Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

Guests: Dr. Tony Del Genio, Maria Steinrueck, Ryan MacDonald Clouds and hazes play important roles in controlling planetary climates and can both help and get in the way of astronomers who are trying to learn about an exoplanet. In this episode, Michael interviews scientists at The Cloud Academy at the Les Houches Advanced School for Physics, and stumbles upon some surprising connections to Star Trek. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai NASA NExSS (contributed to by Tony): @nexssinfo Maria: @MariaSteinrueck Ryan: @MartianColonist

Guest: Desun Oka The Kepler Space Telescope has discovered thousands of exoplanets—perhaps some of them are ripe for future human colonies. But is colonialism the right framework to think about humanity's expansion into the cosmos? Or is it a problematic concept mired in our own Eurocentric/Amerocentric mythologies? Historian Desun Oka helps me discuss how colonialism is reflected in science fiction at large, whether the Space Force an extension of manifest destiny, and why Vulcans are the Orientals of Star Trek. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Desun: @desunoka

Guests: Dr. Laura Mayorga, Dr. Peter Gao, Dr. Alex Lockwood, Dr. James T. Keane, Dr. Rob Zellem, Josh Lothringer We time travel to Day 4 of the 2018 DPS Meeting, where Michael interviews planetary scientists about the breaking news of Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series coming to CBS All-Access. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Laura: @mayorgalc Peter: @PlanetaryGao Alex: @AskAstroAlex James: @jtuttlekeane Josh: @JDLothringer

For their final episode together at Caltech before Michael leaves for the University of Washington, Elise and Michael choose a random Star Trek episode and comment on the exciting science that they find within! Get ready for a random journey of asteroids, life detection, and facepalms. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy

Guest: Celeste Labedz "The Vulcans say that the desert teaches men the meaning of endurance, but it's the ice that forges real strength." In Episode 48, cryoseismologist Celeste Labedz talks about the science of glaciers and how knowing more about the physics of ice could have helped Captain Archer and Shran during their visit to Andoria in ENT: "The Aenar." Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Celeste: @celestelabedz

Guest: Brian Brophy BREAKING! We have our very first Star Trek alumnus on Strange New Worlds! Brian Brophy portrayed Commander Bruce Maddox in the seminal episode of TNG "The Measure of a Man" and is now the director of Theater Arts at Caltech. In this episode, Brian tells us about going face-to-face with Patrick Stewart on the set of Star Trek, putting on a Star Trek parody musical at Caltech, and how he believes that the art of storytelling can bring scientists to their full potential. Watch "Boldly Go!" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtBArmWHdY&t=1s Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Theater Arts at Caltech: @CaltechPlayers

Guest: Cecilia Sanders The pages of Earth's history are written in its rocks, and geobiologist Cecilia Sanders is interested in a sequence of rocks that tell the story of one of Earth's coldest periods: the Cryogenian. In order to read those pages—and the fossilized fine-print that describes life some 600-700 million years ago—she has to embark on an away mission to Namibia. Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Elise: @emcuttsy

In Episode 45, Dr. Peter Gao takes over Strange New Worlds to interview Michael and Dr. James T. Keane about their experiences at the 2018 Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Peter: @PlanetaryGao James: @jtuttlekeane

Guests: Dr. Kayla Iacovino & Dr. David Williams Can you really get high off of volcanic gases, like Cadet Tilly did in Star Trek: Discovery? Or stop a volcano from erupting, like Spock did in Into Darkness? Volcanologists Kayla Iacovino and David Williams are here to set the record straight about how volcanoes work both on Earth and across the solar system. Follow us on Twitter: Michael: @Miquai Kayla: @kaylai David: @davidaw222

Guest: Ollie Stephenson In Episode 43, Michael chats with geophysicist Ollie Stephenson about the science of earthquakes, using examples of earthquakes in Star Trek to guide the discussion. Caltech Letters: https://caltechletters.org/ Michael's story, "Stolen": https://caltechletters.org/science/stolen Follow us on Twitter! Michael: @Miquai Ollie: @SeismoOllie Caltech Letters: @caltechletters