Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

Guest: Dr. James T. Keane On January 1, 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past the Kuiper belt object MU69. Mike sat down with Dr. James T. Keane, a member of the New Horizons team, to ask him about being at this unique planetary encounter, what we've learned about the mysterious MU69 so far, and the Trekkiest thing about the flyby. Then, Mike and James discuss the physics behind the criss-crossing rings of planet Terralysium in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "New Eden." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: @Miquai James: @jtuttlekeane

Guest: Dr. Jason von Stietz Whether you're running a half-marathon in Starfleet's Command Training Program, forming a baseball team on Deep Space Nine, or fencing a clever El-Aurian, Dr. Jason von Stietz is here to tell you how to overcome your opposition—with your mind! Jason, a PhD in clinical psychology, works as a sport psychologist at Whittier College and Cognitive Behavior Therapy of Southern California. Mike talks to Dr. von Stietz about the mental side of sports and how it relates to various situations in Star Trek and real life. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: @Miquai Jason: @NextGen_Perform

Guest: Joshua Zeller Mike sits down with playwright, actor, and director Joshua Zeller to discuss the writing of science-driven stories. Joshua is the author of "The God Particle Complex," a play about the search for the Higgs boson. Then, they discuss a range of Star Trek topics, including the latest DSC episode, "An Obol for Charon," Follow us on Twitter: Mike: @Miquai Joshua: @madcapofscience

Guest: Diana Windemuth What do Gallifrey from Doctor Who, Tatooine from Star Wars, and Talos IV from Star Trek have in common? They all orbit binary stars! On Episode 60 of Strange New Worlds, Diana Windemuth tells Mike about her hunt for circumbinary planets and why it's a much harder quest than looking for planets around single stars. Then, they discuss aspects of Star Trek Discovery's second season, including the latest episode, "New Eden," the Marvel-ization of Star Trek, and why Diana doesn't want to find Spock. Follow Mike on Twitter @Miquai!

Guests: Dr. James T. Keane & Dr. Peter Gao Mike, James, and Peter recap Star Trek: Discovery's Season 2 premiere in a totally unique way—through their bingo sheets! That's right, they're playing Disco Bingo! Find out who's in the lead after the first episode, what made Mike cry, and who stole "the tardigrade returns" just to lord it over Mike if it ever does. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: @Miquai James: @jtuttlekeane Peter: @PlanetaryGao

Guests: Erika K. Carlson, Voon Hui Lai, Dr. Jamie S. Rankin, Cecilia B. Sanders, Hima J. Hassenruck Gudipati, and Dr. James T. Keane The theme of the American Geophysical Union meeting in December 2018 was "What Science Stands For," so Mike went around asking scientists and science communicators, "What DOES science stand for?" Follow us on Twitter! Mike: @Miquai Erika: @erikakcarlson James: @jtuttlekeane

Welcome to 2019! In this first episode of what's bound to be a Star Trek–packed year, Mike gears up for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery by reviewing the first four Short Treks episodes. Also inside: how science is benefitting restoration and preservation projects in the Angkor region of Cambodia! Brandon-Shea Mutala's recent interviews with Star Trek composer's on TrekFM's Melodic Treks podcast: Dennis McCarthy: http://www.trek.fm/melodic-treks/89 Nicholas Meyer: http://www.trek.fm/melodic-treks/93 Cliff Eidelman: http://www.trek.fm/melodic-treks/94 Follow me on Twitter! Mike: @Miquai

Guest: Elise Cutts In the final episode of 2018, Michael interviews former co-host Elise Cutts about the Short Treks episode "Calypso." Also, there's plenty of space news—from InSight to OSIRIS-REx to Voyager 2. Astro Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl__Ae2qk1Y&t=2s Michael's Planetary Report story on the emergence of life: http://www.planetary.org/explore/the-planetary-report/the-making-of-life.html Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy

Guests: Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Laura Mayorga, Danica Adams Michael is joined by Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Laura Mayorga, and Danica Adams to recap the 2018 Division for Planetary Science meeting. Each summarizes the science that they presented at #DPS18 and shares their favorite aspect of the conference. Also, Peter talks about how he hid subtle Star Trek references in his conference talk and faculty applications. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao Laura: @mayorgalc

Michael recaps the exciting science from the first three days of the 2018 Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) Meeting in a series of Captain's Logs. DPS is the annual conference for planetary scientists of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Follow me on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai