Eclipses, Cosmic Cataclysms, and More with Janna Levin

Can MDMA make you a better person? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the neuroscience of empathy, psychopathy, and MDMA in the brain with neuroscientist Ben Rein, PhD. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-science-of-mdma-with-ben-rein/Thanks to our Patrons Jason Hostens, John Lewis, Maria Dorman, Alejandro Reynoso, Radiel Cardentey, Amir Littman, Allan Rayer, Whitney, Tom Stidham, and Christopher Becks for supporting us this week.

Is gravity fundamental to the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore quantum physics, the fourth dimension, whether H2O is water, and the many-worlds interpretation with theoretical cosmologist Janna Levin, PhD. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-bits-of-spacetime-with-janna-levin/Thanks to our Patrons Mikal Krane, Tramond Spencer, John R, Laura Morrison, Javier Mejia, Emilio Campín Ramírez de Arellano, Jeff Gauthier, Tom Jones, and Jaired H for supporting us this week.

What would aliens think of our inventions? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice answer fan questions on Maxwell’s Equations, the symmetry of the universe, and the physics around us all the time. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-physics-all-around-us/(Originally released April 12, 2019)

Could we find life around low-mass stars? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice find out why life might be more likely around low-mass stars, what makes brown dwarfs, galactic archeology, and more with astronomer Emily Rice.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/low-mass-mania-with-emily-rice/Thanks to our Patrons Anthony Garcia, Matthew Carlson, mike kelly, Brett DiFrischia, Mary Clare V., Peter Ilvento, A dinosaur in dental school, Cedric Rashade Collins, 1874 Homestead, and Bob for supporting us this week.

How certain are we about aliens? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly answer science questions from celebrities like Kevin Hart, Jack White, Nikki Glaser, and more!NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/stars-talk-to-neil-alien-love/Thanks to our Patrons Larry Houghton, Marc-ids Foppen, Rob Love, Dominic Hemken, Brian Begnoche, josh lemasters, Mike Yin, Petchu Daniel, Jalal Dallo, and Jesse De La Rosa for supporting us this week.

Will Neil take back what he said about Pluto? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore planets, dwarf planets, and the Kuiper belt with planetary scientist and principal investigator for the New Horizons Mission, Alan Stern. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/debating-plutos-planethood-with-alan-stern/Thanks to our Patrons laura, Mihajlo Jovanovic, Heather Smith, Juan Ignacio Galán, Artsaveslife, Frank Wagner, Adam Brown, Greg Albrecht, Mickey Fuson, and Jeremy Green for supporting us this week.

How is new tech helping protect the rainforest? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn how space technology is helping uncover illegal gold mines and protecting the Amazon, with illegal mining expert Larissa Rodrigues and Earth researcher Jennifer Holm. Thanks to SkyFi for sponsoring today's episode. Bringing nearly instant access to high-quality satellite and aerial imagery along with expert-created analytics, get a bird’s eye view of anywhere on the planet with SkyFi’s easy-to-use web browser or mobile app and create a free account today at http://StarTalk.SkyFi.com.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://startalkmedia.com/show/eyes-in-the-sky-with-larissa-rodrigues-jennifer-hull/Thanks to our Patrons James Aurouze, Andrea Ramirez, Amy Tan, Joede870, Cris, Gina Martin, Glenn Fishkin, Mihael Mirt, Lion King, and Gábriel Németh for supporting us this week.

Are black holes places or objects? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly answer grab-bag questions about distorting spacetime, Olbers’ Paradox, singularities, the shape of the universe, and more with astrophysicist Charles Liu. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-black-hole-time-cloak-with-charles-liu/Thanks to our Patrons Logan Kent, James in 3d, Renee Skrip, Maarten Spruijt, Alan Domonoske, Liam Predergast, sparkman, Cecil J Taylor, abhinav yadav, and Markus Gustafsson for supporting us this week.

What is the Sun’s ecliptic? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice break down the things you thought you knew about spheres in the universe, navigating the sky, and taking spacecraft out of orbit. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://startalkmedia.com/show/things-you-thought-you-knew-the-geometric-universe/Thanks to our Patrons Will Farmer, David Robertson, Andrii Snihyr, Michael de Boeve, Patricia A Elvin, Dade Bloomfield, Ahmed Dawod, Oenomaus Williamson, Marek Król, and Elizabeth Terveer  for supporting us this week.

What can we learn from eclipses? Janna Levin joined by comedian Matt Kirshen and professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Columbia University, Joe Patterson, discuss the 2017 eclipse, binary star systems, super novae and more. What is an eclipse on Jupiter like?NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://startalkmedia.com/show/eclipses-cosmic-cataclysms-janna-levin/