Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

What would you do if you had two bony antennae sticking out of your head? Well, if you lived on this starless planet, you might use them to sense the world around you. ***There were some tech issues in the editing of the first 5 minutes (lol, this is what happens when you try to host, produce, and edit a podcast on your own), but it gets better after 5 minutes I PROMISE!*** HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Mahadeo Sukhai is the world's first congenitally blind biomedical research scientist. He's also the Head of Research and Chief Accessibility Officer for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. You can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahadeo-sukhai/ Mona Minkara is an assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University. She studies chemical reactions in the lungs. You can follow her on twitter at @mona_minkara or click the following links to learn more about her work: Her website: https://monaminkara.com/ Her lab website: http://www.minkaracombinelab.com Her Planes, Trains, and Canes series: https://planestrainsandcanes.com John Furniss is a professional woodworker. You can learn more about his work (and buy his beautiful pieces!) at https://www.theblindwoodsman.com/ or follow him on instagram at @blindwoodsman and tiktok at @theblindwoodsman HIGHLIGHTED CAUSES - Empowerment Through Integration, an organization dedicated to changing the narrative about people with disabilities FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to a different world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier explores fictional worlds by building them with a panel of expert guests, interviewing professional worldbuilders, or reviewing the merits of worlds that have already been built. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Olondria is a wonderfully complex and beautifully crafted fictional world created by Sofia Samatar, who was kind enough to answer all of Moiya's burning questions about her creative process. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Sofia Samatar is a professor of English at James Madison University and the author of award-winning books like A Stranger in Olondria, The Winged Histories, and Tender. She's also written several short stories and poems. You can learn more about her and her work on her website: http://www.sofiasamatar.com/ FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to a different world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier explores fictional worlds by building them with a panel of expert guests, interviewing professional worldbuilders, or reviewing the merits of worlds that have already been built. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're essentially hotboxing our planet, so let's take a fun little trip to a snowball world covered in ice! Let's just hope we don't get there during whaling season because have you ever smelled a beached whale? Neither have I, but I don't want to start now. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Zoe Samuel is a writer and producer who now writes jokes for Google. You can follow her on twitter at @zoe_samuel 2. Elizabeth Case is a PhD candidate in glaciology at Columbia University. She helps improve science literacy through Cycle for Science and studies Thwaites Glacier, which is melting at an alarming rate. You can follow her on twitter at @elizabeth_case 3. Rob Ulrich is a PhD student in biominerology at UCLA and a co-founder for Queers in STEM. You can follow them on twitter at @robertnulrich PATRON CAUSE Michael wants to support the Baltimore Legal Action Team, a group that raises bail funds for Baltimore youths FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you could eat one of your friends and absorb their strength and knowledge, who would you eat? That question might seem weird to you, but creatures on this world have to wrestle with that question every day of their lives. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Crystal Ng is a marine biologist at Chapman University. You can follow her on twitter at @crystal_a_ng 2. Kylie Holloway is a self-designated "art bitch" and cohost of Nevertheless She Existed. You can follow her on twitter at @kylieholloway_ 3. Alie Ward is a science communicator extraordinaire! You've probably heard her voice on her podcast Ologies and maybe even seen her face on Netflix's 100 Humans and Brainchild. You can follow her on twitter at @alieward PATRON CAUSE Michael Busch wants to support the Baltimore Legal Action Team, a group that raises bail funds for Baltimore youths FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Black people in the U.S. have never been free. This world is a glimpse at what could have been without our brutal history of slavery and colonization. Hint: the whole world wins out, not just Africa. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Nikita L. La Cruz is an economic geologist who studies ore deposits in Guyana. You can follow her on twitter at @nlecongeo 2. Jessica Marie Johnson is a historian of the African Diaspora at Johns Hopkins University. She recently published a book called Wicked Flesh that you can buy here. You can follow her on twitter at @jmjafrx 3. Susana Morris is an afrofuturist and professor of literature and media at Georgia State University. She's a co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective. You can follow her on twitter at @iamcrunkadelic FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In an ocean surrounded by a miles-deep sheet of ice, the lady squid reign supreme. Don't let their artsy mating rituals and inverted ice mountaineering fool you; they will rip your head off and throw it to the vents. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Sarah McAnulty is a squid biologist and the executive director of Skype A Scientist. You can follow her on twitter at @SarahMackAttack 2. Cecilia O'Leary is an ocean ecologist who models the populations of fish! You can follow her on twitter at @GonzoScientist1 3. Kate Helen Downey is the co-founder and creative director of Caveat NYC. You can follow her on twitter at @katehelendowney FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The shape of Earth's orbit has NOTHING to do with our seasons, but what if there was a world where the orbit shape DID affect its climate? Apparently genital size on that world would depend on tooth size just like it does here on Earth... for some reason. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Misha Grifka Wander is a getting their PhD in English at Ohio State University. They're the cohost of the podcast Big Dice Energy and you can follow them on twitter at @MishaGrifka. 2. Shannon Odell is a neuroscientist and comedian in NYC. She cohosts two different podcasts, Fun City Ventures and the Science of Self Care. You can follow her on twitter at @shodell 3. Kyle Marian is a comedian and former physical anthropologist. She introduces academics to the world of stand up comedy in her show Symposium. You can follow her on twitter at @kylemarian FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Moon's pretty great, right? What if we had a few more just like it?? Well, the amphibious creatures on this planet think the unpredictable tides and seasons are high prices to pay for a pretty view in the sky. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Evin Grody is a zooarchaeologist who spends most of her time doing research in Zambia. She's studying historical relationships between humans and animals, so she knows a lot about bones. Follow her on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/evintheterrible/ 2. Lev Raslin is an expert in business technology. He's the guy I go to if I have questions like, "so when is virtual reality reeeeeally going to be a thing? Follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/DJLevitown 3. Ian Reed is a professor of clinical psychology at New York University. He very wisely stays off of social media.  FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Asteroids may bring pretty bling like gold and platinum, but they also make big dangerous booms! The rat-like creatures on this world have learned to cope in the dankest way with the fewest farts. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS 1. Noah Guiberson is a getting his PhD in neuroscience at Cornell University. He loves puns and puts them to good use on his podcast Facts Machine! You can follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/ArksAndSciences 2. Ryan Anderson is a planetary scientist at the United States Geological Survey. He literally gets paid to shoot lasers at rocks on Mars! You can follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/Ryan_B_Anderson 3. Rae Richards is an illustrator, graphic designer, and musician based in NYC. You can follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/DocR0cket FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can you imagine what your life would be like if a volcano erupted in your backyard every month? Well, you don't have to imagine because we've already done it for you, and it is a wild ride filled with rock-eating turtles with mean senses of humor. HOSTED by Moiya McTier (https://twitter.com/GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist  GUESTS 1. Thea Gessler is a getting her PhD in evolutionary biology at Iowa State University. She studies sex determination in turtles! You can follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/theagessler 2. Mika McKinnon is a geophysicist who studies natural disasters up close, so she's basically the bravest person I've ever met. She knows all the best rocks to lick and you can follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/mikamckinnon 3. Andrea Jones-Rooy has two last names because she's too awesome for just one. She's a political scientist, CIRCUS PERFORMER, and host of the show Ask a Political Scientist. You can follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/jonesrooy FIND US ONLINE FIND US ONLINE - patreon: patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ - website: https://exolorepod.wixsite.com/exolore CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to an alien world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier invites expert guests to help her imagine life on an alien planet. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.