The Hidden Clock Inside Your Brain Cells

From StarTalk. The interview explores the self-organizing nature of neurons and brain cells, emphasizing how biological systems inherently carry instructions that guide their development and structure—without requiring detailed blueprints like in engineering. The discussion highlights how brain organoids (3D cultures of brain cells in a dish) can self-organize and even track developmental time with surprising…

Can We Now Create Brain Cells in a Dish?

From StarTalk. The interview discusses the scientific breakthrough of creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which allows scientists to reprogram adult cells—such as skin cells—back into stem cells without using embryos. This advancement bypassed ethical concerns and enabled researchers to generate patient-specific neurons in the lab to study complex neurological disorders like autism. Over time,…

The New Telescope Revolutionizing Astronomy

From StarTalk. What’s up with the Vera Rubin Observatory? Neil breaks down how this telescope is making a movie of the night sky, helping us discover what could be millions of asteroids and more. Can we one day have a dark matter map of large-scale structures in the universe? Check out Vera Rubin Observatory’s ‘First…

How We SAFELY Search For Life On Other Planets

From StarTalk. NASA takes great care to avoid contaminating extraterrestrial environments while exploring them, using techniques like remote sensing and controlled spacecraft destruction. The potential discovery of alien life—especially macroscopic organisms—raises major scientific and ethical considerations. From ‘Astrophysicists Discuss Issues with Gravity, Dark Matter, and the Unsolved Mystery of the Sun’s Heat’: https://youtu.be/kjFMnWjo6D4?si=wtugwSu7khTTUF34 Get the…

Answering Questions About Supernovas, with Michael Shara

From StarTalk. When will the last supernova be? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore types of novas, freaky binary star systems, core collapse, standard candles, and the explosive future of Betelgeuse with astrophysicist Michael Shara. What’s the difference between a nova and a supernova? We explore the taxonomy of stellar explosions: dwarf novae, supernovae,…

Is Gravity Leaking Into Our Universe?

From StarTalk. The conversation revolves around the nature of gravity, questioning whether it is a force or the result of spacetime curvature, as described by general relativity. The hosts also explore the challenge of integrating gravity into the Standard Model of particle physics, highlighting the hypothetical graviton, and touch on how quantum theory might relate…

The Science Of Revenge with James Kimmel

From StarTalk. Are we addicted… to revenge? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly break down the neuroscience behind revenge-seeking, what motivates violence, and how science can help stop it with James Kimmel, Jr., lawyer, lecturer in psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, and author of The Science of Revenge. We explore new research…

Can We Really Fix Climate Change?

From StarTalk. The conversation debates the practicality and ethics of geoengineering versus natural carbon removal methods, highlighting how urgent, complex, and uneven the global response to climate change remains. The speakers stress that although many solutions are possible, none are simple—and public awareness and engagement are critically lacking. From ‘Changing the World (Literally), with Daniele…

The Philosophy of Physics, with Elise Crull

From StarTalk. What happens when physics meets the big questions of philosophy? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice sit down with Elise Crull, philosopher of physics at CUNY and author of The Einstein Paradox, to explore physics, philosophy, and how thought experiments shape real science. Why did 20th-century physicists like Einstein, Schrödinger, and…

Can Pollution Help Fight Climate Change?

From StarTalk. Aerosols, while harmful to human health at ground level, can also reflect sunlight and cool the planet—raising the controversial question: can we deliberately inject them into the stratosphere to fight climate change? This interview explores the science and ethical implications of that possibility. From ‘Changing the World (Literally), with Daniele Visione & Holly…

Neil deGrasse Tyson Reacts to Science TikToks

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice try to get to the bottom of TikTok’s new STEM feed, reacting to videos about space, physics, and more! Are TikTok creators revolutionizing the way we learn? And how does TikTok ensure the science it serves up is legit? Learn about the TikTok STEM feed and how…

Are Dyson Spheres Just Science Fiction?

From StarTalk. The discussion challenges the scientific fixation on preserving information in black holes and debunks the practicality of Dyson spheres as energy-harvesting structures, proposing natural explanations for signals that some attribute to alien technology. From ‘Answering Questions about Hubble Tension, Dyson Spheres, & Relativity’: https://youtu.be/y8b93R3kfso?si=00o3TaIY9RJifycM Get the StarTalk book, ‘To Infinity and Beyond: A…

What Gravitational Waves Reveal About the Illusion of Time

From StarTalk. Gravitational waves can distort space and time, but their effects on humans are imperceptible unless the source event is catastrophic—by which point, it would already be too late to notice. The nature of time and simultaneity is relative, and the concept of "now" loses meaning at cosmic scales. From ‘Answering Questions about Hubble…

Does Dark Matter Require New Theory or New Tech?

From StarTalk. The discussion revolves around the mystery of dark matter and whether our inability to understand it stems from limitations in our current physics models and detection tools. The conversation critiques various theories and explains why dark matter likely doesn’t travel faster than light, highlighting the scientific process of ruling out hypotheses through observation…

Is The Universe Made of Tiny Vibrating Strings? With Lara Anderson

From StarTalk. What is string theory, really? Why does it need extra dimensions? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice welcome theoretical physicist and mathematician Lara Anderson to guide us through string theory, higher dimensions, and finding a unifying theory of everything. Could it be the long-sought bridge between quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of…

What’s Causing the Hubble Tension?

From StarTalk. The universe’s expansion rate doesn’t match across different measurements, suggesting either our models are incomplete or there are undiscovered forces or fields affecting cosmic evolution. This "Hubble tension" challenges our current understanding of cosmology and may hint at new physics. From ‘Answering Questions about Hubble Tension, Dyson Spheres, & Relativity’: https://youtu.be/y8b93R3kfso?si=00o3TaIY9RJifycM Get the…

Why Crime is Actually VERY Predictable

From StarTalk. The conversation explores how identifying "super emitters" (individuals who spread airborne diseases more than others) and violent crime hotspots can challenge our ideas of fairness and equality in public policy. It addresses the tension between targeted interventions versus uniform solutions, using parallels with mask mandates during the pandemic and policing strategies in urban…

Is Our Universe Inside a Black Hole?

From StarTalk. Is our universe inside a black hole? Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down intriguing new evidence along with other curious parallels that could point to the universe being inside a black hole. Is the edge of our universe an event horizon on a black hole in some other universe? Timestamps: 00:00 – What is…

Janna Levin Explains How Einstein Accidentally Invented the Laser

From StarTalk. In this lively and insightful discussion, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Janna Levin explore Einstein’s groundbreaking paper on stimulated emission of radiation, the quantum phenomenon that ultimately led to the invention of the laser. They break down how photons interact with electrons in discrete energy levels, describe the strange but elegant mechanics of stimulated…

Specialist Explains How Behavior Spreads Like a Virus

From StarTalk. In this interview, Malcolm Gladwell revisits the central thesis of The Tipping Point. He explains that his experience reporting on the AIDS epidemic led him to think about how ideas and behaviors spread like infectious diseases. Inspired by an academic article by Jonathan Crane, he applied epidemiological models to understand social phenomena like…

Janna Levin Explains Why Einstein Didn’t Believe in Black Holes

From StarTalk. Astrophysicists Neil deGrasse Tyson and Janna Levin discuss the surprising origin of black holes in Einstein’s equations—despite Einstein himself not believing in their physical existence. They dive into Karl Schwarzschild’s groundbreaking discovery during WWI, explore Newton’s and Laplace’s views on cosmic stability, and share a memorable anecdote involving Stephen Hawking that ends with…

An Expert Corrects Neil on His Explanation of Lightning

From StarTalk. How does lightning actually work? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice get corrected on how lightning works after having gotten it wrong with lightning expert Amir Rizk. Learn about the anatomy of a lightning strike, what not to do during a lightning storm, and more. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Neil Getting Lightning Wrong…

The Year Einstein Changed Physics Forever

From StarTalk. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Janna Levin explore the astonishing achievements of Albert Einstein during his annus mirabilis—the "miracle year" of 1905—when, at just 26 years old and working in a patent office, Einstein published four revolutionary scientific papers that reshaped the foundations of modern physics. They discuss how Einstein first shocked the world…

How Quantum Fluctuations Created Reality

From StarTalk. The universe’s structure—galaxies, stars, and even us—emerged not from perfect symmetry, but from tiny quantum fluctuations during inflation, suggesting that randomness is not chaos, but creation. We are the result of cosmic imperfections seeded by quantum fluctuations in the early universe. From ‘Brian Keating on Losing the Nobel Prize & Origins of the…

Brian Keating Explores What Could Have Come Before Our Universe

From StarTalk. The interview explores what might have existed before the Big Bang and whether another universe preceded ours, highlighting how scientific curiosity drives cosmological research—even without immediate practical rewards. From ‘Brian Keating on Losing the Nobel Prize & Origins of the Universe’: https://youtu.be/xIM9hfbSJWU?si=TQYqESYoaILfH3g_ Get the StarTalk book, ‘To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of…

Brian Keating on How Cosmic Dust Derailed a Nobel Prize

From StarTalk. In a conversation between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Brian Keating, they revisit the 2014 announcement from the BICEP2 experiment that claimed to detect primordial gravitational waves, or “ripples in spacetime” from the early universe—a discovery that made global headlines, including the front page of the New York Times. Keating, a key figure…