Curiosity Theory

Latest Episodes:

Strange Universe: A Planet With No Star and a Galaxy That Never Formed Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore recent astronomy discoveries, rogue planets, and what strange cosmic objects can teach us about the universe.

They break down gravitational microlensing, how free-floating planets are detected, and the physics of planet formation. The conversation then expands into dark matter, failed galaxies, and why scientific breakthroughs often come from anomalies rather than confirmations.

In the second half, the discussion shifts to AI, humanoid robots, speculative bubbles, money as a shared belief system, geopolitics, and the rise of what they call tactical authenticity in modern politics.

It’s an unscripted, wide-ranging conversation about science, technology, power, and how humans make sense of complex systems.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

The Future of Work Is Way More Uncomfortable Than People Admit w/ Michael Berhane Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Michael Berhane, CEO and Founder of POC in Tech, to talk about AI, automation, education, and the future of work.

They explore why entry-level tech roles are disappearing, how AI and economics are reshaping hiring, and why venture capital funding for Black founders remains so low. The conversation also dives into education, debating whether essays still make sense in an AI world, the return of oral exams, and how schools may need to fundamentally change.

In the second half, the discussion turns personal, covering failure, antifragility, exposure therapy, introversion vs extroversion, exercise, and what success really means beyond money. Michael shares the question he wishes he had asked himself sooner and why aligning with your younger self can be a powerful guide.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

The Biggest Exoplanet Discoveries In 2025 Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer talk through some of the most interesting astronomy discoveries and open questions shaping space science today.

They explore asteroid collisions, planet formation inside protoplanetary disks, lava worlds, water worlds, exoplanet atmospheres, and why many once-promising planets are turning out to be less habitable than expected. The conversation also covers moons, tides, stellar evolution, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and what all of this means for the search for life beyond Earth.

It’s an unscripted, big-picture conversation about where astronomy stands right now and why continued scientific investment matters.

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@curiositytheorypod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

It's Ok to Start Before You Know Exactly What You're Doing Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer unpack what it really means to start something before you feel ready.

From building a podcast studio from scratch to sharing stories of first videos, rejection, and creative fear, this conversation explores why curiosity, boredom, and discomfort are essential to growth. We talk about identity collapse, reinvention, science as a curiosity engine, and how sitting with uncertainty can open entirely new paths forward.

This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about creativity, courage, and staying curious in a world designed to distract you.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

Questionable Content: Are Humans Built For The World We Created? Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer unpack the AI hype cycle, speculative bubbles, and why humans keep falling for the same narratives every generation.

They talk through Project Genesis, Big Tech and government partnerships, Isaac Newton’s financial mistakes, crypto and AI comparisons, and whether the current moment feels more like progress or another bubble waiting to burst. The conversation also explores AI fear narratives, environmental concerns, dopamine inflation, social media burnout, creativity, work, and how modern life may be drifting away from what humans actually evolved for.

It’s messy, thoughtful, and honest. No scripts. No talking points. Just curiosity.

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@curiositytheorypod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

You Can’t Afford to Lose Your Curiosity w/ Hank Green Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Hank Green for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about curiosity, consciousness, credibility, and what it means to be human.

We talk about why humans are wired to be curious, how confidence and visibility often replace expertise online, how our brains guide decisions without our awareness, and why losing curiosity can fuel anxiety and dissatisfaction. The conversation weaves through evolution, animal behavior, free will, intelligence, science communication, and the challenge of staying thoughtful in a noisy world.

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Visit our Merch Store:
https://www.curiositytheorypod.com/merch
Join our Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory

Follow the show on socials: @curiositytheorypod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

Questionable Content: An MIT Fusion Scientist Was Shot & Conspiracies Followed Immediately Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) explore how science, violence, evolution, and culture intersect.

The conversation begins with the killing of an MIT fusion scientist and why scientific tragedies so often spark conspiracy theories. They discuss nuclear fusion, corporate incentives, and rational explanations before widening the lens to gun violence, school shootings, media incentives, and personal perspectives on self-defense and parenting.

The second half of the episode dives deep into evolutionary biology. From bower birds and sexual selection to polar bears, epigenetics, and The Selfish Gene, the hosts explore how attraction, culture, and intelligence evolve. The episode closes with a thought-provoking discussion about alien life, consciousness, and whether efficiency or extravagance drives evolution.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

Help... My Best Friend Is An LLM w/ Science and The City Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer teamed up with Science in the City hosts Ashley Christine and Kalpana Pot for a wild conversation that jumps from sci fi to short form science, flat earthers, and the internet brain rot we are all swimming in. It is messy, funny, and unexpectedly thoughtful. Equal parts science, culture, and unfiltered curiosity.

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Questionable Content: Disney Sold Its Soul For Some SlopTok Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) break down Disney’s massive new partnership with OpenAI’s Sora and what it means for creators, the WGA, IP ownership, and the new wave of AI-driven media.

They discuss celebrity likeness exploitation, the decreasing leverage of creators in an AI-dominated landscape, and how authenticity might become the new currency of art.

Dakotah then explains the newest James Webb breakthrough: the first strong evidence of an atmosphere around a small rocky exoplanet, TOI-561 b. They explore the transit method, atmospheric signatures, rock vapor, volatile compositions, lava worlds, degeneracy in models, and the future of detecting Earth-like atmospheres.

The episode closes with a reaction to Juelz Santana’s viral claim that kids “don’t need to know how to read,” and why literacy still underpins human progress despite audio learning.

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Join our Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory

Follow the show at @curiositytheorypod
Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shafer

Stay curious.

What If We Could Control Pain w/ Neuroscientist Lindsay Ejoh Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) sit down with neuroscientist Lindsay Ejoh (@neuromelody) for a deep exploration into pain, gene editing, viral vectors, and the brain’s decision making machinery.

They break down how pain neurons work, how viruses modify DNA, what CRISPR allows us to change inside living tissue, and how empathy and fear circuits guide human behavior. They also tackle chronic pain, probabilistic reasoning, risk-taking behavior, and the ethical implications of future neurological interventions.

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Stay curious.