Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe
Episodes
What's the densest thing in the Universe that's not a black hole?
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly dive into the hearts of blue giants, massive planets, and neutron stars to reveal a surprising limit on cosmic density.See omnystudio...
Listener Questions #25
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about kissing bugs, magnetic fields in the Sun, and microbiomes in space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
How many rogue planets and stars are there?
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer a question from a listener about planets without stars and stars without galaxies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
How bad are microplastics?
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Microplastics are everywhere. How did they get there, and should we worry?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listener Questions #24
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about Jupiter and circadian rhythms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How do we predict the weather?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explain how physics predicts the future rain and shine, and all of the incredible science involved.See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
How do we control mosquito populations?
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel, Kelly, and Katrine chat about how mosquitos find us, and what we can do to protect ourselves from the diseases they transmit.See omnystudio.co...
Listener Questions #23
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about fingerprints, particle beam accidents, tickles and yawns!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The physics of shadows
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly shine a light on the mysterious every day physics of shadows, including whether they can move faster than light.See omnystudio.com/li...
Introducing : Inner Cosmos with Host David Eagleman and Guest Daniel Whiteson
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe listeners. We want to share a great show, Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman. ( Neuroscientist and Autho...
How long have we been human? (featuring Dr. Scott Solomon)
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Scott Solomon about ancient hominid species, and how we learn about them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Listener Questions #22
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about interstellar comets, evolution of parasitoids, and the nature of scientific theories.See omnystudio.com/listen...
Can we engineer the sun?
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly exercise their optimism and explore engineering solutions to the Sun's projected overheating and demise.See omnystudio.com/listener f...
How to make sense of quantum entanglement
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the confusing aspects of quantum entanglement, and try to untangle the concepts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
How do parasites evade our immune system? (featuring Dr. John Hawdon)
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. John Hawdon about how parasites like hookworm, malaria, and schistosomes hide from our immune system.See omnystudio.com...
Listener Questions #21 featuring Cat Bohannan
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly are joined by Cat Bohannan, who answers questions about whether we can shorten gestation, superhuman feats of strength, and whether v...
Do Aliens Speak Physics, with Andy Warner
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly are joined by Andy Warner, the co-author and illustrator of Daniel's new book, Do Aliens Speak Physics, and talk about how we might c...
How was the polio vaccine developed?
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the development of the polio vaccine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listener Questions #20
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions from listeners about aliens, archaea and the speed of light.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is physics discovered or invented?
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly get concrete about whether physics is the map or the territory, the topic of Daniel's new book "Do Aliens Speak Physics?"See omnystud...
Listener Questions #19
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer listener questions about how pinworms know it's nighttime, how quarks contribute to mass, and why eating too many carrots make...
Must there be a single unified theory of physics?
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Ethan Siegal about whether we should expect physics to be explained by a single unified theory.See omnystudio.com/listener fo...
How might aliens perceive the Universe?
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about how aliens might experience the Universe and how it might shape their science, a topic from Daniel's new book "Do Aliens S...
Why do we age? (featuring Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan)
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly get answers to listener questions about why we age from Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan, author of "Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and t...
Relativistic beaming
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about how gravity, magnetism and relativity work together to create one of the most brilliant spectacles in the Universe.See omn...
Can we explore the galaxy with self-replicating probes?
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Phil Metzger about the engineering challenges of building self-replication space probes.See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Listener Questions #18
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about gravtational slingshots, megafauna and microscopic black holes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
What came before the Big Bang?
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Phil Halper about the many mysteries of the origins of the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Mysteries of Magnetism
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly dig into the mysteries of magnetism, explaining how magnets work and what they reveal about the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Does physics have to be causal and local?
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Sean Carroll about where some of the basic assumptions we make about the Universe come from, and whether we need them.See omn...
Zombie ants
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the science behind the "zombie ants".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How does scientific peer review work?
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly shine a light on the inner workings of one of the crucial parts of the scientific process: peer review. How does it work? Who are the...
How are scientific discoveries made?
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explore how scientific discoveries are made, digging into fun stories, the history of science with Prof. Lydia Patton and the lessons...
How long will Moore's Law continue boosting computing power? (featuring Dr. Adam Becker)
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly discuss the future of computing and talk to Adam Becker about what it all means.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is the Universe Fine-tuned for life?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly grapple with the implications of arbitrary numbers in our theory, whether they could have had different values, and what it all means...
Phage therapy (featuring Dr. Katrine Whiteson)
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Katrine Whiteson about how we can enlist viruses to kill infectious bacteria.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Listener Questions #17
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer listener questions about screwworm at the southern border, life without the Moon, and the status of synthetic blood.See omnyst...
Why do we sleep and dream? (featuring Dr. Gina Poe)
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Gina Poe about sleep and dreams - including whether mushrooms sleep, what Daniel's dog is doing in the middle of the ni...
What are paraparticles?
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about recent mathematical innovations that suggest a third category of particles beyond matter and forces.See omnystudio.com/lis...
Xenotransplantation
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over 100,000 people are on the organ transplant waitlist in the United States. Unfortunately, many of these people will not get an organ in time. Dani...
Unraveling misleading popular science
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly uncover the real science behind some flashing recent popular science and talk about how to be an informed information consumer.See om...
Listener Questions #16
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about snowflake symmetry, flamingo burgers, and iodine protection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
What is toponium?
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explain how top quarks talk to each other and potentially form new states of matter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Killing the Speckled Monster: How We Eradicated Smallpox
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly appreciate that they've never had to worry about getting smallpox, and talk about the scientific and public health advancements that ...
Listener Questions #15
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explain itches, the Oort cloud and the geometry of honeycombs!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can particle beams be used to treat cancer?
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the practical application of particle beams: precisely targeting and killing cancer cells.See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Could stars have black holes at their cores?
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly dive deep into the event horizon and discuss an outlandish theory of stars with black hole cores.See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Going under: The history and mechanisms of general anesthesia
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explore the history of general anesthesia, and what we know (or don't know) about how it works.See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...
Listener Questions #14
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about how quantum fields make bananas, how colds mutate and whether data has mass.See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
How to become a parasite
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about whether or not dinosaurs had parasites, how often parasitism has popped up in the tree of life, and more. See omnystu...
Should we be worried about overpopulation or depopulation?
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to the authors of "After The Spike", who argue that humanity is on a dangerous path to depopulation.See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Listener Questions #13
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about warty comb jellies, white holes, and humpback whale navigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How do we know what elements the Universe is made of?
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly trace the history of how we figured out what elements the stars are made of, featuring naked Greeks, hiking Scots, and villainous Har...
Why are stars different colors?
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly dive deep into the hearts of stars to explain why they all twinkle a little differently.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Did Colossal bring back the dire wolf?
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about de-extinction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listener Questions #12
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about neutrons, bananas and Jupiter and find a secret theme that links them all!See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
What is the quantum internet?
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly strip away the hype and reveal the actual mind-blowing physics of the quantum internet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Can humans survive interstellar travel?
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about how to keep humans healthy and happy during interstellar voyages. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Is it possible to travel to other stars?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explore the hurdles and potential technologies for bringing humans to alien solar systems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
When will space be cheap? (featuring Zach Weinersmith)
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Zach Weinersmith about rockets and the upside and pitfalls of a potential future space economy. See omnystudio.com/lis...
The Martian Revolution (featuring Mike Duncan)
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Mike Duncan, creator of The Martian Revolution, about economics, politics and revolution on Mars.See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Listener Questions #11
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about black holes, animal coloration, the big bang and time dilation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
How and why do trees get so old?
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the science behind aging trees, and why some trees live so long. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is the standard model of dark energy in trouble?
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about recent measurements that leave us confused about the expansion of the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Do microbes help or hurt you? (featuring Katrine Whiteson)
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Katrine Whiteson (a Whiteson Prize laureate) about the complex relationship between humans and microbesSee omnystudio.com/lis...
Listener Questions #10
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about prions, playing music near a black hole, and medical maggots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Why is mercury liquid at room temperature?
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly take a detour into the fascinating world of chemistry to explore why mercury is liquid at room temp. The answer is relatively surpris...
How did intelligence arise?
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer listener questions about how we measure and define intelligence, hypotheses for why it arises, and why flies are so dumb. ...
Can we see what's inside the electron?
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explore the nature of of matter and whether we can crack it open without spending billions on bigger collidersSee omnystudio.com/list...
Listener Questions #9
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about space within the atom, picky parasites, and speed-of-light particles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
Was the Tyrannosaurus rex fast or slow? (Featuring Dr. John Hutchinson)
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. John Hutchinson about how large animals move. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Where does energy come from?
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about what energy is, how it flows, and whether it has to come from anywhere!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Are Humans Still Evolving? (Featuring Scott Solomon)
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Scott Solomon about how we measure evolution, and whether or not humans are still evolving. See omnystudio.com/lis...
How Does Memory Work? (Featuring Dr. Michael Yassa)
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly talks to Dr. Michael Yassa about how memories are formed, comparing brains to computers, brain-computer interfaces, and more! See omnystudi...
What is Entropy?
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly try to organize their thoughts about the disorderly topic of entropy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is nuclear power good for the environment? (ft. Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow)
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, author of "Atomic Dreams", a new book that tracks the complex relationship between environmentalism and...
What is the future of nuclear power?
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about how nuclear reactors work and explore the new techologies that try to limit the risks.See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Crab Body Plans (Featuring Dr. Jo Wolfe)
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Does nature keep evolving crabs? Is the crab body plan the peak of evolution? Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Jo Wolfe to discuss some misconceptions abo...
Listener Questions #8
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about electron spin, quantum fields, and cellular vaults!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How does consciousness emerge?
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Prof. Megan Peters about the inner workings of the mind, and how much we do and don't understand itSee omnystudio.com/listene...
Nettie Stevens and the Discovery of Sex Chromosomes
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly explore the oft-forgotten scientific contributions of Dr. Nettie Stevens, who discovered that chromosomes are responsible for determi...
What did Emmy Noether reveal about the Universe?
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the life and underappreciated contribution of mathematician and accidental physicist Emmy NoetherSee omnystudio.com/listen...
How Many Babies Should You Have? (featuring Katie Goldin)
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Creature Feature's Katie Goldin about babies and how much to care for them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
Can fast-moving potatoes become black holes?
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly try to unravel some popular mis-explanations about the wonders of special relativity, potatoes and photons.See omnystudio.com/listene...
Listener Questions #7
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about the Big Bang, figs and Higgs!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Insulin (featuring Dr. Katrine Whiteson)
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Katrine Whiteson about diabetes, the history of insulin production, and Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff. See omnystudio.c...
Leeches (featuring Dr. Anna Phillips)
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Anna Phillips about the disgusting and fascinating world of leeches. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
The Sexual Evolution (Featuring Dr. Nathan Lents)
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Nathan Lents about sex, gender, monogamy, and other topics from his recent book, The Sexual Evolution.See omnystudio.com/...
Listener Questions #6
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about fundamental particles, radiation-gobbling fungi, and the physics of pinball.See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
The science of taste and smell (with Steven Munger)
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Steven Munger about phantom smells, stinky shirts, careers as a "nose", and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
Can antimatter help us find dark matter?
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly look for ways that mysteries of antimatter could shed light on the mysteries of dark matterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
Did the Earth ever have a ring?
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about whether the Universe ever put a ring on the EarthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listener Questions #5
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about chain reactions in space, the chemistry of life, and how a theory is accepted.See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
What is weak hypercharge?
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly break down what it means for particles to have charge, and how that translates to charges for the weak forceSee omnystudio.com/listen...
Was the Big Bang left handed?
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly dive into the left-right asymmetry of hands, life, particles and the Universe itself. (This version was edited to reflect that 2d spa...
How do we defeat the dirt worms?
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about what we're doing to combat soil-transmitted nematodes, which are parasite that infects up to 25% of the world's population...
How did we tackle Trichinella?
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about how public health officials turned "the most serious parasitic disease in New England" into a disease that only afflicts a...
Can tardigrades survive on the Moon?
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk about the extraordinary ability to tardigrades to survive extreme conditions, and ponder whether those abilities have kept them ...
Listener Questions #4
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly answer questions about binary star seasons, meat wasps and freefall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is post-quantum gravity?
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel and Kelly talk to Jonathan Oppenheim about his unusual theory of unpredictable gravitySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.