Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe

Episode Catalogue by TOpic

Particle Physics

Episodes about matter and forces!

Episode #2: What is Dark Matter? (10/16/18) How dark matter was discovered, and what it might be
Episode #9: Is the Higgs Boson useful? (9/25/18) What is the Higgs Boson and why do we care?
Episode #13: Is antimatter a real thing? (11/6/18) Is anti-matter real or science fiction? Is it dangerous, or delicious?
Episode #19: What is everything made of? (10/11/18) What's the smallest piece of matter? Is there one?
Episode #20: Is Light a Particle or a Wave? (11/13/18) What is light made of? A particle, a wave, both, neither? Little puppies?
Episode #24: What is a neutrino? (12/6/18) Explaining the weirdest little particle ever found
Episode #32: Why is gravity so weird? (1/1/19) Why is gravity so much weaker than the other forces?
Episode #39: What are cosmic rays? (1/24/19) Who or what is shooting crazy high energy particles at us?
Episode #50: Is a new particle collider worth $20B (1/31/19) CERN just released a new report describing the next planned collider and its price!
Episode #51: What Are Quantum Fields? (3/14/19) Quantum Field Theory, explained!
Episode #63: What is a tachyon? (4/23/19) Can a particle travel faster than light?
Episode #64: What is supersymmetry? (4/18/19) What's so super about this symmetry?
Episode #74: What is radiation? (5/30/19) Is it bad or good or spicy or mild?
Episode #77: How can we see dark matter? (6/6/19) How are scientists looking for the missing 80% of the Universe's matter?
Episode #79: What do quarks taste like? (6/20/19) What do quark flavors mean?
Episode #88: What is the weak force? (7/18/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about the weakest and weirdest of the foces
Episode #100: What's a graviton? (8/27/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about a hypothetical particle in quantum gravity.
Episode #107: Will the Higgs boson destroy the Universe? (9/19/19) Is the Higgs field stable, or will it unravel the fabric of our Universe?
Episode #112: How many colors are there? (10/15/19) Daniel talks about why we see different colors
Episode #118: How does the Large Hadron Collider work? (10/31/19) Daniel explains how the largest collider ever actually works
Episode #119: What is left for particle colliders to discover? (11/3/19) Daniel talks about the future of particle physics
Episode #125: Why does the electron have a massive cousin? (11/19/19) daniel and Jorge explore why the muon is a thing
Episode #128: The Mystery of the Missing Neutrinos (11/28/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about neutrinos and how the change flavor
Episode #131: Where are the magnetic monopoles? (12/12/19) Why can't we have North or South magnets separately?
Episode #132: Is there a fifth force? (12/5/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about an intriguing experiment that might be a major discovery
Episode #138: Is the Universe Left-Handed (1/1/20) Is the Universe symmetric, or does it prefer one side?
Episode #140: Why do some particles die? (1/7/20) Why are some particles stable and others not?
Episode #143: Why can quarks never be free? (1/21/20) If we can see single electrons, why can't we do that with quarks?
Episode #146: Can particles travel faster than light? (1/30/20) Is there any way particles can travel faster than light or is it against the laws of physics?
Episode #148: Can you slow down light? (2/6/20) The speed of light is constant but is it possible to slow it down?
Episode #158: What is strange matter? (3/17/20) What is the strangest of all matter and how does it work?
Episode #159: How small is an electron (3/19/20) Shrink down the the quantum realm with Daniel and Jorge and discover the size of the electron
Episode #162: What are virtual particles? (3/26/20) Daniel and Jorge grapple with one of the trickiest concepts in particle physics.
Episode #165: Could dark matter be made of quarks? (4/7/20) Daniel and Jorge discuss a recent suggestion that dark matter could be made of hexaquarks
Episode #179: What is the real charge of the electron? (5/26/20) Daniel and Jorge explain how the theory of "Renormalization" tells us that we measure is different from what is real.
Episode #181: Why are neutrinos so light? (6/2/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about how the weirdest particle gets its mass
Episode #189: What is the axion? (6/30/20) Why do scientists think there might be a wispy mysterious particle? And why did they give it such a silly name?
Episode #191: Did NASA discover a parallel Universe? (7/7/20) The amazing ANITA experiment and the bizarre neutrinos they discovered
Episode #194: Can neutrinos explain why we have matter? (7/16/20) Daniel and Jorge explore how the new DUNE experiment could unravel secrets of neutrinos... and the Universe!
Episode #195: What are quasi-particles (7/21/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about phonons, magnons, excitons, anyons and explainons.
Episode #198: The Marvelous Mystery of the Muon Magnetic Moment (7/30/20) Can physicists discover new particles by watching how muons wiggle in magnetic fields?
Episode #200: Did the XENON experiment just discover a weird axion? (8/6/20) Recent results from the XENON experiment could be the first hint of something groundbreaking... or it could be nothing.
Episode #202: Do protons live forever? (8/13/20) Electrons can hang out until the end of time. Physicists think that protons should eventually fall apart. But will they?
Episode #206: What is Mirror Matter? (9/1/20) It's not anti-matter, or supersymmetric matter, but yet another way our familiar particles might be reflected, and could explain a deep mystery of the Universe.
Episode #222: A discounted dark matter discovery (10/22/20) Why do particle physicists discount the beautiful signal of dark matter from the DAMA experiment?
Episode #235: Is there matter that is not made of particles? (12/22/20) Is it possible that matter could be made of something that's not particles?
Episode #268: What's the heaviest stable element? (4/1/21) Daniel and Jorge take a trip to the theoretical Island of Stability and talk about super heavy elements
Episode #286: How many kinds of Higgs bosons are there? (06-10-21) Daniel and Jorge explain why our Universe might have more than just one Higgs boson, and what they should be called.
Episode #305: How many particles has the Large Hadron Collider discovered? (08-17-21) Daniel and Jorge reveal that the Large Hadron Collider has found much more than just the Higgs boson!
Episode #307: What if our particles were different? (08-24-21) Daniel and Jorge consider how the Universe would be different if our particles had different properties
Episode #308: What's a proton made of? (08-26-21) Daniel and Jorge crack open the basic building block of matter and find.. anti-matter!
Episode #315: Does the weak force attract or repel? (09-21-21) Daniel and Jorge break down this question that stumped Daniel at his public office hours!
Episode #318: What hidden symmetry is controlling the Universe? (09-30-21) Daniel and Jorge dive deep into quantum theory and explain gauge symmetry, the foundation of all modern physics.
Episode #323: Are neutrinos hiding the dark matter? (10-19-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how dark matter might be hiding under the "neutrino floor"
Episode #329: How did exotic particles change the Universe? (11-09-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about why all those weird heavy particles might actually be critical to the Universe
Episode #330: Why do we think dark matter is made of particles? (11-11-21) Daniel and Jorge explore the "WIMP Miracle", which convinced a lot of physicists that dark matter was a particle.
Episode #356: Why does the Higgs boson like Mexican hats? (02-10-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the strange properties of the Higgs boson, and why its special powers are linked to a sombrero.
Episode #360: Where does the Higgs get its mass? (02-24-22) Daniel and Jorge wonder: if the Higgs gives mass to the other particles, how does it get mass itself?
Episode #367: Could we build a particle collider on the moon? (03-22-22) Daniel and Katie talk about what such a huge collider could reveal, and whether it would be a good idea
Episode #371: Are there particles that don't have anti-particles? (04-05-22) Daniel and Jorge discuss whether Majorana particles are real, and crack a real life mystery about the fate of Ettore Majorana.
Episode #377: Is the W boson too massive? (04-26-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the recent measurement of the W mass that shocked particle physicists
Episode #378: What can neutrinos teach us about supernovas? (04-28-22) Daniel and Jorge explore what we can learn about the Universe's biggest explosions using ghostly particles.
Episode #380: Can the human eye see a single photon? (05-05-22) Daniel and Katie talk about the physics of color and whether the eyeball is a quantum measurement device.
Episode #384: What is a particle? (05-19-22) Daniel and Jorge grapple with this particularly tricky and philosophical question.
Episode #395: Do photons bump into each other? (06-28-22) Daniel and Jorge bump brains and talk about whether beams of light interact or pass through each other. Transcript
Episdoe #398: What is quark gluon plasma? (7/6/2022) Daniel and Jorge talk about the hottest state of matter ever created, and make up silly names for it. Transcript

Quantum Mechanics

Episodes about quantum weirdness!

Episode #17: Is the Universe Random? (11/27/18) If you repeat the same experiment, do you get the same outcome?
Episode #31: What is a quantum computer? (1/8/19) What is a quantum computer and how does it work?
Episode #69: What is quantum spin? (5/16/19) Everybody talks about it, but what IS it?
Episode #81: What is quantum tunneling? (7/2/19) How can particles jump impossible barriers?
Episode #116: Can I understand Quantum Mechanics? (10/24/19) Daniel explains the basics of quantum mechanics
Episode #123: Can Quantum Entanglement send messages faster than light? (11/12/19) Daniel and Jorge untangle quantum entanglement
Episode #124: Can science predict what you will think or do? (11/14/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about the science of the brain
Episode #159: How small is an electron (3/19/20) Shrink down the the quantum realm with Daniel and Jorge and discover the size of the electron
Episode #208: What is Bose Einstein Condensate (9/3/20) Have you heard of "Bose Einstein Condensate" but never really understood it? D&J break it down for you.
Episode #243: Is space filled with infinite energy? (1/5/20) Daniel and Jorge tackle the confusing conundrum of the Casimir Effect and quantum zero-point energy
Episode #244: Why don't baseballs act like quantum particles? (1/7/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about quantum decoherence and why big things don't act like quantum particles.
Episode #253: What's a Time Crystal? (2/9/20) Daniel and guest host Katie Goldin talk about the crazy and real science of time crystals
Episode #258: What is a Quantum Dot? (2/25/21) Daniel and Jorge break down the quantum world into tiny dots that have amazing properties.
Episode #283: Why does measuring a quantum object change it? (06-01-21) Daniel chats with Adam Becker about the measurement problem in quantum mechanics: does the wavefunction collapse, and what causes it?
Episode #313: Listener Questions 17: hamsters, black holes and higgs fields! (09-14-21) Daniel and Jorge dip the french fries of knowledge into the mysterious condiments of the Universe and answer questions from listeners like you!
Episode #314: Is the Universe a hologram? (09-16-21) Could the 3D entire Universe be a projection from a 2D surface somewhere?
Episode #316: Does the Universe need cause and effect (09-23-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether things have to happen in a definite order, or not!
Episode #318: What hidden symmetry is controlling the Universe? (09-30-21) Daniel and Jorge dive deep into quantum theory and explain gauge symmetry, the foundation of all modern physics.
Episode #321: What is a quantum eraser? (10-12-21) Daniel and Jorge step through the details of a mind-boggling version of the double slit experiment. Check out their new book: universefaq.com
Episode #328: Quantum Mechanics with Carlo Rovelli (11-04-21) Daniel talks to Carlo Rovelli about an unusual theory of quantum mechanics. And about aliens.
Episode #334: The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (11-25-21) Daniel talks to Sean Carroll about the quantum multiverse, and whether it is real
Episode #342: Does Quantum Mechanics have to be so random? (12-23-21) Daniel talks to Prof. Valia Allori about the pilot-wave theory of Bohmian Mechanics, a deterministic alternative to traditional Quantum Mechanics.
Episode #355: Can we build a wormhole? (02-08-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the latest ideas for how to make human portals to distant space.

Astronomy

Episodes about stars, planets and galaxies!

Episode #18: When will the Sun explode? (10/4/18) How long can we enjoy the sunshine before we need a new star?
Episode #23: Where Did Earth's Water Come From? (11/22/18) Young Earth was hot and dry. Where did the oceans come from?
Episode #26: Was/Is there life on Mars? (12/20/18) What do we know about life on Mars?
Episode #29: Are there other Earths out there? (12/25/18) How many liveable planets are out there, and can we reach them?
Episode #30: What Happens When Galaxies Collide? (1/3/19) Will our lives be affected when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda?
Episode #35: How Can We Tell The Distance To Stars? (1/17/19) How can we measure the distance to stars?
Episode #40: How did the moon form? (1/29/19) How did the Earth get such a weird, big fluffy moon?
Episode #41: What is terraforming? (2/12/19) Can we make another planet habitable?
Episode #45: What's At The Center Of The Galaxy? (2/26/19) What's at the center of the Milky Way? How do we know? Can we explain it?
Episode #48: Why do we have stars? (3/7/19) Why are there stars and planets and not just smooth matter everywhere?
Episode #52: What was Oumuamua? (3/19/19) What was that strange rock that passed through our solar system in 2017?
Episode #55: What's the biggest thing in the Universe? (3/28/19) Plants, stars, galaxies, clusters, then what?
Episode #56: What's Under The Ice In Europa? (4/2/19) This moon of Jupiter has an ENORMOUS ocean. Does anything live in it?
Episode #57: What Are The Weirdest Stars? (4/4/19) What are neutron stars, pulsars and magnetars?
Episode #67: What's in Jupiter's Great Red Spot (5/9/19) The mysteries of the biggest storm on the solar system
Episode #82: Why is there an enormous hexagon on Saturn? (7/4/19) What is going on with Saturn?
Episode #85: How do you make gold? (7/11/19) Where in the Universe is gold made?
Episode #95: What do planets in other solar systems look like? (8/8/19) Is our solar system weird or typical?
Episode #101: Why does the moon have a 'far side'? (8/29/19) Daniel and Jorge explore how the moon faces the Earth
Episode #108: What are Fast Radio Bursts? (9/26/19) Daniel and Jorge explore these mysterious pulses of energy
Episode #109: How many stars can you see in the sky? Daniel Solo (10/1/19) Daniel counts the countless stars
Episode #110: What are the fermi bubbles? (10/3/19) Daniel and Matt talk about these crazy, enormous mysteries
Episode #117: What's in the asteroid belt? (10/29/19) What do we know about the asteroid belt and what can we learn from it?
Episode #120: Latest News from around the Solar System (11/5/19) Daniel and Crystal talk about recent scientific discoveries in our backyard
Episode #122: Space Weather (11/7/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about our unpredictable sun
Episode #126: Is our solar system weird (11/21/19) Can we compare our solar system to others?
Episode #139: What will the new space telescope reveal? (1/9/20) The James Webb Space Telescope is humanity's newest eyeball
Episode #142: Is space filled with junk? (1/16/20) Is space mostly empty or full of junk?
Episode #144: Is Betelgeuse about to explode? (1/23/20) What is going on with this bright star?
Episode #147: What is the Great Attractor? (2/4/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about this mysterious part of the Universe.
Episode #149: Are there planets without a star? (2/11/20) Do rogue planets exist? Could they support life?
Episode #153: What have we learned from the Spitzer Space Telescope? (2/26/20) The Spitzer Space Telescope is retiring. What have we learned from it?
Episode #160: The biggest explosion in the Universe. (3/10/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about supernovae
Episode #170: Can planets lose their atmospheres? (4/23/20) How do planets get atmospheres, and how long do they last? Will Earth one day run out of air?
Episode #178: Could Jupiter turn into a star? (5/21/20) What is the fate of the largest planet in our solar system?
Episode #180: Can we see the surface of exoplanets? (5/28/20) Could we build a telescope that let us see what planets around other stars look like?
Episode #182: Can stars eat other stars? (6/4/20) Can a Thorne-Zytkow object, a neutron star inside another star, actually exist? Did we find one?
Episode #183: How do you navigate in deep space? (6/9/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about a potential new GPS: the Galactic Positioning System.
Episode #214: How can we bring rocks back from Mars? (9/29/20) How many robots does it take to dig up rocks from Mars and deliver them back to Earth?
Episode #215: New discoveries in our cosmic neighborhood (10/1/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about a new massive blob of galaxies discovered right around the corner.
Episode #217: Where do comets come from? (10/8/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the vast and amazing Oort cloud, and whether it is throwing snowballs at us.
Episode #224: What if the Earth Stopped Spinning (10/29/20) What makes planets spin, and what would happen if they stopped?
Episode #225: The mysterious sources of the Van Allen radiation belts (11/3/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the strange belts of particles surrounding the Earth, and the South Atlantic Anomaly
Episode #226: How to land a robot on an asteroid (11/5/20) NASA sent Osiris-Rex to scoop a cup of dirt from an asteroid ... using a pogo stick!
Episode #227: The surprising shape of the Milky Way (11/10/20) How do we know the shape of our galaxy, since we're stuck in the middle of it?
Episode #238: What will the DragonFly mission find on Titan? (12/17/20) NASA is building an awesome drone to fly around the surface of Saturn's moon. What will it find?
Episode #240: Are there centaurs in outer space? (12/24/20) Centaurs are real, but not on Earth. Daniel and Jorge talk about the weird objects astronomers call a "space centaur"
Episode #246: Can we see planets in other galaxies? (1/14/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about how astronomers are trying to detect planets in far away galaxies!
Episode #247: Can a planet be bigger than its star? (1/21/21) What counts as a planet and is it possible for it to outweigh or outsize its parent star?
Episode #250: How do we know the mass of stars? (1/28/20) Daniel talks about how astronomers can measure or deduce the mass of a star, and why it controls its fate.
Episode #259: What are globular clusters? (3/2/21) Daniel and guest host Katie Goldin explore the mysteries of these weird, ancient blobs of stars.
Episode #261: What are boson stars? (3/9/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether its possible to have stars made out of bosons!
Episode #265: What was the pioneer anomaly? (3/23/21) Daniel and Jorge dig into the mystery of why the Pioneer spacecraft's path surprised scientists.
Episode #266: What is the Space Roar? (3/25/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the mysterious, unexplained "space roar" and whether its a clue about something new in the Universe.
Episode #267: What's the Huge Large Quasar Group? (3/30/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about quasars, large groups of quasars and HUGE LARGE groups of quasars!
Episode #269: Did Jupiter once have a different orbit? (4/6/21) Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith explore the dramatic story of Jupiter's wandering orbits
Episode #278: Does Mars Have a Liquid Center? (5/13/21) Daniel and Jorge crack open the red planet and talk about whether it is totally solid, or whether it still has liquid flowing inside!
Episode #284: What did we learn from the Arecibo Radio Telescope? (06-03-21) Daniel and Jorge tell the story of the construction, the scientific insights and the collapse of the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico
Episode #288: Where are all the medium-sized black holes? (06-17-21) Daniel and Jorge search for the missing black holes that are not too small or too big, but right in the middle!
Episode #293: How many moons does the Earth have? (07-06-21) Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith count the number of moons orbiting the Earth!
Episode #298: How were pulsars discovered? (07-22-21) Daniel recounts the story of how pulsars were discovered and what they tell us about the death of stars.
Episode #303: How many stars can a solar system have? (08-10-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about binary star systems, trinary star systems and totally bonkers star systems with even more stars!
Episode #309: What is a space hurricane? (08-31-21) Daniel and Jorge swirl their minds together into a stormy mix of puns and physics and tackle this spacey topic.
Episode #310: What will the Giant Magellan Telescope show us? (09-02-21) Daniel and Kelly talk about the exciting science that will be done by this new super telescope.
Episode #320: How many generations of stars will there be? (10-07-21) Daniel and Jorge break down the life cycle of stars and estimate how many more stars will be born in our Universe.
Episode #333: Could a solar flare wipe out humanity? (11-23-21) Daniel and Jorge explain the physics of our chaotic Sun and why its so hard to predict whether or not it might kill us!
Episode #340: Will starlink spoil astronomy? (12-16-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how megaconstellations of satellites might spoil our view of the Universe.
Episode #341: What is Zodiacal Light? (12-21-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the amazing physics of space DUST.
Episode #345: What happens when stars collide? (01-04-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the chances of two stars smashing, and whether we could survive.
Episode #347: What's happening to the Hyades Cluster? (01-11-22) Daniel and Kelly talk about the dramatic brutal cosmic fate of the Hyades Cluster.
Episode #358: Is there Uranium on Uranus? (02-17-22) Daniel and Kelly probe a heavy question about heavy metals on Uranus.
Episode #361: What is the future of exoplanet research? (03-01-22) Daniel and Jorge talk to planet hunter Dr. Jesse Christiansen about what we have learned and what we might learn about exoplanets!
Episode #363: Why do stars twinkle? (03-08-22) Daniel and Jorge sing a scientific song about the many reasons a star might twinkle.
Episode #368: What will the new probes to Venus reveal? (03-24-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the mysteries of Venus and what the next generation of probes might teach us.
Episode #370: How big can a comet get? (03-31-22) Daniel and Katie talk about the biggest possible scoop of solar-system gelato, and what it might mean for the future of humanity!
Episode #374: What are zombie stars? (04-14-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about stars that die, and then come back to shine again!
Episode #382: What does the NICER telescope study? (05-12-22) Daniel and Jorge explain how an X-ray telescope works and what it reveals about the inside of neutron stars.
Episode #383: Can we defend the Earth from deadly space rocks? (05-17-22) Daniel and Kelly talk about where space rocks come from, how dangerous they are and what humanity can do about it.
Episode #388: Where is most of Earth's water? (06-02-22) Daniel and Katie drink deeply of the mystery of the Earth's formation and contents and talk about whether Earth's water might be hiding deep within the planet.
Episode #391: Can the Earth survive when the Sun expands? (06-14-22) Daniel and Kelly talk about how we use our smarts to survive the changing conditions in the far future solar system.
Episode #399: How do galaxies die? Daniel and Jorge talk about the mysteries of why galaxies stop making stars.Transcript

Cosmology

Episodes about the nature of the Universe

Episode #3: What came before the Big Bang? (9/27/18) What could have caused the Big Bang, and what came before it?
Episode #4: How Big is the Universe? (10/18/18) Does the Universe go on forever, or have an end? What shape is it?
Episode #6: What is making the Universe explode? (10/30/18) How we learned that something is tearing the Universe apart, and what it might mean
Episode #7: What's inside a Black Hole? (10/23/18) What is a black hole, and what would it be like to fall into one?
Episode #10: Are we Living in a Simulation? (9/25/18) How can we tell if what we see is real or simulated? Does it matter?
Episode #11: What are Gravitational Waves? (10/9/18) What does it mean for gravity to make waves? How do we see them?
Episode #12: Baby Universe (ft. Katie Mack) (11/20/18) What did the Universe look like as a baby? How do we know? Join Daniel and Jorge as they talk with Katie Mack about the early universe, and what they all looked like as babies.
Episode #15: Can we travel faster than light? (11/15/18) Why can't we travel faster than light? Can we ever reach the stars?
Episode #16: How will the Universe die? (11/1/18) How long will the Universe last, and what are the possible fates?
Episode #25: What is a dimension and how many are there? (12/11/18) What's the real meaning of a dimension? Are there more than 3?
Episode #27: Will physics ever explain everything? (12/13/18) What is a "Theory of Everything" and how close are we to discovering it?
Episode #28: Is the Universe pixelated? (12/27/18) Is there a shortest possible distance? Or can you cut space in half forever?
Episode #37: What is string theory? (12/18/18) We've all heard of it but nobody really knows
Episode #38: Is The Multiverse Real? (1/22/19) What is the multiverse and is it real?
Episode #44: Are wormholes real? (2/14/19) Are wormholes a real thing out in space somewhere?
Episode #46: How Old Is The Universe? (2/28/19) How long has the Universe been cooking, and how do we know?
Episode #96: What is a White Hole? (8/13/19) What's the opposite of a black hole?
Episode #113: What is the CMB? (10/10/19) Daniel explains where the oldest light in the Universe comes from
Episode #121: Journey to the First Moments of the Universe (10/31/19) Daniel talks to Dan Hooper about how it all started
Episode #130: How fast is the Universe Blowing Up? (12/10/19) Daniel and Jorge explore the uncertainties of the Hubble constant
Episode #133: What is quantum spacetime foam? (12/18/19) What is the basic nature of spacetime?
Episode #134: What are cosmic strings? (12/20/19) Can space crack?
Episode #141: Who inflated the Universe? (1/14/20) What do we know about early-Universe inflation?
Episode #151: Can quantum gravity save physics? (2/19/20) Daniel and Jorge discuss loop quantum gravity with a special appearance from Bianca Dittrich, a PhD in gravitational physics
Episode #154: Is the Universe infinite? (3/2/20) Does the Universe go on forever, or have an end?
Episode #169: What is the Cosmological Constant? (4/21/20) Was it Einstein's greatest blunder, or smartest prediction?
Episode #174: Does Stephen Wolfram's Theory of Everything Work? (4/30/20) How does Stephen Wolfram's Physics Project work and what have we learned?
Episode #177: What are the basic constants of the Universe? (5/19/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the numbers that control everything, and the number of those numbers!
Episode #220: Is Energy Actually Conserved? (10/15/20) Daniel and Jorge explore whether energy is actually a fundamental conserved quantity.
Episode #221: Is all of space magnetized? (10/20/20) Is it possible that there are magnetic fields.... everywhere?
Episode #234: What happened in the dark ages of the Universe? (12/3/20) Before the stars and galaxies formed, the Universe was dark and foggy for hundreds of millions of years!
Episode #256: Can we see evidence of a previous Universe? (2/18/21) Daniel and Jorge explain Roger Penrose's Conformal Cyclic Cosmology and what it means about the origins of the Universe.
Episode #262: Does our Universe have a cold spot? (3/11/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the cosmic microwave background radiation and its odd cold spot.
Episode #270: What's a Tesseract? (4/8/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about 4-dimensional cubes, life in the 4th dimension and the Infinity Stones!
Episode #274: Can the Universe exist without space? (5/4/21) Daniel and Jorge break down the Universe to its most basic level and ask if space is necessary
Episode #276: What's the most promising theory of EVERYTHING? (5/11/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about string theory, loop quantum gravity, M-theory, p-branes, geometric unity and ice cream!
Episode #287: How was the cosmic microwave background discovered? (06-15-21) Daniel and Jorge go through the crazy story of missed opportunties, accidental observations that led to one of the greatest science discoveries of all time.
Episode #296: What's the cosmic gravitational background? (07-15-21) Daniel and Jorge explain how we might be able to listen to a new kind of gravitational hiss and what secrets it could reveal.
Episode #299: Can you outrun a flash of light? (07-27-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether its possible to outrun the fastest thing in the Universe
Episode #301: Can we use the galaxy as a gravitational wave detector? (08-03-21) Daniel explains how pulsars can be used as a galaxy-sized physics experiment.
Episode #316: Does the Universe need cause and effect (09-23-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether things have to happen in a definite order, or not!
Episode #319: Is time pixelated? (10-05-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how finely sliced time can get
Episode #325: How do you spot a wormhole? (10-26-21) Daniel and Jorge ask if it's possible to tell if there's a wormhole nearby
Episode #338: Did our Universe evolve? (12-09-21) Daniel and Jorge discuss the theory of Cosmological Natural Selection
Episode #344: Did this particle cause the Big Bang? (12-30-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the inflaton particle, and whether its responsible for EVERYTHING.
Episode #350: Could life have started much earlier in the Universe? (01-20-22) Daniel and Katie talk about what life needs and whether it could have started much earlier in the Universe.
Episode #352: The next revolution in theoretical physics (01-27-22) Daniel and Jorge explain Constructor Theory, a new way to approach building theories of everything.
Episode #353: Is there an explanation for the Universe, or is it random? (02-01-22) Daniel and Katie explore the anthropic principle and whether it can provide some understanding of why the Universe is the way it is.
Episode #357: Does the Universe have a preferred direction? (02-15-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the hypothesis that there is a cosmological Axis of Evil
Episode #389: Could the Universe be shaped like a donut? (06-07-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about how much dark chocolate can fit in Universes of various shapes and sizes.
Episode #393: What is Energy? (06-21-22) Daniel and Jorge tackle some of one of the simplest but trickiest concepts in physics.
Episode #400: Why is Momentum Conserved? (7-19-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about why the Universe seems to follow rules, and celebrate the birthday of the woman who revealed the this deep truth.Transcript

Relativity

Episodes about how space and time bend

Episode #49: What is time dilation? (3/12/19) Why does time slow down when you go fast?
Episode #136: How does relativity affect our perception of time? (12/25/19) Why do moving clocks run slow?
Episode #146: Can particles travel faster than light? (1/30/20) Is there any way particles can travel faster than light or is it against the laws of physics?
Episode #148: Can you slow down light? (2/6/20) The speed of light is constant but is it possible to slow it down?
Episode #280: What is Frame Dragging? (5/20/21) Daniel and Jorge explain how space can get twisted up around spinning objects.
Episode #299: Can you outrun a flash of light? (07-27-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether its possible to outrun the fastest thing in the Universe
Episode #306: What is a light cone? (08-19-21) Daniel and Jorge explain how the speed of light limits how events play out in the Universe.
Episode #312: Can you be motionless in space? (09-09-21) Everything is moving and spinning -- is it possible to be totally still in the Universe?
Episode #326: Why does gravity slow down time? (10-28-21) Daniel and Jorge explore why time slows down when space is curved
Episode #331: How do we measure the speed of light? (11-16-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the history of how we measured this fastest of all velocities!
Episode #385: Is the whole Universe spinning? (05-24-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether the whole Universe can spin, and whether it is.

History of Science

Episodes about how we figured things out.

Episode #33: What is the most important invention in human history? (1/15/19) Featuring Ryan North, we discuss the most fundamentally important inventions in human history.
Episode #42: What nobel prizes have been proven wrong? (2/5/19) Can the top prize get it wrong?
Episode #99: What was the first particle discovered? (9/3/19) Daniel and Jorge explore the dawn of particle physics
Episode #114: How do we know the photon is a particle? (10/17/19) Daniel talks about how the photon was discovered
Episode #135: How was antimatter discovered? (12/23/19) The history of how we discovered these mirror particles
Episode #168: How quarks were discovered (4/16/20) One day in November 1974 that changed particle physics forever.
Episode #185: The long race for the top quark (6/16/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the twenty-year race to find the top quark, that came down to the wire.
Episode #196: How was the Higgs boson discovered? (7/23/20) Hear the story of the multi-decade trans-Atlantic rivalry that led to the Higgs boson discovery.
Episode #203: What happened to the Superconducting Supercollider? (8/18/20) Americans had the biggest colliders in the world, until they tried to build one that was too big. Hear the super story of the superlative supercollider.
Episode #204: How did we discover black holes? (8/20/20) What convinced people that black holes are real?
Episode #232: The Sticky Story of the Gluon's Discovery (11/26/20) What is the gluon and how was it discovered? Daniel and Jorge take us through the dramatic events.
Episode #241: How was radiation discovered? (12/29/20) X-rays, U-rays, and cosmic rays! Hear the story for how we came to understand that our world is filled with invisible dangers.
Episode #284: What did we learn from the Arecibo Radio Telescope? (06-03-21) Daniel and Jorge tell the story of the construction, the scientific insights and the collapse of the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico
Episode #287: How was the cosmic microwave background discovered? (06-15-21) Daniel and Jorge go through the crazy story of missed opportunties, accidental observations that led to one of the greatest science discoveries of all time.
Episode #298: How were pulsars discovered? (07-22-21) Daniel recounts the story of how pulsars were discovered and what they tell us about the death of stars.
Episode #331: How do we measure the speed of light? (11-16-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the history of how we measured this fastest of all velocities!

Geology

Episodes about our Earth

Episode #23: Where Did Earth's Water Come From? (11/22/18) Young Earth was hot and dry. Where did the oceans come from?
Episode #61: What's Inside The Earth? (5/2/19) What would happen if you jumped into a hole through the center?
Episode #76: Is the Earth round? (6/11/19) What's the shape of our planet, and how do we know?
Episode #94: How old is the Earth, and how do we know? (8/6/19) Daniel and Jorge tackle one of the oldest questions on Earth
Episode #170: Can planets lose their atmospheres? (4/23/20) How do planets get atmospheres, and how long do they last? Will Earth one day run out of air?
Episode #275: What's the most powerful volcano in the Solar System? (5/6/21) Daniel and Jorge break down how volcanos work and blow up your idea of what makes a powerful volcano blow.
Episode #285: Where did the Earth's atmosphere come from? (06-08-21) Daniel and Jorge explain where the air you breathe came from, and whether there's hope for deep breaths on exoplanets.

Black Holes

Episodes about the strangest holes in space

Episode #7: What's inside a Black Hole? (10/23/18) What is a black hole, and what would it be like to fall into one?
Episode #45: What's At The Center Of The Galaxy? (2/26/19) What's at the center of the Milky Way? How do we know? Can we explain it?
Episode #62: Can you see a black hole? (4/9/19) What would a picture of a BH look like?
Episode #97: What would happen if the Sun became a black hole? (8/15/19) Would the Earth get gobbled up if the Sun collapsed?
Episode #137: Can you destroy a Black hole? (12/30/19) Is it possible to pull a black hole apart?
Episode #187: What are primordial black holes? (6/23/20) Could mysterious black holes have been formed in the first second of the Universe?
Episode #190: Do black holes destroy information? (7/2/20) Daniel and Jorge tackle the paradox of black holes: do they destroy information or store it forever?
Episode #199: How did supermassive black holes get so big? (8/4/20) The gargantuan black holes at the centers of galaxies seem impossibly large. How did they grow so large in the short history of our Universe?
Episode #204: How did we discover black holes? (8/20/20) What convinced people that black holes are real?
Episode #213: Can a black hole power a spaceship? (9/24/20) Daniel and Jorge tackle the physics, engineering and safety questions of using a black hole to visit nearby stars.
Episode #231: What's it like to fall into a black hole? (11/24/20) Take a cosmic field trip with Daniel and Jorge, as they guide you on a thought experiment into the heart of the most mysterious objects in the Universe.
Episode #233: Can you undress a black hole? (12/1/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether it's possible to observe a "naked singularity"
Episode #271: Have we solved the black hole information paradox? (4/13/21) Daniel and Jorge break down recent advances in quantum gravity!
Episode #282: Can there be life INSIDE a black hole? (05-27-21) Daniel and guest host Katie Goldin talk about astro-blackhole-biology and whether it's possible to have life evolve inside a black hole.
Episode #288: Where are all the medium-sized black holes? (06-17-21) Daniel and Jorge search for the missing black holes that are not too small or too big, but right in the middle!
Episode #313: Listener Questions 17: hamsters, black holes and higgs fields! (09-14-21) Daniel and Jorge dip the french fries of knowledge into the mysterious condiments of the Universe and answer questions from listeners like you!
Episode #314: Is the Universe a hologram? (09-16-21) Could the 3D entire Universe be a projection from a 2D surface somewhere?
Episode #322: Black Hole Questions! (10-14-21) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions about black holes
Episode #324: Are black holes really black holes? (10-21-21) Daniel and Jorge explore the question of whether black holes are actually "dark stars"
Episode #335: Kids questions about the Universe! (11-30-21) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from kids about black holes, diamond planets and faster-than-light travel!
Episode #336: Things that glow in the dark (12-02-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the biology, chemistry and physics of glowing.
Episode #346: Why black holes are actually bright. (01-06-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the incredible, ironic brightness of black holes.
Episode #351: Could our galaxy have a dark matter center? (01-25-22) Daniel and Jorge explore the idea that the center of the galaxy might hold a huge blob of dark matter rather than a black hole.
Episode #364: Can we put black holes to work for us? (03-10-22) Daniel and Jorge discuss how the twisted spacetime around a spinning black hole can be used to pull energy from a black hole.
Episode #381: Can we escape a black hole with a warp drive or wormhole? (05-10-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether loopholes and wormholes will let you escape black holes.
Episode #386: What does our black hole look like? (05-26-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the recent picture of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way
Episode #396: What happens when black holes collide? (06-30-22) Daniel and Jorge take you step by step through the process of black hole mergers. Transcript

Dark Matter

Episodes about the weird missing matter.

Episode #2: What is Dark Matter? (10/16/18) How dark matter was discovered, and what it might be
Episode #77: How can we see dark matter? (6/6/19) How are scientists looking for the missing 80% of the Universe's matter?
Episode #165: Could dark matter be made of quarks? (4/7/20) Daniel and Jorge discuss a recent suggestion that dark matter could be made of hexaquarks
Episode #175: Can Dark Matter feel itself (5/12/20) What happens when DM bumps into DM in the dark?
Episode #189: What is the axion? (6/30/20) Why do scientists think there might be a wispy mysterious particle? And why did they give it such a silly name?
Episode #192: Does the Universe need dark matter? (7/9/20) Is it possible that dark matter doesn't exist? Could it just be a misunderstanding of gravity?
Episode #197: Is dark matter hot? (7/28/20) Scientists don't know what dark matter is, but they know if it's hot (or not!)
Episode #200: Did the XENON experiment just discover a weird axion? (8/6/20) Recent results from the XENON experiment could be the first hint of something groundbreaking... or it could be nothing.
Episode #209: What would happen if dark matter and dark energy disappeared? (9/10/20) Dark matter and dark energy are 95% of the energy in the Universe. But do we need them?
Episode #222: A discounted dark matter discovery (10/22/20) Why do particle physicists discount the beautiful signal of dark matter from the DAMA experiment?
Episode #289: Are there stars made of dark matter? (06-22-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about what it takes to make a star and whether dark matter could pull it off
Episode #323: Are neutrinos hiding the dark matter? (10-19-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how dark matter might be hiding under the "neutrino floor"
Episode #330: Why do we think dark matter is made of particles? (11-11-21) Daniel and Jorge explore the "WIMP Miracle", which convinced a lot of physicists that dark matter was a particle.
Episode #348: Do we know where dark matter is? (01-13-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about where dark matter is in the Universe.
Episode #351: Could our galaxy have a dark matter center? (01-25-22) Daniel and Jorge explore the idea that the center of the galaxy might hold a huge blob of dark matter rather than a black hole.
Episode #362: What is dark radiation? (03-03-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether dark matter feels dark forces.

Dark Energy

Episodes about our accelerating Universe.

Episode #6: What is making the Universe explode? (10/30/18) How we learned that something is tearing the Universe apart, and what it might mean
Episode #169: What is the Cosmological Constant? (4/21/20) Was it Einstein's greatest blunder, or smartest prediction?
Episode #209: What would happen if dark matter and dark energy disappeared? (9/10/20) Dark matter and dark energy are 95% of the energy in the Universe. But do we need them?

Science Fiction

Interviews with our favorite authors!

Episode #156: The science fiction Universe of "Ancillary Justice" (3/12/20) Daniel and Jorge talk to Ann Leckie, author of "Ancillary Justice"
Episode #161: The SF Universe of Blake Crouch's "Recursion" (3/24/20) Daniel and Jorge talk to Blake Crouch, author of "Recursion"
Episode #164: The SF Universe of Becky Chambers "THe Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" (4/2/20) Daniel and Jorge chat with Becky Chambers and talk about wormhole engineering.
Episode #166: The SF Universe of Mary Robinette Kowal's "The Calculating Stars" (4/9/20) Daniel and Jorge disect the physics of a science fiction Universe, featuring an interview with Mary Robinette Kowal.
Episode #171: The SF Universe of Sue Burke's "Semiosis" (4/28/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about what happens when plants can think. Is eating a banana now murder?
Episode #188: The SF Universe of Alastair Reynolds "Revenger" (6/25/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about solar sails, artificial planets and black holes!
Episode #207: The SF Universe of Dr. Karen Lords (8/27/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the science of the novel "The Best of All Possible Worlds" by Dr. Karen Lords
Episode #210: The SF Multi-verse of Adrian Tchaikovsky (9/15/20) Daniel and Jorge discuss the science of "The Doors of Eden", a multi-zooniverse novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Episode #219: The SF Universes of Vandana Singh (10/13/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the creative science in the short stories of Vandana Singh's collection "Ambiguity Machines"
Episode #229: The SF Universe of Max Barry (11/17/20) In Max Barry's new novel "Providence", humanity runs into aliens. It doesn't go well.
Episode #264: The Science Finction Universe of Lindsay Ellis (3/18/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the Universe of Linday Ellis' novel "Axiom's End"
Episode #273: The Science Fiction Universe of SB Divya (4/29/21) Daniel interviews SB Divya about her new novel "Machinehood" which explores whether machines can be self-aware.
Episode #291: The SF Universe of Essa Hansen's novel "Nophek Gloss" (06-29-21) Daniel and Jorge break down the science in the science fiction novel "Nophek Gloss" by debut author Essa Hansen.
Episode #297: The SF Universe of Cadwell Turnbull's "The Lesson" (07-20-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the connections between science and art and discuss the science and politics of Cadwell Turnbull's "The Lesson"
Episode #375: The science fiction universe of "Lost in Space" (04-19-22) Daniel and Jorge talk to Kari Drake, writer on "Lost in Space" about the science of that Universe

Listener Questions

Episodes with answers to your questions!

Episode #36: Questions from viewers (1/10/19) We answer questions from listeners! The Speed of Light, the center of the Universe and lasers!
Episode #58: More listener questions! (3/26/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #60: Questions from the Zeitgeist (ft The Daily Zeitgeist hosts) (4/16/19) Why is the sky blue? Whats a quantum machine gun? How do planets form?
Episode #71: Bad Science Questions (5/21/19) Daniel and Jorge welcome Ethan, host of the Podcast Bad Science, and answer his questions about the universe.
Episode #75: Listener Questions #3 (6/4/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #83: Listener Questions #4 (6/18/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #91: Sleepwalkers guest questions (8/1/19) Questions from the sleepwalkers crew
Episode #93: Listener Questions 5 (8/20/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #98: What if the Earth lost its moon? (8/22/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about crazy scenarios
Episode #106: "How to" with XKCD (9/17/19) Daniel and Jorge talk to Randum Munroe about "How To"
Episode #111: Listener Questions 6 (10/8/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #129: Listener Questions 7: Black Holes and Death Stars (12/3/19) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #152: Listener Questions 8: Does AI understand humor? (2/17/20) Questions from listeners like you
Episode #163: Listener Questions 9: Exotic matter, global roads and intergalactic aliens! (3/31/20) It's time to answer listener questions, ranging from exotic matter, to roads the circle the earth and aliens from other galaxies.
Episode #176: Listener Question 10: Particles, stars and universe-sized black holes! (5/14/20) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions about the smallest, biggest and cataclysmic-ist things in the Universe!
Episode #193: Listener Questions 11: Deep questions about gravity and particles. (7/14/20) Can gravity waves kill you? Why do we have particles? Can fission power a star?
Episode #205: Listener Questions 12: Higgs Bosons, Black holes and earthquakes! (8/25/20) Does dark matter feel the Higgs? Can particles be black holes? What would happen if the Earth froze?
Episode #211: The most common listener questions! (9/17/20) Is there dark matter in black holes? Are gravitons and gravitational waves the same thing? Daniel and Jorge answer the most common listener questions!
Episode #212: Elinor Wonders About the Universe (9/8/20) Daniel and Jorge answer questions about the Universe from Jorge's daughter Elinor, and talk about their new PBS Kids TV show: "Elinor Wonders Why". Link: pbskids.org/elinor
Episode #230: Listener Questions 13: Space water, wormhole colliders and boxes of dark matter (11/19/20) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners, like you! Submit yours, to questions@danielandjorge.com
Episode #236: Daniel answers Listener Questions about dark matter, black holes and particle colliders (12/8/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #237: Daniel answers Listener Questions about the size of the Universe, what's in intergalactic space and why gravity dominates the Universe. (12/10/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #242: Daniel answers Listener Questions about energy conservation, inflation and space dust! (12/31/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #245: Daniel answers Listener Questions about a donut Universe, mirrors and black holes! (1/12/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #248: Daniel answers Listener Questions about how to read science headlines, gravitational slingshots, lorentz symmetry and the speed of light! (1/19/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #249: Listener Questions 14: Black holes, aliens and zombies! (1/26/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about what kind of elements are inside a black hole, how to respond to aliens and whether physicists are useful or useless in a zombie apocalypse.
Episode #251: Daniel answers Listener Questions about closed time-like curves, force fields, and the lifetime of the Earth's magnetic field (2/2/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #254: Daniel answers Listener Questions about hawking radiation, 5G networks and wireless phone chargers! (2/11/20) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #257: Daniel answers Listener Questions about diamond rain on Jupiter, travel near the speed of light and the tilt of Uranus. (2/23/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #260: Daniel answers Listener Questions about the smell of space, the electroweak force and spotting distant aliens. (3/4/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #263: Daniel answers Listener Questions about black holes, antimatter stars and why the Universe exists! (3/16/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #277: Listener Questions: Black Holes, Dark Entropy and a Radio Free Zone! (4/22/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #281: Listener Questions: the expanding observable Universe, what it's like to be a photon and the age of the Universe (5/25/21) Daniel answers questions from listeners like you!
Episode #292: Listener Questions: photon information, simulated Universes and Daniel's fantasy science budget (07-01-21) Daniel answers questions from real listeners like you. Submit your questions to questions@danielandjorge.com
Episode #302: Listener Questions 16: pictures from space, antimatter stars and Jupiter-eating aliens! (08-05-21) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Have questions? Send them to questions@danielandjorge.com
Episode #327: Frequently Asked Listener Questions About the Universe! (11-02-21) Daniel and Jorge's new book "Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe" is out today! Order your copy at universefaq.com
Episode #332: How to be a supervillain with physics. (11-18-21) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from aspiring supervillains, helping with their schemes
Episode #343: What if the asteroid hadn't killed the dinosaurs? (12-28-21) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions and give a special birthday shout out.
Episode #354: Listener questions about alien tech, the Earth's orbit and its future! (02-03-22) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you. Submit your questions to questions@danielandjorge.com
Episode #359: Can you roast a marshmallow in space, and other listener questions. (02-22-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about space marshmallows, our cosmic date with Andromeda, and surviving micrometeors.
Episode #373: What if the speed of light were slower? (04-12-22) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions about ice ages, black holes and the speed of light.
Episode #379: What came first matter or energy? (05-03-22) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions about the solar system and the early Universe.
Episode #387: What if gravity were much stronger? (05-31-22) Daniel and Jorge answer listener questions about gravity, the CMB and distant disappearing objects!
Episode #394: Listener Questions about Annihilation (06-23-22) Daniel and Jorge answer questions about anti-muons, Daniel's research, and dimensional weapons.Transcript

Philosophy

Episodes about what it all means.

Episode #10: Are we Living in a Simulation? (9/25/18) How can we tell if what we see is real or simulated? Does it matter?
Episode #38: Is The Multiverse Real? (1/22/19) What is the multiverse and is it real?
Episode #124: Can science predict what you will think or do? (11/14/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about the science of the brain
Episode #270: What's a Tesseract? (4/8/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about 4-dimensional cubes, life in the 4th dimension and the Infinity Stones!
Episode #272: Can brains spontaneously form in space? (4/27/21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the chance that you could be a brain floating in space.
Episode #294: Is infinity real or just mathematical? (07-08-21) Daniel and guest host Katie Goldin search for examples of infinity in the Universe. Does it only exist in our minds?
Episode #353: Is there an explanation for the Universe, or is it random? (02-01-22) Daniel and Katie explore the anthropic principle and whether it can provide some understanding of why the Universe is the way it is.
Episode #369: Can math and science help us talk to aliens? (03-29-22) Daniel talks to Noam Chomsky about how to communicate with aliens?
Episode #392: Could aliens teach us science? (06-16-22) Daniel talks to philosopher Sam Kimpton-Nye about whether aliens do science the same way we do.

Aliens

Episodes about aliens!

Episode #14: Are there Aliens? (11/8/18) Are we the only life in the Universe? What are scientists doing to find out?
Episode #56: What's Under The Ice In Europa? (4/2/19) This moon of Jupiter has an ENORMOUS ocean. Does anything live in it?
Episode #91: Sleepwalkers guest questions (8/1/19) Questions from the sleepwalkers crew
Episode #92: Why haven't aliens visited? (7/23/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about the Fermi paradox
Episode #172: Should we believe any alien abduction stories? (5/4/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about how to be skeptical and open minded.
Episode #184: Where in the solar system might we find life? (ft. Katie Goldin of Creature Features) (6/11/20) Katie Goldin, host of the Creature Features pod, visits to talk about what's needed for life and where in the solar system it might be hiding.
Episode #216: Is there life on Venus? (9/22/20) The internet went crazy talking about phosphine on Venus! What does it mean?
Episode #295: What do the Navy UFO videos really mean? (07-13-21) Daniel talks to Mick West, expert UFO-video analyzer, to understand what we are seeing in the Navy UFO videos.
Episode #297: The SF Universe of Cadwell Turnbull's "The Lesson" (07-20-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the connections between science and art and discuss the science and politics of Cadwell Turnbull's "The Lesson"
Episode #337: How should we search for extra terrestrial intelligence? (12-07-21) Daniel talks to Jill Tarter, longtime head of the SETI program, about how to look for alien intelligence
Episode #369: Can math and science help us talk to aliens? (03-29-22) Daniel talks to Noam Chomsky about how to communicate with aliens?
Episode #372: Is it dangerous to send messages to aliens? (04-07-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether attempts to communicate with extra terrestrial civilizations are worth the risk.
Episode #392: Could aliens teach us science? (06-16-22) Daniel talks to philosopher Sam Kimpton-Nye about whether aliens do science the same way we do.

Technology

Episodes about how stuff works.

Episode #5: Is Time Travel Possible? (10/2/18) Do any science fiction movies get time-travel right? Will it ever be possible?
Episode #21: How does a nuclear bomb work? (12/4/18) What would you need to build your own nuke?
Episode #22: Is Teleportation possible? (11/29/18) Can we really move something without traveling through space?
Episode #33: What is the most important invention in human history? (1/15/19) Featuring Ryan North, we discuss the most fundamentally important inventions in human history.
Episode #34: What Does Artificial Intelligence Mean? (2/7/19) How do we define Artificial Intelligence? Should we be worried that AI may one day take over Humanity?
Episode #41: What is terraforming? (2/12/19) Can we make another planet habitable?
Episode #43: Is anti-gravity possible? (02/21/0219) Is it possible to float without using energy?
Episode #44: Are wormholes real? (2/14/19) Are wormholes a real thing out in space somewhere?
Episode #47: How does a laser work? (3/5/19) What makes a laser a laser?
Episode #50: Is a new particle collider worth $20B (1/31/19) CERN just released a new report describing the next planned collider and its price!
Episode #53: What is a superconductor (3/21/19) How does a super conductor work?
Episode #54: Where Does The Earth's Magnetic Field Come From? (2/19/19) Did you know the Earth's magnetic field could flip?
Episode #59: What Is A Space Elevator? (04/11/20109) Can this actually work?
Episode #61: What's Inside The Earth? (5/2/19) What would happen if you jumped into a hole through the center?
Episode #66: How does a bicycle balance? (4/30/19) We don't understand bicycles!
Episode #72: What is a Dyson sphere? (5/23/19) We're not talking about your vacuum cleaner!
Episode #84: Can you sail on light? (6/27/19) Is it possible to sail through space without an engine?
Episode #86: How does an MRI work? (7/9/19) Daniel and jorge explore how magnetic resonance imaging works
Episode #87: Could cold fusion ever work? (7/16/19) Is room-temperature fusion possible, or a pipe dream?
Episode #90: Can you see tiny particles? (7/30/19) How can do we know partilces are there?
Episode #103: How does a microwave work (9/10/19) Daniel and Jorge explain the inner workings of the magic cooking box
Episode #104: The physics of skipping stones (9/12/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about how rocks jump across the water
Episode #115: Can we build a warp drive? (10/22/19) The distance between stars is massive. Can we build a warp drive to allow us to travel between the stars faster?
Episode #118: How does the Large Hadron Collider work? (10/31/19) Daniel explains how the largest collider ever actually works
Episode #142: Is space filled with junk? (1/16/20) Is space mostly empty or full of junk?
Episode #155: Could we move the Sun? (3/4/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the biggest engine EVER
Episode #173: How do LEDs work? (5/6/20) The Nobel-prize winning physics of.... reading lights.
Episode #180: Can we see the surface of exoplanets? (5/28/20) Could we build a telescope that let us see what planets around other stars look like?
Episode #186: Is the impossible drive possible? (6/18/20) Daniel and Jorge dissect the "EMDrive", explain how it's supposed to work and whether it ever might.
Episode #213: Can a black hole power a spaceship? (9/24/20) Daniel and Jorge tackle the physics, engineering and safety questions of using a black hole to visit nearby stars.
Episode #214: How can we bring rocks back from Mars? (9/29/20) How many robots does it take to dig up rocks from Mars and deliver them back to Earth?
Episode #218: Will the ITER experiment make fusion feasible? (10/6/20) Will humans figure out how to make fusion work on Earth, to provide plentiful clean power?
Episode #223: The Quantum Physics of Solar Panels (10/27/20) Daniel and Jorge break down the physics and engineering behind solar panels
Episode #226: How to land a robot on an asteroid (11/5/20) NASA sent Osiris-Rex to scoop a cup of dirt from an asteroid ... using a pogo stick!
Episode #238: What will the DragonFly mission find on Titan? (12/17/20) NASA is building an awesome drone to fly around the surface of Saturn's moon. What will it find?
Episode #255: Can we build an invisibility cloak? (2/16/21) Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith break down the science and science-fiction of invisibility.
Episode #258: What is a Quantum Dot? (2/25/21) Daniel and Jorge break down the quantum world into tiny dots that have amazing properties.
Episode #279: Is space-based solar power realistic? (5/18/21) Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith talk about getting solar power FROM SPACE!
Episode #300: How does a plasma thruster work? (07-29-21) Will a plasma-based spaceship engine let humanity zoom between planets?
Episode #311: Why don't we have electric airplanes? (09-07-21) Daniel and Katie talk about how to get a battery-powered plane into the sky.
Episode #317: Do fission reactors occur naturally? (09-28-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about whether fission reactors are found in Nature
Episode #340: Will starlink spoil astronomy? (12-16-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how megaconstellations of satellites might spoil our view of the Universe.
Episode #349: The mysterious phenomenon that turns sound into light. (01-18-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about sonoluminescence, a mystery that has evaded explanation for almost 100 years.
Episode #365: How to take over the world (03-15-22) Daniel and Jorge talk to Ryan North about how to use science to become a supervillain
Episode #366: Can molton salt reactors produce electricity safely? (03-17-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about alternative designs for fission plants that could produce electricity much more safely.
Episode #390: What will the next generation of space telescopes reveal? (06-09-22) Daniel and Jorge talk about the plans for a new set of Great Observatories in space, and what it might show us about the Universe.
Episode #397: How do fireworks work? (7-05-22) Daniel and Jorge blow your mind with the physics and chemistry of how fireworks sparkle and entertain. [Transcript]

Time

Episodes about time.

Episode #5: Is Time Travel Possible? (10/2/18) Do any science fiction movies get time-travel right? Will it ever be possible?
Episode #65: Why does time go forwards? (4/25/19) Why does time move forwards and not backwards?
Episode #319: Is time pixelated? (10-05-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about how finely sliced time can get
Episode #335: Kids questions about the Universe! (11-30-21) Daniel and Jorge answer questions from kids about black holes, diamond planets and faster-than-light travel!

Extreme Universe

Episodes about the mostest.

Episode #55: What's the biggest thing in the Universe? (3/28/19) Plants, stars, galaxies, clusters, then what?
Episode #57: What Are The Weirdest Stars? (4/4/19) What are neutron stars, pulsars and magnetars?
Episode #70: What Is The Emptiest Place In The Universe? (5/14/19) What constitutes a vacuum, and can space ever really be empty?
Episode #73: What Is the Hottest Thing In The Universe? (5/28/19) temperature, hotness, craziness
Episode #78: What is the brightest thing in the Universe? (6/13/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about things that emit a lot of light.
Episode #80: What is the densest thing in the Universe? (6/25/19) Daniel and Jorge talk about how to pack it in.
Episode #89: What's the strongest magnet in the Universe? (7/25/19) Daniel and Jorge get attracted by this powerful idea
Episode #127: What's the coldest thing in the Universe? (11/26/19) Daniel and Jorge get very very cool
Episode #150: What's the biggest explosion in space? (2/13/20) Daniel and Jorge blow it all up
Episode #167: What's the tallest mountain in the solar system? (4/14/20) Where is the biggest, tallest or widest mountain in the Solar System? Hint: it's not on any planet.
Episode #228: What's the Oldest Thing in the Universe? (11/12/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about the age of stars, galaxies, black holes and more!
Episode #239: What's the fastest spinning thing in the Universe? (12/15/20) Part of their "Extreme Universe" series, Daniel and Jorge make your head spin with all of the crazy spinning objects in the Universe.
Episode #252: What's the biggest star in the Universe? (2/4/20) Daniel and Jorge talk about mind-blowingly huge balls of burning gas.

Miscellania

Other fun stuff!

Episode #8: Will an asteroid kill you? (10/25/18) Could humans go the way of the dinosaurs: extinction by space rock?
Episode #68: Will a gamma ray burst kill you? (5/7/19) What are gamma ray bursts, and are they dangerous?
Episode #102: What's a tardigrade? (9/5/19) The strangest little critters on Earth -- and beyond!
Episode #105: What causes lightning? (9/24/19) Daniel and Jorge shock you with how little is understood about lightning
Episode #145: Four Ways Physics Could Kill Everyone (1/28/20) Could physics cause the end of humanity?
Episode #157: Choose your own physics adventure! (2/24/20) Which of these four physics adventures would you prefer? Visit the Quantum Realm; See inside a Black Hole; Travel faster than light; Meet intelligent aliens.
Episode #201: Special 200th episode! (8/11/20) What happened in the first 200 microseconds of the Universe? What can you see within 200 light years from Earth?
Episode #290: Is it possible to have a two-dimensional object? (06-24-21) Daniel and Jorge slice the Universe infinitely thin and talk about the theory and practice of 2D materials
Episode #304: Why is the three-body problem so hard? (08-12-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about why something so simple is one of the oldest and hardest problems in physics.
Episode #336: Things that glow in the dark (12-02-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the biology, chemistry and physics of glowing.
Episode #339: Can something be both a conductor and insulator? (12-14-21) Daniel and Jorge talk about the recent revolution in solid state physics that has led to weird new materials.
Episode #376: Is nuclear power worth the risks? (04-21-22) Daniel and Kelly talk about whether we need nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions, and whether it can be done safely.

Bananas

Every episode!