

Cool Worlds Podcast
coolworldslab
Conversations between Professor David Kipping and guests, spanning astronomy, technology, science and engineering. This is the official podcast of the Cool Worlds Lab at Columbia University and their popular YouTube channel ”Cool Worlds”. Podcast episodes are filmed and can be found online through our YouTube channels.
Episodes
Mentioned books

4 snips
Nov 9, 2024 • 1h 3min
#17 Adam Riess - Modern Cosmology, Hubble Tension, New Physics
In this week's episode, David is joined by Nobel laureate Adam Riess, Bloomberg Distinguish Professor and Thomas J Barbar Professor of Physics & Astronomy at John Hopkins University. In this conversation, we explore the Hubble tension and recent disagreements between cosmology teams.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Oct 7, 2024 • 1h 18min
#16 Janna Levin - Black Holes, Singularities & Wormholes
In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Janna Levin, Professor of Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Janna is an expert in the theoretical physics of black holes, an author, a communicator of science and co-founder of Pioneer Works.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support
Go to https://ground.news/CWP to discover the full spectrum of truths and absurdities behind today’s headlines. Save 40% on the Ground News unlimited access Vantage plan with my link.
Prof Levin's research page: https://jannalevin.com/
Pioneer Works: https://pioneerworks.org/
Janna's Books: https://jannalevin.com/books/black-hole-survival-guide/
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Jul 10, 2024 • 1h 37min
#15 Jackie Faherty - Brown Dwarfs, Clouds, Atmospheres, JWST
In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Jackie Faherty, Senior Scientist and Senior Education Manager at the American Museum of Natural History and co-founded of the BDNYC research team. Jackie is a champion of brown dwarf science, mysterious objects that aren't quite stars, and aren't quite planets.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support
Dr Faherty's research page: https://www.jackiefaherty.com/
2030 STEM: https://2030stem.org/
BDNYC: https://bdnyc.org/
Backyard Worlds: https://backyardworlds.org
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Jun 22, 2024 • 1h 35min
#14 Gavin Schmidt - Climate Science, Projections, Measurements, Denialism
In this week's episode, David is joined by climate scientist Dr Gavin Schmidt, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and co-founded of the RealClimate blog.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support
RealClimate: https://www.realclimate.org/
NASA GISS: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

May 4, 2024 • 1h 12min
#13 David Spergel - NASA UAP Taskforce, Dark Matter, Hubble Tension, Leadership
In this week's episode, David is joined by Dave Spergel, Professor of Astrophysics, Chair of the NASA UAP Taskforce and President of the Simons Foundation. Dr Spergel has been a prominent leader in the field of cosmology, both intellectually and strategically.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support
NASA UAP Report: https://smd-cms.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Apr 16, 2024 • 1h 32min
#12 Lisa Kaltenegger - Alien Earths, Astrobiology Controversies, Frequency of Life
In this week's episode, David is joined by Lisa Kaltenegger, Professor at Cornell and Director of the Carl Sagan Institute. Lisa's new book, "Alien Earths", has just hit the shelves so we talk about what made her write this book, her view on the abundance of life in the cosmos, and her take on a couple of recent controversies in the field of astrobiology.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Mar 30, 2024 • 1h 28min
#11 Paul Sutter - Rescuing Science, Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt
In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Paul Sutter, Professor at Stony Brook and a Visiting Professor at Barnard College. Paul is a theoretical cosmologist, who has had a long and productive career in research, but is better known to most for his science communication work. Having one numerous awards, written popular science books and starring in shows like "How the Universe Works", Paul has become a familiar face to many. In this third book, "Rescuing Science: Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt", Paul explores how the public are losing trust in scientific institutions and what we can do about it.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support
Paul's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Science-Restoring-Trust-Doubt-ebook/dp/B0CCH5K6JL
Paul's website: https://www.pmsutter.com/
Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

Feb 9, 2024 • 1h 14min
#10 - Viraj Pandya - Early Galaxies with JWST, Galaxies "Gone Bananas", Galaxy Formation
In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Viraj Pandya, Hubble Fellow at Columbia University. Viraj's work was recently highlighted on the front page of the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/science/space/astronomy-galaxies-bananas.html) where his recent discoveries with JWST were showcased. Viraj's work suggests that early galaxy formation was far more bizarre than expected and is shaking up long standing ideas.
To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support
Viraj's website: https://virajpandya.github.io/

Dec 19, 2023 • 59min
#9 Renée Hložek - Axions, Tracing Dark Matter, Fate of the Universe
Cosmologist Renée Hložek discusses axions, dark matter, dark energy, and unraveling the secrets of the universe. They explore the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, the Sunyev-Zaldovich effect, and the Ruben Observatory's capabilities. They also touch on self-interacting dark matter and upcoming missions in astronomy.

Nov 24, 2023 • 1h 5min
#8 Malena Rice - Planet Nine, Oumuamua, Misaligned Exoplanets
Malena Rice, expert in planetary dynamics and detection techniques, discusses the hypothesis of Planet Nine, interstellar objects like Oumuamua and Borisov, propelling objects out of the solar system, rate calculation for object discovery, misalignment angles in exoplanet systems, and limitations of the rare Earth hypothesis.


