Cool Worlds Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

#19 Brian Keating - Inflation, B Modes and Losing the Nobel Prize Feb 08, 2025

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Brian Keating, host of the Into the Impossible Podcast, Professor of Cosmology at UC San Diego and popular science book author.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#18 Nick Searra - Alien Communication, Golden Record, Future Relics Jan 14, 2025

Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan. In this week's episode, David is joined by Nick Searra, Founder and Executive Directory of the Interstellar Foundation (https://www.interstellarfoundation.com/). The Interstellar Foundation is building updated versions of the Golden Record for the new space age - physical data storage devices that will be attached to spacecraft to serve as a record of humanity's knowledge and an attempt at alien communication through deep time.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#17 Adam Riess - Modern Cosmology, Hubble Tension, New Physics Nov 09, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Nobel laureate Adam Riess, Bloomberg Distinguish Professor and Thomas J Barbar Professor of Physics & Astronomy at John Hopkins University. In this conversation, we explore the Hubble tension and recent disagreements between cosmology teams.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#16 Janna Levin - Black Holes, Singularities & Wormholes Oct 07, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Janna Levin, Professor of Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Janna is an expert in the theoretical physics of black holes, an author, a communicator of science and co-founder of Pioneer Works.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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Prof Levin's research page: https://jannalevin.com/

Pioneer Works: https://pioneerworks.org/

Janna's Books: https://jannalevin.com/books/black-hole-survival-guide/

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#15 Jackie Faherty - Brown Dwarfs, Clouds, Atmospheres, JWST Jul 10, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Jackie Faherty, Senior Scientist and Senior Education Manager at the American Museum of Natural History and co-founded of the BDNYC research team. Jackie is a champion of brown dwarf science, mysterious objects that aren't quite stars, and aren't quite planets.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

Dr Faherty's research page: https://www.jackiefaherty.com/

2030 STEM: https://2030stem.org/

BDNYC: https://bdnyc.org/

Backyard Worlds: https://backyardworlds.org

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#14 Gavin Schmidt - Climate Science, Projections, Measurements, Denialism Jun 22, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by climate scientist Dr Gavin Schmidt, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and co-founded of the RealClimate blog.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

RealClimate: https://www.realclimate.org/

NASA GISS: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#13 David Spergel - NASA UAP Taskforce, Dark Matter, Hubble Tension, Leadership May 04, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dave Spergel, Professor of Astrophysics, Chair of the NASA UAP Taskforce and President of the Simons Foundation. Dr Spergel has been a prominent leader in the field of cosmology, both intellectually and strategically.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

NASA UAP Report: https://smd-cms.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#12 Lisa Kaltenegger - Alien Earths, Astrobiology Controversies, Frequency of Life Apr 16, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Lisa Kaltenegger, Professor at Cornell and Director of the Carl Sagan Institute. Lisa's new book, "Alien Earths", has just hit the shelves so we talk about what made her write this book, her view on the abundance of life in the cosmos, and her take on a couple of recent controversies in the field of astrobiology.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#11 Paul Sutter - Rescuing Science, Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt Mar 30, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Paul Sutter, Professor at Stony Brook and a Visiting Professor at Barnard College. Paul is a theoretical cosmologist, who has had a long and productive career in research, but is better known to most for his science communication work. Having one numerous awards, written popular science books and starring in shows like "How the Universe Works", Paul has become a familiar face to many. In this third book, "Rescuing Science: Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt", Paul explores how the public are losing trust in scientific institutions and what we can do about it.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Paul's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Science-Restoring-Trust-Doubt-ebook/dp/B0CCH5K6JL

Paul's website: https://www.pmsutter.com/

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#10 - Viraj Pandya - Early Galaxies with JWST, Galaxies "Gone Bananas", Galaxy Formation Feb 08, 2024

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Viraj Pandya, Hubble Fellow at Columbia University. Viraj's work was recently highlighted on the front page of the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/science/space/astronomy-galaxies-bananas.html) where his recent discoveries with JWST were showcased. Viraj's work suggests that early galaxy formation was far more bizarre than expected and is shaking up long standing ideas.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Viraj's website: https://virajpandya.github.io/

#9 Renée Hložek - Axions, Tracing Dark Matter, Fate of the Universe Dec 18, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Renée Hložek from the University of Toronoto/Dunlap Institute. Renée is cosmologist studying the CMB, Type 1A Supernovae and baryonic acoustic oscillations. She's an Azrieli Global Scholar within the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a Senior TED fellow and a Sloan Research Fellow. Our conversation spans axions, dark matter, dark energy and most importantly how astronomers can unravel the secrets of the universe.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Renée’s website: https://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/dunlap-people/prof-renee-hlozek/

TED Ed, "The Death of the Universe": https://youtu.be/mSzCS_5qtVY?si=oLSKFqVbSBO77yKv

TED Archive, "The Making of Cosmic Soup": https://youtu.be/mWzQ3aYlMVQ?si=t5bWERtS0mkFCGGr

#8 Malena Rice - Planet Nine, Oumuamua, Misaligned Exoplanets Nov 24, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Malena Rice from Yale University. Malena obtained her PhD from Yale University before heading to MIT for a year as 51 Pegasi fellow. She has recently returned to Yale, joining the astronomy faculty. Malena has been featured in Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 and is an expert in planetary dynamics and detection techniques. To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#7 Ramesh Narayan - Black Holes, Extreme Astrophysics, Event Horizon Telescope Oct 20, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Ramesh Narayan - a renowned astrophysicist whose groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of black holes and accretion processes. With a career spanning decades, Narayan's work has contributed invaluable insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and the dynamics of matter falling into these cosmic giants. He has also been lead member of the Event Horizon telescope which captured the first photo of a black hole. To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#6 Adam Frank - Technosignatures, Semantic Information, Galactic Colonization Sep 14, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Adam Frank. Adam is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rochester University, author of popular science books such as "The Little Book of Aliens" and "Light of the Stars", as well as a regular CNN contributor.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

You can watch to the video recording of this podcast over at https://youtu.be/VM8n7HANYpM

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#5 Kathryn Johnston - The Milky Way, Dark Matter vs MOND, Gaia Aug 07, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Kathryn Johnston. Prof Johnston is a Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University and the Dynamics Group Leader at the Flatiron Institute. Kathryn is a world renown expert for her work on Milky Way dynamics, especially tidal streams and the dark matter components of our galaxy.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#4 Hod Lipson - Automated Physics Discovery, ChatGPT, Future of AI Jul 14, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Hod Lipson. Prof Lipson is the Director of the Creative Machine Lab at Columbia University and is a leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, self-replicating robots and self-learning machines. We dive into his work on machines that can discover new physics, the trajectory of current AI and the future of humanity and AGI.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#3 Chiara Mingarelli - NANOGrav, Background Gravitational Waves, Black Holes Jun 24, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Chiara Mingarelli. Prof Mingarelli is currently moving from the University of Connecticut to Yale University and is theorist working on the so-called background gravitational wave signal. Predicted for decades but incredibly elusive, we are on the cusp of detecting this signal for the first time. Learn all about what this signal is and what it means for astronomy in today's episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#2 Wendy Freedman - The Crisis in Cosmology, Standard Candles, Future of Cosmology Jun 16, 2023

In this week's episode, David is joined by Wendy Freedman. Prof Freedman is a legendary cosmologist, who has played a central role in understanding the expansion rate of our Universe. She is a Professor of Cosmology at University of Chicago, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, a legacy fellow of the American Astronomical Society and winner of the Gruber Prize in Cosmology. Her recent work has focussed on precise measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe and has been a the heart of the so-called "Crisis in Cosmology" that we get into in today's episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#1 Rebecca Charbonneau - Astrohistory, Carl Sagan, Cold War SETI Jun 03, 2023

In our inaugural episode, David is joined by Rebecca Charbonneau. Dr Charbonneau holds a PhD in the History of Science from Cambridge University, and served as the Historian-in-Residence at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 2020-2022. She is currently a Janksy Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and working on an upcoming book exploring the history of SETI - the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

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