His descriptions of living in space make you feel you’re on the ship with him. His performance of the David Bowie song Space Oddity in a video he beamed down to earth was a worldwide hit. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is a veteran of three space missions, including as commander of the International Space Station. He takes us with him.

A successful playwright with plenty to smile about – a new play opening on Broadway and the birth of twins – suddenly lost her ability to smile. Her struggle to regain it is the subject of her new book, a story that – perhaps surprisingly – will give you plenty to smile about.

In a widely praised new book, The Quiet Before, Gal Beckerman paints vivid pictures of how throughout history, radical change has only come about through quiet preparation.

As the James Webb Space Telescope starts peering out into space this summer, mother and daughter astronomers Natalie and Natasha Batalha will each have major roles in the search for signs of life on planets beyond the solar system.

His outstanding career acting in both movies and television – most recently his highly praised performance in the Hulu series Dopesick – had its beginning in standup comedy. “It was an opportunity to have a stage for 15 minutes and… perform.”Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Alan and Executive Producer Graham Chedd chat about and play excerpts from Alan's conversations with some of the guests in the new season, beginning next week. Guests include actor Michael Keaton, poet Billy Collins, and astronaut (and space oddity) Chris Hadfield.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Twenty years of exploring the technical, social and environmental impact of AI has convinced Kate Crawford that we should be much more skeptical about where AI is useful – and concerned about where it is harmful.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

His jazz informs his physics and his physics informs his jazz, as cosmologist Stephon Alexander seeks a new understanding of the Universe.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

An author with a thing for one syllable titles – Stiff, Gulp, Bonk – Mary Roach’s latest book, Fuzz, is a quirky exploration of how animals are indifferent to laws made for people, laws like manslaughter, breaking and entering, home invasion, jaywalking, littering. They may not care, but we do.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

From lizards that cling on for dear life during hurricanes to bees that can’t find flowers, plants and animals are trying to cope with climate change – and both inspiring and warning us to take action.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid