Cool Worlds Podcast

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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/

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.

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.

Renowned astrophysicist Ramesh Narayan discusses black holes, their formation, and characteristics. He explores the historical journey of black holes, the role of viscosity in particle dynamics around them, the significance of magnetic fields, the formation of powerful jets, and the future of the Event Horizon Telescope. The podcast concludes with reflections on the ability to model black holes.

Adam Frank, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, discusses expanding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, funding for astrobiology, complexity and information in biology, challenges of determining true information, developing a theory of semantic information and its relationship to life, the illusion of control in machines, the concept of roaming entities and galactic dynamics, exploring other civilizations, and the importance of supporting research and outreach work.