Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 207: Cloudy with a Chance of Starships Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

Guest: Dr. Seven Rasmussen Explore the Drake equation with Dr. Seven Rasmussen, author of "Cloudy with a Chance of Starships: How the Drake Equation Reveals the Odds of Life in the Cosmos." Cloudy with a Chance of Starships: How the Drake Equation Reveals the Odds of Life in the Cosmos: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691246222/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-starships?srsltid=AU7gw4XH-sKOIvsZaplRZgKFyMmvE9hkRyvBSVQ1GGap9tY_iGuKM-Hk Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Seven: https://bsky.app/profile/toomanyspectra.bsky.social

Episode 206: Pluto Isn't a Planet for the Same Reason Whales Aren't Fish Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

On this solo episode, Mike reads his essay, originally published in Sequencer Magazine, titled "Pluto Isn't a Planet for the Same Reason Whales Aren't Fish." Read the essay: https://www.sequencermag.com/pluto-isnt-a-planet-for-the-same-reason-whales-arent-fish/ Watch "Strange New Worlds: The Science of Star Trek": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcy42zkS8s0

Episode 205: An EPIIC Summer, Part 2 Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

Guests: Abigail Alling & Amelia Lee We check in with Abigail Alling and Amelia Lee on the second-to-last day of their summer internship at Carnegie Science. What have they learned about exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations over the past 10 weeks? And what do they think of the most recent episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Register now for Carnegie Science's next Neighborhood Lecture, "Strange New Worlds: The Science of Star Trek," on September 9, 2026: https://carnegiescience.edu/strange-new-worlds-science-star-trek Learn more about the EPIIC internship at Carnegie Science: carnegiescience.edu/about/working/i…terns/epiic-reu

Episode 204: Deep Interiors & Visual Styles Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

Guest: Professor Tyler Perez Come for the laser experiments, stay for the lens flares. Prof. Tyler Perez—who studies the material properties of rock at high pressures and temperatures, and who delves into movie visual effects as a hobby—beams aboard to discuss his research on planetary interiors and the visual style of Star Trek.

Episode 203: An EPIIC Summer, Part 1 Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

Guests: Abigail Alling & Amelia Lee How do you introduce Star Trek to a new fan? How is Star Trek continuing to inspire young scientists? How are Carnegie Science interns exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations? Abigail Alling and Amelia Lee beam aboard to chat about how they've added Star Trek to their educational experience in Carnegie Science's 2026 EPIIC summer internship program! Learn more about the EPIIC internship at Carnegie Science: carnegiescience.edu/about/working/i…terns/epiic-reu

Episode 202: Project Hail Mary Jul 04, 2026

Show notes

Guest: Em Dobberfuhl Mike's former Carnegie Science intern Em Dobberfuhl beams aboard to share how Project Hail Mary inspired them to pursue astrobiology. "Are we alone in the universe? Five times we thought we found extraterrestrial life" by Em Dobberfuhl: https://www.sequencermag.com/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-five-times-we-thought-we-found-extraterrestrial-life/ Learn more about the EPIIC internship at Carnegie Science: https://carnegiescience.edu/about/working/interns/epiic-reu

Episode 201: Morals in Spaaace! Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

Mike speaks with Jason Kaufman and Bradley Browne on the Dice in Mind podcast about his paper "How to Chart a Moral Future for Space Exploration" (featured on Episode 200 of Strange New Worlds). How does an astrobiologist get inspired to write about space ethics? How did the paper originate and evolve into its published form? And what does recognizing many kinds of moral value in the universe mean for our present era of space exploration? Mike's space ethics paper "How to Chart a Moral Future for Space Exploration": https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02070-3 Check out the Dice in Mind podcast: https://diceinmind.podbean.com/ Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Dice in Mind: https://bsky.app/profile/diceinmind.bsky.social

Episode 200: How to Chart a Moral Future for Space Exploration Jun 21, 2026

Show notes

On Episode 200 of Strange New Worlds, Mike Wong reads "How to Chart a Moral Future for Space Exploration," an article he published last year in the journal Nature with Chelsea Haramia, Emilie Lafleche, and Julia DeMarines. Read the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02070-3

Episode 199: Cosplay for Science May 10, 2026

Show notes

Guest: Gabriel Santos Paleontologist and science communicator Gabriel Santos beams aboard to share how Cosplay for Science, an initiative he co-founded, brings science education to Comic-Cons and other pop culture conventions. Then, he and Mike discuss the paleontology of the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Distant Origin." Learn more about Cosplay for Science: https://www.cosplayforscience.com/

Episode 198: Many Ways to Know About Life in the Universe Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

Guests: Kayla Smith & Prof. Patrick Anderson Astrobiology Kayla Smith and philosopher Patrick Anderson beam aboard to celebrate the diversity of scientific thought that goes into astrobiology, and how astrobiology can continue to grow by pulling on threads from outside of science too. They co-authored a paper called "Epistemic Pluralism & Astrobiology" with host Mike Wong. Kayla, Patrick, and Mike's paper "Epistemic Pluralism & Astrobiology": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10838-025-09760-6 Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Kayla: https://bsky.app/profile/astrokayla.bsky.social

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