NOVA Presents

Latest Episodes:

Host Interview: Hakeem’s Book of Everything Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

Hakeem Oluseyi, astrophysicist and host of Particles of Thought, takes the hot seat as NOVA Remix host and Senior Producer Caitlin Saks interviews him about his new book, Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible. Hakeem tells his personal story of being a poor kid from the deep South who found Einstein in an encyclopedia and ended up at Stanford. Then he walks through the book's nine realms, argues that Pluto and the Moon are planets, estimates life in our galaxy, explains time and the pre-Big Bang universe, and shares why energy and imagination are humanity's best bets.

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Guest Bio:
Hakeem Oluseyi is host of Particles of Thought, an astrophysicist, author, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, science journalist, TV personality, science communicator, and inspirational speaker. His research is based on “hacking stars” to understand our universe better and develop innovative new technologies. Oluseyi’s work has resulted in 11 patents and more than 100 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics and the development of space missions, observatories, focal plane instruments, detectors, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion.

Einstein Says You’re Never Late Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

Hakeem says there was more than one big bang. There were ten.

Our host answers the biggest questions about his latest book, Why Do We Exist?Like, how the idea of ‘now’ depends on your relative motion or that there might be a time before time. Reality keeps unravelling as he explains that at a certain distance space recedes even faster than light. To top it off, the conversation enters the Realm of Imagination, and joins Hakeem in his optimistic view of human space travel, world peace, and even the apocalypse.

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Guest Bio:

Hakeem Oluseyi is host of Particles of Thought, an astrophysicist, author, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, science journalist, TV personality, science communicator, and inspirational speaker. His research is based on “hacking stars” to understand our universe better and develop innovative new technologies. Oluseyi’s work has resulted in 11 patents and more than 100 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics and the development of space missions, observatories, focal plane instruments, detectors, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion.

Pluto Is a Planet. So Is the Moon. Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Hakeem has hot takes on space. For instance, the moon is a planet.
In Hakeem’s new book, Why Do We Exist?, he shares big ideas about the universe. Why do so many stars come in pairs? How likely is extraterrestrial life? What if there was no friction? Hakeem challenges us to think like him and see our reality through his Nine Realms of the Universe. Through that lens, atoms model galaxies, stars take new names, and the statistically improbable becomes more likely over time. Settle in for a conversation between Hakeem’s mind and the heavens.

Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTube channel.

Guest Bio:

Hakeem Oluseyi is host of Particles of Thought, an astrophysicist, author, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, science journalist, TV personality, science communicator, and inspirational speaker. His research is based on “hacking stars” to understand our universe better and develop innovative new technologies. Oluseyi’s work has resulted in 11 patents and more than 100 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics and the development of space missions, observatories, focal plane instruments, detectors, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion.

Our Host Tells All Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Our host flips the interview and shares his humble beginnings before science superstardom.

Hakeem opens up about a childhood moving between some of America's toughest neighborhoods, surviving drugs, and overcoming addiction. Luckily, an encyclopedia article on Einstein changed everything and set him on his unlikely path from rural Mississippi to Stanford. Along the way, he changed his name, found some key mentors, and became an astrophysicist, but more importantly, Hakeem started a journey to bring science to millions

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Guest Bio:

Full Interview: Earthquake’s Buried Truth Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Earthquakes can be more powerful than atomic bombs.

Luckily, Harvard geophysicist John Shaw has ideas on how to beat them. What really causes earthquakes? How can cities and buildings be engineered to survive them? John and Hakeem trace the science of shaking ground from ancient myth to cutting-edge machine learning, and reveal just how much is still left to discover deep beneath the surface.

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Guest Bio:

John Shaw is the Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology at Harvard University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Research. A structural geologist and applied geophysicist, he studies the faults deep beneath our feet, with research spanning earthquake hazards, energy systems, and carbon storage.

The Quakes We Cause Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

We can cause earthquakes.

Geophysicist John Shaw joins Hakeem to reveal how humans have been triggering earthquakes for decades, and in some cases, it’s on purpose. John explains how an experiment 50 years ago turned earthquakes on and off and clarifies all the confusion around the process of fracking. It's a surprising look at how understanding human-triggered quakes might be the key to predicting natural ones.

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Guest Bio:

How to Survive the Big One Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

We can’t predict earthquakes, but we can beat them.

Geophysicist breaks down what actually keeps people alive when the ground starts shaking. From flexible buildings to early warning systems, John walks Hakeem through what separates cities that survive major earthquakes from cities devastated by them, and why the difference often comes down to policy not physics.

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Guest Bio:

The Quake Equation Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Big earthquakes can change the Earth’s rotation.

And Harvard geophysicist John Shaw says these giant events can teach us a lot. He traces our understanding from ancient myths to modern studies and unpacks what;s really going on beneath the surface. John reveals why a magnitude 7 earthquake releases 30 times the energy of a WWII-era atomic bomb, how the largest quakes make the Earth ring like a bell for days, and why the deadliest earthquake in history wasn't even the biggest one.
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Full Interview: The Fusion Future Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

There is a near-limitless energy source to power our world, and it may be almost here.

Dennis Whyte shares with Hakeem that we're closer than ever to bottling the power of the sun. He would know. He’s now the CEO of the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority and a nuclear scientist at MIT. What happens when we finally unlock nuclear fusion, the same energy source that powers the sun? What even is fusion? How does it work, and why are scientists now so close to building commercially viable fusion systems that could put power on the grid? From fusion fundamentals, to the future of energy, to interstellar space travel, Dennis and Hakeem deliver a big conversation on an innovation that could change everything.

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Guest Bio:

Dennis Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering at MIT and former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the MIT spinout building a compact fusion reactor using record-breaking superconducting magnets, and is now the CEO of the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority.

Fusion and the Future of Space Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Dennis Whyte has designed a fusion reactor for Mars, and it turns out the red planet has plenty of fusion fuel. The MIT nuclear scientist joins Hakeem to explore fusion's wildest applications: spacecraft propulsion, space stations, and even a shield that stops radiation. While they’re at it, Dennis and Hakeem discuss the roadblocks and risks still left to solve in nuclear fusion.
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Guest Bio: