Podcast Fraser Cain

In the season finale of my questions show, I talk about high-altitude bacteria, traveling into the future, does it make sense to go back to University, and more. See you all in September! 00:00 Start 01:10 How high an altitude can bacteria survive? 04:02 Should I go back to university? 06:29 Could we terraform Venus with comets? 08:49 Could we dete…

In this week's questions show, I explain why Dyson Spheres (and Swarms) should actually be pretty easy to detect across the Universe. If it's possible to service the Hubble Space Telescope with a Falcon 9, and will computers take jobs away from astronomers. 00:00 Start 01:04 How could we detect Dyson Swarms? 07:24 How could we hide a Dyson Swarm? 1…

In this week's questions show, I explain what would happen if scientists discovered an existential threat to humanity. Would they let us know, or keep it secret to avoid a panic? Could we detect a Breakthrough Starshot fleet coming our way? And how well does China communicate its space exploration to the public? 00:00 Start 00:37 Would they tell us…

My guest today is Professor Lee Cronin from the University of Glasgow. Dr. Cronin investigates the chemistry of life and has developed methods that could help us detect it on other worlds - even life as we don't know it. http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LI…

In this week's questions and answer show, I explain how all the dust in space forms, could life be Von Neumann probes, why do people think black holes lead to another universe, and more... 00:00 Start 00:57 What is space dust? 05:14 Does the Kardashev scale make sense? 08:43 Could life on Earth be Von Neumann probes? 11:31 What should I point my te…

In this week's Q&A, I try to imagine what might happen if a microscopic black hole passed through the Earth. How long will James Webb take to become operational, and what will be the Plan B for James Webb if it fails? 00:00 Start 00:46 What if a microscopic black hole passed through the Earth? 05:25 When will James Webb come online? 06:38 What's pl…

I'm pleased to welcome back Dr. Casey Handmer, a software systems architect at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to his work at NASA, Casey has a fascinating blog where he considers the future of human and robotic space exploration: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.unive…

In this week's episode, I talk about the various ways we measure the age of the Universe. What's next for OSIRIS-REx? And what are the next frontiers for gravitational wave astronomy? 00:00 Start 00:41 How do we calculate the age of the Universe? 04:32 Will the planets migrate again? 06:36 What's next for OSIRIX-REx? 07:47 What's next for gravitati…

My guest is Dr. Ken Olum, a research professor at Tufts University. His primary research is into cosmic strings, and how they could be detectable through techniques like gravitational waves. 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universet…

In this week's questions show, I consider what the night sky might look like if you could stand at the center of the Milky Way where the stars are denser. Do all stars have Oort clouds? And could Starship really send humans to Mars for the price of a house? 00:00 Start 00:50 What would the sky look like at the center of the Milky Way? 04:05 Will th…

My guest is Dr. Michael H. Hecht, a research scientist and associate director at MIT's Haystack Observatory. Hecht is also the principal investigator for the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment onboard Perseverance: https://www.haystack.mit.edu/researcher/mike-hecht/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCA…

In this week's questions show, I explain why we'd be able to recognize aliens, even if they were vastly more technologically advanced than us. Why I don't do any promotional ads on my videos, and if we have any examples of energy turning into matter. 00:00 Start 01:09 Can we actually recognize aliens? 04:18 Why don't I have sponsors? 06:33 Could we…

In this special interview, I was fortunate to speak with Dr. Ronald Mallet, an emeritus professor at UConn. In addition to a lifetime's work in cosmology and astrophysics, Mallet has been trying to work out how our understanding of Einstein's theories of General Relativity might lead to a practical form of time travel. https://physics.uconn.edu/per…

Support Universe Today podcasts with Fraser CainBởi Universe Today

My guest is Dr. Rebecca K. Leane, an astroparticle physicist with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The work involves innovative ways to detect dark matter. http://rebeccaleane.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universeto…

My guest is Dr. Jessie Christiansen, an astrophysicist with NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute. Jessie will give us an update on TESS and the 2,200 planets it's discovered so far. http://web.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/christia/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ══════════════════════════…

In this week's questions show, I explain whether or not gravity is infinite, will we need to cure cancer to go to space? Will SpaceX help Artemis' chances for landing humans on Mars in 2024, and more... 00:00 Start 00:54 Is gravity infinite? 02:33 How deep does lunar regolith go? 04:09 Could nearby star systems contain planets that we don't know ab…

In this week's questions show I explain why we could be first in the Universe, do galaxies flip or spin, did I pick a good career? And more. 00:00 Start 00:47 Are we first in the Universe? 03:01 Do galaxies flip end over end? 04:28 Bro, get a better career 06:46 How much longer can SLS going? 10:33 Did I watch Ingenuity fly? 12:08 Am I looking forw…

My guest is Mick West, a game developer and writer. Mick has been studying UFO claims and contrail conspiracy theories for many years and has a useful toolkit to help identify unidentified objects in the sky. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF3UCTZiVg9wrIEzO7Om6jw 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀…

My guest is Dr. Klaus Pontoppidan, an astronomer and project scientist working with the James Webb Space Telescope. Klaus is on the committee that helped choose targets that the telescope will be studying once it flys (and it will). https://www.stsci.edu/~pontoppi/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀…

My guest is astronomer and science communicator Dr. Maggie Lieu. Lieu is a research fellow of machine learning and cosmology at the University of Nottingham and has been working on the upcoming Euclid space mission to help in the search for Dark Energy. https://maggielieu.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universe…

In this week's questions show, I explain why a heat-powered rover wouldn't work on Venus. I explain how spacecraft navigate, and wonder what James Webb's Deep Field survey will look like. 00:00 Start 00:54 Could the heat on Venus power a rover? 03:53 What if Ingenuity tips over? 05:42 How do spacecraft navigate? 08:36 Are SpaceX workers being prepa…

You might know Dr. Sutter as a science communicator, but his doctorate is actually in particle physics. Paul is going to join me to talk about the Muon g-2 experiment and what it means for the Standard Model of physics. We'll probably also talk about the end of the EmDrive and other topics in space and astronomy. http://www.pmsutter.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBS…

Professor Geraint Lewis is an astrophysicist focused on dark energy, gravitational lensing and galactic merger. He has recently published a paper that that investigates the nature of the anthropic principle, how the Universe needs observers. https://www.geraintflewis.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday…

Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and science communicator. His new book is called the God Equation, which traces the quest for a single theory of everything that will unite quantum mechanics and the theory of gravity. https://mkaku.org/home/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS…

Support Universe Today podcasts with Fraser CainBởi Universe Today

In this week's questions show, I look at the rotation rate of pulsars, why NASA is such a fan of the term in-situ and what our plans are for exploring the Universe. 00:00 Start 00:49 Do pulsars ever slow down? 03:20 What's with in-situ? 05:17 Europa or Enceladus? 07:42 How far could Starships go? 09:27 Can planets be in orbital resonance? 10:44 Wou…

Professor Avi Loeb is a theoretical physicist from Harvard who has worked on many advances in space and astrophysics. He helped predict exoplanet discoveries using microlensing, worked on the mathematics for the Event Horizon Telescope, and has many fascinating opinions about the search for extraterrestrials. https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/ 🚀 O…

My guest is Dr. James Davenport, a research assistant professor at the University of Washington. In addition to his research into magnetically active stars, James focuses on large-scale, time-domain astronomy. He's also a prolific communicator here on YouTube, breaking down complicated scientific topics and documenting astronomy meetings for the ge…

In this week's questions show, I tackle some challenging questions, like the ethics of sending humans to Mars, and whether it's better to focus on our efforts on Earth or on space exploration. Should we welcome a Carrington Event? Are there any serious competitors to SpaceX in the market right now? 00:00 Start 00:49 Is it ethical to send people to …

In this week's questions show, I talk about the stars we can see with our own eyes. Are they special? How long does it take solar flares to reach Earth? How will crimes on Mars be prosecuted? 00:00 Start 00:39 What types of stars can we see? 02:07 How long does it take for a solar flare to reach us? 04:19 Will I watch Foundation? 05:39 Crimes on Ma…

In this week's questions show, I answer questions about supernovae, how we could terraform the Moon, and why is Starlink so expensive? 00:00 Start 00:55 When is the next Star Party? 06:21 When will we have better images of exoplanets? 09:25 Am I afraid of another Carrington Event? 13:03 How do astronomers book telescopes? 16:33 Can giant stars have…

In this week's questions show, I talk about how dark matter seems to clump differently from regular matter. When will Starships stop exploding? And what do I think about the Stellina telescope? Image credit: Everyday Astronaut https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6uKrU_WqJ1R2HMTY3LIx5Q 00:00 Start 00:36 Does dark matter clump? 05:35 When will Starship…

Today I'm interviewing Dr. Benjamin Zuckerman, emeritus professor from UCLA. Zuckerman is the author of over 200 papers, and was involved with the first direct imaging of a multi-planetary system. http://astro.ucla.edu/personnel/benjamin-zuckerman 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ══…

This week I talk to Dr. Jack Burns, the Principle Investigator for the Lunar FARSIDE telescope. This would be a radio telescope installed on the far side of the Moon that would be capable of observing the first stars and black holes during the Dark Ages and Epoch of Reionization. https://www.colorado.edu/project/lunar-farside/dr-jack-burns 🚀 OUR WE…

This week I talk to Christopher Morrison from USNC about their recently awarded NIAC Grant. Their grant will investigate the feasibility of a radioisotope-electric propelled spacecraft that could intercept and retrieve a sample from a future interstellar asteroid or comet. You can learn more about it here: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetec…

In this week's live questions show, we spend a lot of time talking about the Perseverance landing on Mars. What's happening with my content right now, and is anyone watching the Moon for meteorite impacts? 00:00 Start 00:15 What was the best part of the Perseverance landing? 03:28 Why is the data transfer to Mars so good? 05:43 How do you test AI t…

Support Universe Today podcasts with Fraser CainBởi Universe Today

In this week's questions show, I talk about why some missions go into orbit, and other missions make a direct landing on Mars. Is it a good idea for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy to launch components for the Lunar Gateway? And how can we know if the Universe is finite or infinite? 00:00 Start 00:30 Why go into orbit when NASA goes straight for landing? 0…

00:00 Start 00:22 Easier to find life in the Solar System or Milky Way? 05:13 Could an exosuit simulate gravity? 06:36 Could you use water as a propulsion system? 08:28 Could you have space-based interferometry? 13:02 Are the moons of Jupiter in severe radiation? 14:19 Is anyone working on spinning habitats? 18:05 What about Amazon's satellite cons…

This week I interview Chris Prophet, the author of "SpaceX from the Ground Up". His book, now in its 6th edition covers the story of SpaceX, from its initial concept to the latest Starship tests. https://www.amazon.com/SpaceX-Ground-Up-Chris-Prophet-ebook/dp/B01CUUUZZ2 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.co…

In this week's Q&A show, I answer questions about Starship might be able to provide artificial gravity, whether I'd prefer to have LUVOIR or the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope, and if nuclear-powered rockets will work in space. You can join me live every Monday on my YouTube channel at 5pm Pacific Time to ask your questions live. 00:00 Start 00:18 …

In this week's interview, I talk to David Brown about his new book: The Mission. It's all about the campaign to design and build the Europa Clipper mission and everything that happened behind-the-scenes. David is a science journalist and writer with with work in the Atlantic, New York Times, Scientific American and more. https://www.dwb.io/ https:/…

In this week's QA, I talk about what's driving the expansion of the Universe, how big the observable Universe is to the actual Universe, and what will happen to dogs in gravity. 00:00 Start 00:26 What's driving the expansion of the Universe? 04:01 How big is the observable Universe compared to the actual Universe? 07:25 Do people watch videos or li…

10 billion years ago, galaxies of the Universe were ablaze with the light of newly forming stars. This epic phase of history is known as “Cosmic Noon” - the height of all star creation. Galaxies like our Milky Way aren’t creating stars at nearly the rates they were in the ancient past. However, there is a time when galaxies in the present can explo…

In this week's interview, I talk with Devin Carroll, a robotics Ph.D. student at the modular robotics lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Devin is working on robots that can build their own structure out of ice. https://www.modlabupenn.org/people/devin-carroll/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfDRQWv0x0 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ══════════════════════════…

In this week's live Q&A, I talk about the new Space Launch System hot-fire test, how Breakthrough Starshot spacecraft might be able to communicate with home, and what messages would we send to aliens that we might never be able to reach physically. 00:00 Start 02:11 How would Starship chipsats communicate with Earth? 05:00 How far can we ever explo…

Welcome to the new style Q&As, which we're now recording every Monday live on my YouTube channel at 5pm Pacific Time. This week we got a lot of great questions about the Proxima Centauri signal, the Fermi Paradox, and Breakthrough Starshot. 00:00:00 Start 00:00:14 Is Starlink portable? 00:01:07 Any thoughts on the Wow signal? 00:03:58 What are magn…

In this week's interview, I talk with Chris Carr, one of the co-hosts in the Weekly Space Hangout. Chris is a grad student at Columbia University, specializing in the cosmos inside and outside the Milky Way. http://www.astro.columbia.edu/profile?uid=chris 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST L…

In this week's last QA of 2020, I go long answering questions about space and astronomy. I talk about the news of a radio signal received from Proxima Centauri, an update on my attempts to learn Mandarin Chinese, and a long diatribe about megaconstellations and their impact on astronomy. 00:00:00 Start 00:02:51 How do we know the rotation rate of g…