StarTalk Radio Superhero Science: StarTalk Live! With Charles Liu
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Nov 14, 2025 
Charles Liu, an astrophysicist and author, joins to unravel the science behind superhero powers. Discover why we can’t run through walls despite atoms being mostly empty space. Liu explains quantum tunneling and the Casimir effect, along with the implications of invisibility technology. The conversation dives into warp drives, X-ray vision, and the thermodynamics of fire-breathing heroes. Liu also explores the mind-bending concepts of quantum entanglement and the many-worlds hypothesis, all while keeping the science engaging and accessible.
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Neil’s Comic Book Consultation
- Neil deGrasse Tyson was contacted by DC Comics to consult on a Superman comic and suggested using a wormhole origin for Superman.
- Tyson later appears in the comic and describes making Superman emotionally sad when he sees Krypton's destruction.
Momentum Matters In Superhero Rescues
- If Superman were rigid and intercepted a falling person, the sudden stop would kill the rescued person from huge momentum transfer.
- Charles Liu suggests Superman must absorb or dissipate momentum like an airbag to save people safely.
X-Ray Vision Has 'Colors' Too
- X-rays have different energies (hard vs soft) that could be combined like RGB channels to form multi-band images.
- Charles Liu suggests Superman could evolved X-ray 'rod and cone' detectors to perceive X-ray colors and details beyond mere wall-seeing.
