Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

Latest Episodes:

Rerun: Building languages with Dr. Jessie Sams Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Moiya returns to her conversation about constructing languages. They talk mouth and nose shapes, the relevance of trees, and the brain-melting subject of sentence word order in different languages.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUESTS

Dr. Jessie Sams is a linguist and conlanger who has helped make languages for shows including Motherland: Fort Salem and Vampire Academy.

MESSAGES

Listen to TELL ME ABOUT IT every other THursday

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

How would you like to swim in an ocean ruled by matriarchal squid, or fly over a planet as it rotates with a swarm of migrating wasps? No, it's not the latest VR craze (... yet); it's Exolore! Exolore helps you imagine other worlds with the help of facts and science. Every other week, host Dr. Moiya McTier invites experts to build a world from scratch or sits down with a fiction fan to dive deep into their favorite worlds. Every episode will make you laugh, go "huh?" and appreciate how special our world really is.

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rerun: Building a Three-Parent World Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

A sociologist, a biologist, and an astrophysicist walk into a zoom room and discuss what it would be like if everyone had three parents. Here's a hint: it gets complicated real fast. We discuss speculative science, the difficulty of large collaborations, mating types, and ~bedroom activity~

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUESTS

Dr. Tamara van der Does is a computational sociologist who studies how environment shapes beliefs and identity. You can learn about her work on her website tamaravanderdoes.com and follow her on twitter at @tam_does.

Dr. Albert Kao is a biologist who studies collective decision making. Learn about his work and his lab at thekaolab.com and follow him on twitter at @albert_kao.

MESSAGES

Listen to GAMES & FEELINGS every Friday
Design your own mini statues at heroforge.com

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rerun: Building Cultures Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

What does it take to build a fictional culture from scratch? How can you respectfully draw inspiration from real-world cultures? Two anthropologists join me to share their tips!

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUESTS

Dr. Carole McGranahan is an anthropology professor at UC Boulder. You can follow her work on her website.

Liam Gleason is a PhD candidate in evolutionary anthropology at ASU. You can follow them on twitter at @anthro_outlier and stay up to date with their work at their website. Liam also founded anthroillustrated, which provides free digital illustrations of diverse anthropologists.

MESSAGES

Listen to SPIRITS every Wednesday
Design your own mini statues at heroforge.com

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rerun: World of Migrating Spider Crocs Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all?

HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUESTS

Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a golf course supervisor, a field dominated by men. You can follow Maureen on twitter at @MaureenKahiu.

Ferris Jabr is a science writer who has contributed to the New York Times and Scientific American. He's also currently writing a book about the coevolution of Earth and life! You can follow Ferris on twitter at @ferrisjabr and learn more about his work at ferrisjabr.com