Why did intelligence evolve in the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore the nature of intelligence, information theory, consciousness, and whether AI is actually intelligent at all with David Krakauer, evolutionary biologist and president of the Santa Fe Institute. Can you conceive of life without intelligence, or intelligence without life? We parse the difference between intelligence and being alive and whether you can be one without the other. What does it mean for something to be called intelligent? Is a bacterium more intelligent than a human that’s actively destroying their own environment? We explore collective intelligence, the difference between signalling and language, and how humans communicate is wholly different from how animals do. What is the difference between intelligence and consciousness? We discuss unconscious problem solving, expertise, improv comedy, and Srinivasa Ramanujan's mathematical visions. Why do some ideas “just come to us” outside of our inner monologue? How does AI solve problems differently than us? Are AI tools complementary to human intelligence or competitive with it? We discuss the risk of offloading our capabilities to LLMs run by big companies. What do we lose when we outsource our cognitive tools entirely, and how many generations before that loss becomes irreversible? Will tools like LLM ever help humanity solve the biggest mysteries in the universe? Is human cognition too limited to solve the problems we want to solve? We get into information theory and how human intelligence intersects with entropy. How are companies in the AI Revolution doing to information what we did with energy in the Industrial Revolution? We discuss whether superintelligence is possible and how natural selection may only result in a certain types of intelligence. Plus, why did we evolve past bacteria anyway? It’s worked out pretty well for them… Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: David Krakauer 03:38 - The Evolution of Intelligence 06:00 - Collective Intelligence 08:49 - When Communication Becomes Language 14:43 - Did Intelligence Predate Language? 16:19 - Intelligence v. Consciousness 22:52 - The Perplexity of the Subconscious Mind 28:45 - Do AIs Dream of Electric Sheep? 34:50 - What Are Tools For? 44:55 - Surrendering Our Capabilities 48:31 - Can We Understand the Universe? 55:58 - Information & Entropy in the Age of AI 1:05:40 - How We Learn 1:08:00 - Will the Universe Allow a Superintelligence? Thanks to our Patrons Vipin Sharma, Saahith, Matthew Rapp, Billy Durr, Gail Lena Martin, Mads Holm, Mothman’s Coroner, Nicholas Strang, Cirwintech - Christopher M. Irwin, Jacqueline West, Casey Gatti, Clem Carlos Schermann, Samuel Jeffman, John Lasher, Shelley Collett, Aerimis, Anthony Schneider, Lolo, Mark M., kegler718, Hayden Scheibe, J Miller, Mark Ulibarri, Mandy Lauber, John McQuiston, Don, Olivier d'Entremont, Shaun Carter, Andres Chavez, Joshua Perks, JonRueben Bubar, Marlin Mark, Michael Lee, Ash Morris, Nate, Bobby Williams, DeborahD, Ciprian Bobe, David Bailey, Boop Doop, Amirali Rabiee, jessie miller, Liva Apse, Jesse, NATE LUKAS, Chris Archer, Keith H., and Huchel for supporting us this week. Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

Why does string theory need ten dimensions? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Jordan Klepper sit down with Lara Anderson, string theorist and associate professor of physics at Virginia Tech, to tackle intersecting dimensions, the nature of gravity, and a unified field theory. What are the physics beyond the Higgs Boson? We discuss the problem of quantum gravity and whether string theory will solve it. Is a unified field theory too hard for our species, or are we just not smart enough yet? What exactly is a string? How can a one-dimensional object vibrate without intersecting other dimensions? Lara walks through world sheets, membranes, closed string loops, and why the math indicates higher dimensions. We discuss how to visualize other dimensions. Could a higher-dimensional object intersecting our spacetime appear as a black hole? Why is gravity forty orders of magnitude weaker than every other force? Could it be leaking into extra dimensions? Could dark matter be ordinary matter spilling out of other dimensions into ours? What are quantum anomalies, and why do they only cancel out when string theory operates in exactly ten dimensions? We discuss celestial holography and whether everything in the universe is encoded on a 2D boundary. We explore the nature of time in a universe if nothing is repeated, whether dimensions are objective features of reality or just organizing constructs, and why you can never get rid of probabilities in quantum physics, even with hidden variables. Keep Looking Up! Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Lara Anderson 04:55 - The Higgs Boson 09:11 - Will String Theory Deliver? 13:31 - What Is a String? 17:30 - Visualizing Higher Dimensions 19:30 - How could a string accomplish anything? 21:15 - Are Black Holes Higher Dimensional Objects Intersecting Spacetime? 24:55 - Finding Small & Large Spatial Dimensions 31:09 - The Consistency Test & The 10 Dimensions 34:00 - Could We Go to Higher Dimensions? 40:13 - Cosmic Holography 42:52 - The Nature of Time 46:34 - What’s the 4th Dimension? 49:18 - Spacetime Geometry 50:37 - Are the Other Dimensions Real or Just Math? 53:16 - Closing Thoughts Thanks to our Patrons Robin Billings, PhD, Christine Sizemore, Aine DeMoss, Crispy Wisp, Branden Rucker, Rowena Smith, Cory Strauss, Aubrey Etheridge, Aldarien, Philip Arno, Daniel, Kendall Rohach, ChiliPepper, Jim Phelan, Lonnie Draper, Ryan Stanley, Ziad Farhat, Idan Cohen Epstein, Marie Lauzon, Eduardo Larranaga, Dr. DJ Kehoe, Mike Greer, Karen Henton, Pixi, Kari, Mandy, That Geezer, Victor T, Susanne Otero, Dingus Fringus, Jean, Barrie Parkman, Nathaniel Naranjo, Agentm0o, Jason Adair, MJ Jamal, Gianna Williams, Philip B Stanley, Sarabjit Singh, Chuck, Antonio Macias, Kevin Sayet, Braden Gibson, Toms Grinbergs, Andrew Brodbeck, Mr. Pinky, Adam Prentice, Rich Wilkinson, Frejya of Fòlkvangr, Eric Spray, Ian Ledington, Ilona Freeman, Tarsha Fewell, and SuperKamiGrayson for supporting us this week. Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

If the multiverse exists, where does our universe end and another begin? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice tackle a wide-ranging grab bag of fan questions covering bubble universes, the nature of now, fractals, Hoag's Object, and more. How do we tell when our universe ends and another begins? We explore the bubble universe model, where separate universes expand without overlapping, each potentially operating under different laws of physics. How can we test for another universe impinging on ours? Next we cover Neil’s favorite and least favorite astronomical words. Could Project Starshot's laser-propelled nanocraft reach Alpha Centauri before a more advanced mission launched decades later? Neil breaks down the math and how lightsails could be our most efficient way of accessing other star systems. Is there such a thing as a shared "now"? How does a rubber sheet visualization of gravity actually work in four dimensions? We discuss Hoag’s Object and how calculating chance alignments helped us discover binary star systems. Are fractals the key to understanding everything in the universe or are they more entertaining than useful? How does an expanding universe affect time? Did time pass differently in the past? Plus, what did the sky look like when the cosmic microwave background was visible light? Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Grab Bag 1:10 - Where Our Universe Ends and Another Begins 5:55 - Favorite & Least Favorite Science Words 17:10 - Getting to Alpha Centauri 22:11 - Is There a “Real” Now? 25:11 - Visualizing Gravity 28:40 - Hoag’s Object 34:15 - Are Fractals the Answer? 41:37 - What If Time Passed Differently in the Past? 49:10 - What Did the Cosmic Microwave Background Look Like? 57:30 - Closing Thoughts Thanks to our Patrons Joan Kirk, Robert Roberts, Mike Holland, Manickore, Zaki Imani, Christopher Johnson, Seb, Annette Hinkle, Bruce Davis, Geoff Hansen, Matthew Binggeli, Michael Greer, steph, Jo, Laurie Rieman, Monneke King, TakeOffYourPantsAndJacket, Catharine Hula, John, Mike, Jordan Jefferson, Bruce, Burç Ayata, Armon Jackson, and Sami Röksä for supporting us this week. Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

What is fundamental in the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice welcome back Hakeem Oluseyi to dive deep into cosmology, plasma physics, the origins of life, and some of the most provocative ideas in modern astrophysics. Get Hakeem's new book, 'Why Do We Exist?: The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible': https://link.amazon/B0b1gIJYY Go to https://ground.news/startalk to stay fully informed on the latest Space and Science news. Save 40% off through our link for unlimited access to the Vantage plan this month. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. https://T-Mobile.com/HomeInternet Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e What is a plasma? We break down what plasma is and how to use magnetism to contain it. We discuss emergence and its connection to life and abiogenesis, from the energy ladder that leads to a brain like ours to the superhorizon and inflation field at the edge of what we can observe. He also introduces the Oluseyi Equation, his own take on the Drake Equation, differently motivated and built around a broader hypothesis he decided to put into the world rather than keep to himself. Could we move the Earth to another star system instead of building ships to carry humanity there? Is there something beneath energy and spacetime something more fundamental than fields and geometry? We discuss how spacetime, energy, and geometry all interact at the fundamental level. What would two astronauts at opposite ends of a rapidly spinning millisecond pulsar actually see when they looked at each other? Could the earliest black holes leave behind a topological remnant, a kind of Cheshire cat smile in spacetime, after they evaporate? And which came first, the supermassive black hole or the galaxy around it? The answer may surprise you. The episode closes on Earth's liquid metal outer core, the little red dots JWST discovered at the edge of the observable universe, and what an indestructible bowling ball on a pulsar would actually do. Keep Looking Up! Thanks to our Patrons Elias Clarke, Alex Carrion, Pwp4853, Terry Emmel, Laura Belter, Daniel Cossette, Bechamel, Enrique Gracia, Troy Plewe, Kyle Knoche, Dr. Tom, Brian Hatwell, Andrew Parziale, Brian O'Brien, Billy Behman, Abhimat Subedi, Sarah, Joseph Gates, Cnidarian, Raja Tadimeti, John Grivas, Francis De Marchena, Wayne Loco, Michael Saunders, Akbar, Jeffrey Dyal, Ryan Inverso, Michael Kloby, Inquiring Mind, David Gerstein, Joyce M, Robert Dodson, Andrii Repula, Barbara, Steven Klein, Jeremiah The Space Guy, Ron, Gordon Beran, Tziporah Rammel, Joanne Adams Boyle, Marcus Morel, Diana Lopez, WiED, Heather Clint, Roger, Justinsailor17, John Doe, Mailo de Zwart, mark solutions, Taylor Kurian, and omari mcknight for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Hakeem Oluseyi 4:22 - What’s A Plasma? 5:30 - Hakeem’s Nine Realms 18:34 - SWAG 21:26 - Could You Move Earth? 23:02 - The Point Where Everything Is Fundamental 29:00 - Astronauts on a Pulsar 32:58 - Could Early Black Holes Leave Something Behind? 36:24 - Most Interesting Discovery 41:29 - What are the Ancient Little Red Dots? 43:35 - Bowling on a Pulsar 47:00 - Closing Thoughts Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e How far did Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon? How many monkeys named Albert have been to space? Neil deGrasse Tyson, comedian Paul Mecurio, and Senior StarTalk Producer Lindsey Walker find out the answers on this Game Show Edition of Startalk celebrating the release of our new book, Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe. We play games using facts from the book: from spiral galaxies to whale noises to the Pioneer Golden Record, you won’t quite learn 5,000 facts but it’s a start. Plus, Neil finally reveals his Yoda impression. Thanks to our Patrons havok, David Leeper, Silver Starsoul, Keith Homan, Alexander, Stacey Aldrich, Aral Kubali, Remi van Compernolle, Heel Our Soles, Kevin, Jack Topping, Andrew Schmelzer, Justin, pavan krishna, Mary Thomas, JohnForrest, DigitalDream, ricky zamudio, Josh MacCallum, Joe Widner, Janice Green, Will, Padrig de Roiste, Kathy Sydor, Max Heppermann, Zen Space Pirate, Patricia Nicely, Rob, Christian van Nimwegen, Johan Tivéus, Jonathan Woody, LONEWARRIOR, Anne Cosnow Awh, Preet Panda, Bill, Fidel Morla, Emily McKnight, Clem Maurer, Howard Hale, Ben Meighan-Carey, Kent Thompson, Ari Zelanko, Darryl Odom, jeff kolander, Jerome McCollom, Juan Bavaresco, and Maria for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Lindsey Walker 01:50 - Higher Lower 08:04 - Draw It! 12:35 - Favorite Facts 18:48 - Yoda Style 21:25 - Taboo It! 25:08 - Charades 31:48 - Mold It! 39:43 - Closing Thoughts Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. https://T-Mobile.com/HomeInternet Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e What if you could reopen your childhood brain and what do octopuses on MDMA have to do with it? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly sit down with neuroscientist and psychedelics expert Gül Dölen, to explore the cutting edge of psychedelic science, critical periods, and what a high octopus can teach us about the human mind. Learn about the history of psychedelics and how LSD got its start with inventor Albert Hofmann's first accidental trip on a bicycle. Why did Gul give MDMA to octopuses? Because studying a creature maximally different from humans, but capable of surprisingly similar social behaviors under the drug, strips away the accidents of evolution and reveals something fundamental about brain chemistry itself. What is a critical period? Learn how this powerful discovery is leading to new methods of approaching mental conditions. Gul explains how every form of learning and memory is regulated by windows of sensitivity that open and then close and how the reason we are so terrible at treating brain diseases is that by the time we intervene, those windows have already shut. How can psychedelic reopening of critical periods help create therapeutic treatments? We discuss the therapeutic uses of MDMA, LSD, and ibogaine. Is opening a critical period always a good thing, or is it opening Pandora's box? Could psychedelics help stroke patients relearn motor skills, or help people fall in love again? What is the noetic property of psychedelics? We discuss why people get a sense that they know the “real truth” after taking drugs. Finally we ask: what does the fact that a single molecule can radically alter consciousness tell us about the nature of reality itself? Thanks to our Patrons Edward Tuten, CJP, David Williamson, Shelsea Evans, Curious1, brittanivstheworld, Mark Huth, Annmarie Pine, Austin Wiggins, John Sprot, T.C. Polk, David Rossi, Murat Tahtali, Levi Jackson, Jeff L Kelly, Average Joe Paracord, gert alex, Ruthanne, joe, Arash Ghorbani, Fretbuzz Lightyear, Cody Asbury, Doyle Vann, APwater, Daniel Baker, K, Adam Boyher, Thom@0, Michael D Saladino, Cyrus Niccore, Lance W Roberts, Merix Style, Serhii Rieznik, slowbrow, Kamil Ignatowski, Dustin DeRollo, Jake Spector, Teemu Rönkkö, Kamron Barker, Chris Michel, Lee Patrick Anderson, Adam Deeb, Joshua10902, Arash Mehrnama, Juliejon Rondeau, Nickolaos Podias, Alex Seymour, Robert Harwood, William Ridout, Enck, Ryan Robertson, Fi Higgins, Roger Wacker, Bryce Weicht, Max, Burgai Atal, Misselvira, Kangee Gold, Bill Beauregard, and Jim Derych for supporting us this week. Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Gul Dolen 05:57 - Our Fascination with Psychadelia 08:53 - The Very First LSD Trip 11:15 - Giving Octopuses MDMA 16:46 - What Do Psychedelics Have in Common? 12:35 - Critical Period Reopening 22:54 - Plasticity & Encoding Memory 27:35 - Why Critical Periods Are Critical 37:12 - The Noetic Property 41:45 - Using Reopened Critical Periods 50:50 - What’s Ibogaine? 59:11 - Relationship to Reality 01:06:00 - Why Octopuses? Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

​​Scams are a trillion-dollar industry; keep your loved ones safe with Bitdefender: https://bitdefend.me/90-StarTalk T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. https://T-Mobile.com/HomeInternet Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e Did we discover an exomoon? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice learn about the search for exoplanets with biosignatures, super Earths & mini Neptune's, and whether rogue planets outside of a solar system could harbor life with astrophysicist David Kipping. We explore the possible discovery of an exomoon and whether a brown dwarf orbiting a star is a planet or not. Should we update the definition to include more satellite objects? Why do exomoons even matter? We discuss whether the Earth-moon system is common in the universe and how the most common type of planet in the universe is one we don’t have in our solar system. Learn about dimethyl sulfide detected in an exoplanet atmosphere and what it would actually take to make an airtight scientific argument for life beyond Earth. We explore the atmospheres of super Earths and why rocky planets even slightly bigger than Earth would have very different conditions. Does the Goldilocks zone shift depending on the type of star? What does that mean for Earth's long-term future as our Sun slowly brightens? Would detecting smog or other technosignatures be more convincing evidence of intelligent life than biosignatures? Learn how the universe is full of mini-Neptunes, a type of planet our solar system doesn't have, and binary star systems with planets in stable orbits are far more common than expected. Is our version of a solar system rare? Discover rogue planets: planets that got ejected from their home solar system. How many did our solar system eject? We explore the Roman Telescope and if it could help find rogue planets through microlensing. Could life survive on a planet wandering between the stars with no sun at all? Plus, is there a galactic habitable zone? Could stronger gravity trap a civilization on its own planet forever? Are the unknowns unknown due to our vantage point in the universe? Thanks to our Patrons Eric Solomon, Jakob Jegge, william northup, Mariam Fischer, Beirne, Sean Fox, xKansasxCowBoyx, xoydev, David Ostrow, Daniel Ramsey,Jessie Caldwell, Tyrone P, Matt, Ajari T, David,Luis Molina, jamescory, Albert Maneri, Zachary Samuel, Ken Kaneda, Nicole Wolf Lady MacBrick, Ką čia spaust?!, Nav, Mike, Luke Fregona, Walter Mathews, Joe Mathews, Gabriel Patterson, Derek Richards, Hope Cliver, Daniel 3, Josh,Josh Mullins, Ken Tinkler, Robinson Medina-Sanchez, JOHN MOODY, Cynthia Elm, Lisa Rice, Trevor Stratton, Karl Forar, Don from NJ, Kaloyan Mehandzhiyski, Mike Tindal, Sean Jūshin Keijō, Jimmy Ebbert, Lincoln Berland, Nalita S, Bill Frye, Rick L Newman, Natalie Kendall, Gradient, Seth Pajak, Cassidy, Dominique, John Contreras, Josh, Carter Mican, Alok Yadav, Jon Hoover, and Eric Landeros for supporting us this week. Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e How do you build a telescope to study something you can't see? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Paul Mecurio sit down with Jason Rhodes, senior research scientist at JPL, to explore the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and its search for answers on dark energy and dark matter. What is dark energy? Who was Nancy Grace Roman? We explore the story of Nancy Grace Roman herself before diving into why Lagrange Point 2 has become the most valuable piece of real estate in space. When will this special spot in space get too full? The conversation also tackles the growing problem of satellite streaks contaminating observations from both ground and space-based telescopes. How does Roman actually measure dark energy? Jason walks through three approaches: using Type Ia supernovae as standard candles to measure the universe's accelerating expansion, mapping the clustering of galaxies across cosmic time, and using weak gravitational lensing to trace dark matter by the subtle distortions it imprints on light from distant galaxies. Will this telescope finally put an end to Hubble tension? Could evolving dark energy or modified gravity finally replace Einstein's cosmological constant? Learn about the two different devices within the Roman telescope: the coronagraph and the wide field. We explore how the coronagraph could enable direct imaging of exoplanets and eventually the search for atmospheric biomarkers like oxygen and methane. We talk about how microlensing could detect rogue planets floating free of any star, which may actually outnumber planets in stable orbits. Plus, how much information can a single pixel bring? More than you’d think! Thanks to our Patrons Bullseye, Steve Klein, Mr. G, Rachel Cecil, James Langfels, Amanda Dalton, Mark Robinson, Heyyo, Joshua Clark, Ava, Oliver Thomas, Daniel Treherne, Adam, David Fulps, Hanspeter, Derelict Doug, Maryrose, Robert Latta 3Rd, Benjamin Dudley, Henry De Sosa, AKlight47, Ray, Sarah Storie, Priest Of Forgotten Gods, Yamil Lopez, Patrick Nisius, Jay, Carey-Donois, pupperoni jo, Antonio Codato, slash128, Deedra Hansen, Benjamin Briggs, E, Anita, Gustavo Almeida Neves, Elissa Yoder, Alex, John Nawrocki, preston frizz, Brian Kaiser, Chad Perkins, Junkyard Monk, Lance Steinberg, Dumisani Yishvahk Tembe, Bruno Vieira, Jes Hughson, John Brocklesby, I'm Dave, Darryl Gillespie, Isa, Myopic Philomath, Mo Al-Sheikhly, Stuart, Duane McCurdy, Regina Anavy, Bob Lux, and Vino Miranda for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Jason Rhodes 03:15 - The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope 07:10 - Too Many Satellites? 08:45 - How do you see Dark Energy? 11:35 - Resolving Hubble Tension 16:59 - Is Dark Energy Not Constant? 20:01 - The Coronagraph Taking Direct Images of Exoplanets 22:33 - Mapping the Dark Matter 25:41 - Discovering Exoplanets Through New Methods 30:40 - Detecting Rogue Planets 37:38 - Getting a Whole World in a Pixel 43:17 - Euclid Update 48:17 - Dark Matter & Dark Energy Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus 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 deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson