weak nuclear force drives particle decay, and how relativity alters decay rates…

The Value of Unexpected Results

From StarTalk. What is the goal of an experiment? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down the scientific process and why unexpected results are what make science so fascinating. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Unexpected results 00:21 – The Scientific Process 02:30 – Designing an Experiment: Michelson–Morley 06:11 – Upending Expectations: Accelerating Universe & Number…

Inside a Black Hole: Where Space Becomes Time

From StarTalk. In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by co-host Chuck Nice, speaks with physicist Brian Cox about a provocative listener question: could tidal forces inside a black hole endlessly rip quarks apart, creating an explosive “quark catastrophe”? The discussion explores quark confinement, hadronization, energy conservation, and the strange nature of time inside a…

Is Spacetime Fundamental, or is it Emergent? With Brian Cox

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice are joined by physicist Brian Cox to explore one of the deepest open questions in modern physics: whether space and time are fundamental—or emergent. The discussion spans emergent spacetime, quantum entanglement, black holes, wormholes, and the black hole information paradox, including ideas like…

Confronting Neil with Our Burning Questions… Yet Again!

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson answers the burning questions Chuck Nice, Gary O’Reilly, and the StarTalk Team have been saving all year about gravity as a force, cosmic rays, free will, emergence, and how physicists decide which equations to apply. What was Neil’s favorite non-astrophysics topic from the past year? Chuck asks: Is gravity really…

Why Do Fundamental Particles Come in Threes?

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice speak with physicist Brian Cox about how modern physics explains the nature of reality through quantum field theory and the Standard Model. Brian Cox explains that what we perceive as solid matter is actually made of excitations in underlying quantum fields, and that the…

Is Consciousness Computation?

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox, and co-host Chuck Nice explore a deep question at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence: what does it really mean to be alive or conscious? They discuss whether life and consciousness are fundamentally biological—or whether they are emergent properties of information processing…

Superposition, Entanglement, and the Many-Worlds Interpretation

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by astrophysicist Charles Liu, along with Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, dive into the fundamentals of quantum mechanics—superposition, wave–particle duality, entanglement, qubits, and the collapse of the wavefunction—using pop-culture references like Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen to make these abstract ideas more accessible. The discussion builds toward a critical examination…

How Empty Is an Atom

From StarTalk. In this conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Charles Liu, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore the surprising reality that all matter is mostly empty space, drawing on Ernest Rutherford’s classic experiments to explain atomic structure. They discuss why, despite this emptiness, we don’t fall through objects—introducing electromagnetic force fields, quantum tunneling, and how these…

Ask Neil Anything, December 2025 | Free Patreon Exclusive

From StarTalk. Happy Holidays, StarTalkians 🎄 We’re reaching behind the paywall to bring you exclusive Patreon content; consider it our gift to you. In this edition of our monthly ‘Ask Me Anything’ series, Neil and Chuck tackle written questions from our Patrons before inviting a few dial-ins from the StarTalk VIP tier. Wanna participate in…

Neil & Chuck Take Over New York Comedy Club

From StarTalk. In this special live episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson joins Chuck Nice on stage at a comedy club to do something different from a typical StarTalk conversation: Neil reacts in real time to stand-up comedy and explains the science behind the jokes. As comedians raise questions about the universe, atoms, race, religion, aliens, and…

Discovering Invisible Forces in Our Universe, with Adam Riess

From StarTalk. How did scientists discover evidence for dark energy? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Paul Mecurio explore dark energy, Hubble tension, and the beginning and end of the universe with astrophysicist and Nobel laureate, Adam Riess. Learn the story of how Adam helped discover dark energy, and how he wrote equations expecting to measure…

Chuck Nice: Just Smart Enough | Full Comedy Special

From StarTalk. Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, ‘To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery’ on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil…

Superman vs the Laws of Physics

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by Charles Liu, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly, humorously dissect Superman’s powers through the lens of real physics, physiology, and astronomy, questioning whether iconic superhero moments could actually work in the real universe. By examining momentum, digestion, X-ray vision, relativity, wormholes, and the destruction of Krypton, the group reveals…

The Science of Replaceable Parts, with Mary Roach

From StarTalk. Are our parts replaceable? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly sit down with bestselling author Mary Roach, who discusses her newest book, Replaceable You, and the quest to grow organs, build parts, and engineer the human body. The discussion begins with an exploration of the human body as a complex machine…

Will Quantum Physics Ever Be Intuitive?

From StarTalk. In this final stretch of the conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elise Crull discuss whether quantum physics will ever feel intuitive to human beings, given that our minds evolved to understand only classical, everyday physics. They highlight the need for philosophy and physics to reconnect, examining assumptions, language, causality, and the logic behind…

Chuck Nice: Just Smart Enough | Full Comedy Special

From StarTalk. Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, ‘To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery’ on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil…

Why Are We Seeing More Frequent Auroras?

From StarTalk. What’s up with the aurora moving south? How does aurora even work? Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down why people are seeing more aurora activity, what aurora is, the solar cycle, and more! Timestamps: 00:00 – What’s Up with Aurora? 00:17 – What is Aurora? 2:09 – Why is Aurora Borealis Moving South? 3:00…

Is Scientific Objectivity an Illusion?

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elise Crull discuss how the idea of objectivity in science becomes deeply challenged when quantum mechanics enters the scene. Together, they explore how measurement inevitably disturbs quantum systems, how entanglement prevents us from treating objects as separate, and why both physicists and philosophers still debate the meaning of nonlocality,…

Natural Philosophers of the Scientific Revolution

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elise Crull explore how physics evolved from the 1700s onward, discussing figures like Newton, Leibniz, and Émilie du Châtelet, and how early physics was inseparable from philosophy. They trace how physics gradually split from philosophy—especially after WWII—becoming a hyper-specialized field that often discourages broad, cross-disciplinary thinking. From ‘How Quantum…

Internet of Things & National Security

From StarTalk. Bogdan Botezatu explains how deepfake technology and vulnerabilities in internet-connected devices (IoT) pose serious threats to national security. He cites examples such as a fake video of President Zelensky during the Ukraine war and potential cyberattacks through internet-connected solar inverters that could trigger massive blackouts across Europe. Neil deGrasse Tyson concludes the segment…

The Mechanics Behind Modern Online Scams

From StarTalk. The conversation explores the psychology and mechanics behind modern online scams, particularly “pig butchering,” where criminals build emotional trust through fake relationships to execute financial fraud, and “honeypots,” which are cybersecurity tools designed to study and trap hackers. Neil and the guest discuss how emotion and technology intertwine — from romance scams to…