Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

What is so beautiful about string theory?

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Thomas Van Riet about how string theory unravels the puzzle of quantum gravity and whether math can be beautiful.See omnystud...

DKEU Listener Questions Volume #3

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly answer listener questions about soil on Mars, the double slit experiment, and adaptations for surviving on the Red Planet. See o...

Familes in space

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can humans safely have babies in space? Daniel and Kelly talk about what we know about human health in space, and our prospects for starting families ...

Time travel fiction

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to authors about the science and storytelling of time-travel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Space Debris (featuring Dr. Jonathan McDowell)

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Jonathan McDowell about the kinds of junk you find in space, the problems it causes, and what we can do about it. Se...

Winter solstice listener questions

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie answer a question about building super duper long structures in spaceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who really wrote Maxwell's equations?

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Kathy Joseph about the true, twisted history of humanity's understanding of electromagnetismSee omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Holiday Special: santa, reindeer and long-lasting lamps

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about how santa takes solves an NP-hard problem, how reindeer fly and glow, and the physics of lamps that defy time.See omnystud...

Listener Questions Volume #2

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly answer questions from curious listeners, about big black holes, nuking hurricanes and the philosophy of photons.See omnystudio.com/li...

When animals break the law (featuring Mary Roach)

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly chat with Mary Roach about her latest book (Fuzz), and how she goes about getting the incredible stories that appear in her books.See...

Why do planes fly?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly dig into the surprisingly controversial question of why airplanes stay in the air.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

The Expanse (featuring James S.A. Corey)

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Daniel Abrahams and Ty Franck, the authors behind The Expanse series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do we have enough fuel for fusion?

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about the surprisingly difficult task of finding the fuel to make fusion work on EarthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Love, fear, greed, and asteroids (featuring Martin Elvis)

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Martin Elvis about the promise and perils of space resources.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanksgiving Special: Talkin' Turkey

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly give our US-based listeners some things to gobble about over Thanksgiving dinner other than politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

Listener Questions Volume #1

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly answer questons about dark energy, slime molds and Hawking radiation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cannibalism (featuring Volker Rudolf)

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Volker Rudolf about cannibalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploration from the poles to the heavens

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about difficulties encountered during polar expeditions, and how we can avoid making these same mistakes when we begin exploring...

What's so exciting about quantum computing? (featuring Scott Aaronson)

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Scott Aaronson about quantum computing, and try to bust through the most common misconceptions. See omnystudio.com/lis...

What is a particle?

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly try to get an solid mental picture of this particularly slippery conceptSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Off-Earth ethics (featuring Erika Nesvold)

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Erika Nesvold about ethical questions we should be asking as we prepare to become a multiplanetary species. See omnystud...

How to keep Martians fed and happy

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about the future of food in space. Do you like lukewarm cricket tacos? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halloween Special: Zombies and Ghosts

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about Toxoplasma gondii, and the "science" of ghost hunting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to keep astronauts fed and happy

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly discuss the often less-than-delicious history of food in space. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is time?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly take some time to puzzle of the nature of time, an eternally timely mystery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is space?

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly wrestle with the the fabric of the Universe itself. What is it, what can it do and why do we have it?See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

Death from the Skies! (featuring Phil Plait)

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Phil Plait about some of the ways space could wipe us all out, or at least really mess up our infrastructure. See omny...

Are Earths rare in the Universe?

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly discuss the Rare Earth Hypothesis, that argues that Earth-like life is vanishingly rare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Challenges of Working on the Moon

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly cover some of the many reasons why it's tough to work on the Moon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did Earth get a message from aliens?

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about why we listen to the skies, the amazing WOW signal and a recent theory for what it means.See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Trailer: Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Check out the new show, Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe every Tuesday and Thursday! DKEU is produced by iHeartRadio. See omnystudio.com/lis...

So long, and thanks for all the chocolate

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Explain the Universe says farewell and invites you to join Daniel and Kelly in their new podcast, "Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe": www.dan...

Listener Questions 69

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie answer a question about what it would look like to warp through space with the EnterpriseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Listener Questions 68

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly answer a question about whether space can be infinite and finiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classic episode - How big is the Universe?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Does the Universe go on forever, or have an end? What shape is it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 67

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions about moving planets, the Higgs field, and the future of particle physics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Classic episode - What came before the Big Bang?

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What could have caused the Big Bang, and what came before it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could a huge void cause the illusion of dark energy?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about whether our galaxy is in the middle of a giant void that could have fooled us into thinking the expansion of the Universe ...

Classic episode - When will the sun explode?

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How long can we enjoy the sunshine before we need a new star?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 66

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions about galaxy collisions, black holes and Nitrogen!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classic episode - Why is gravity so weird?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why is gravity so much weaker than the other forces?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are there comets in the asteroid belt?

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge try to clarify the distinction between our neighborhood space objects and what it means if we find them out of place.See omnystudio.c...

Classic Episode - Is the Universe Random?

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you repeat the same experiment, do you get the same outcome?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could quantum clocks detect dark matter?

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about new ways to find dark matter, using space microwave ovens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classic Episode - Is Light a Particle or a Wave?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is light made of? A particle, a wave, both, neither? Little puppies? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee ...

Listener Questions goes bananas!

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions about banana decays and black hole velocities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the brightest explosion ever seen?

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge look right into the beam of incredible astronomical explosions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the fastest event ever measured?

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge slice time down to its shortest slivers to understand how fast things can happen in the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

The science fiction Universe of "Dark Matter"

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk to a screenwriter and scientific advisor for the multi-verse show, "Dark Matter"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

What is the Physics of life?

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Sara Imari Walker, author of "Life as No One Knows it" about what life is and what aliens might look like.See omnystudio.com/...

What is an impossible color?

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge explore the edges of our colorful experience of the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to think like a physicist?

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge discuss whether physicists think about the world differently, and how that makes them more or less useful.See omnystudio.com/listener...

What is membrane theory?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie use their p-branes to explore a theory of everything build on vibrating membranes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Listener Questions 64: Phase of the Universe, particle interactions and Universe-sized black holes!

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Send your questions to [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

Do black holes have magnetic fields?

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge try to resist the magnetic attraction of the mysteries of black holes, and fail.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 63: Hawking radiation, mass, and anti-strings

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Send your questions to [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

How long is a photon?

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge wrestle with the tricky question of the length of a photon, and end up talking about hotdogs and meatballs.See omnystudio.com/listene...

Could humans live in the clouds of Venus?

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk to Guillermo Sohnlein about life in the Venutian cloudsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 62: Single photons, moon gold and particle interactions.

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Send your questions to [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

Listener Questions 61.0158: Black holes, gold asteroids and gravitational waves in time!

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Send your questions to [email protected]  See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Do neutrinos get redshifted?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about what happens to neutrinos as the Universe expands.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the length of a day changing?

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie spin a tale of how the velocity of the Earth's surface is changing under our feet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Listener Questions 60,491: Mini solar systems, greek physics and black holes!

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you! Send your questions to [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

Can supernovas cause ice ages?

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about how the greatest cosmic fireballs might trigger ice ages here on Earth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Listener Questions 59: Interstellar probes and fractional electrons

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions about travel to and from other stars and whether scientists have split the electron.See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

Does dark matter have an anti-particle?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about the relationship between matter, dark matter and anti-matter!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why don't we have nuclear powered airplanes?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about whether planes could be powered by nuclear reactors and whether that would be a bad idea, or a very bad idea.See omnystudi...

Listener Questions 58: Donuts, disaster and discoveries!

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The science fiction Universe of "Constellation"

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Peter Harness, screenwriter for "Constellation", about the quantum rules of his fictional Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Listener Questions 57: Philosophy, Quantum Mechanics and Beta Decay!

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was the most influential scientist?

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Ananyo Bhattacharya, author of "The Man From the Future" about the life and impact of John von NeumannSee omnystudio.com/listener for ...

What's the electric charge of the Universe?

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie reveal the shocking truth about the balance between positive and negative particles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Listener Questions 56: Neutron Stars, Dense matter and shared atmospheres!

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you. Get your questions answered: [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

What mysteries are hiding in the extra-galactic background light?

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge explore the challenges of detecting light from outside the Milky Way, and the secrets it might reveal.See omnystudio.com/listener for...

What’s the largest asteroid impact in Earth’s history?

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly review the most cataclysmic impacts in our planet's history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 55: Time and waves!

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you. Get your questions answered: [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

What is quantum biology?

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly explore how biological systems rely on the quantum nature of matter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is gravitoelectromagnetism?

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie bushwack their way between theories of gravity and electromagnetism, looking for the elusive connection.See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Physics of the Internet

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about how our understanding of physics is central to making the internet work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Listener Questions 54: String cosmology, cosmic strings, and alien numbers

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you. Get your questions answered: [email protected]  See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Can element 115 be used for anti-gravity?

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about real science of element 115 and whether it aligns with the spectacular story of anti-gravity alien ships at Area 51.See om...

Listener Questions 53: Strong force, primordial atoms and infinities

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you. Get your questions answered: [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

How metallic is the Sun?

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge explore the enduring mystery of how much heavy metal sits in our Sun.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 52

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about aliens, answer a question from a high school class, and advise a listener about destroying the moon.See omnystudio.com/lis...

Are physics and religion in harmony or conflict?

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Rabbi Jack Schlacter, a physicist at Los Alamos, about the movie Oppenheimer and the connections and conflicts between physics and jud...

The most promising particle physics anomalies

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Harry Cliff, author of the new book "Space Oddities", about the most intriguing unexplained particle physics experiments and what they...

Listener Questions 51

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions about the speed of light, entanglement and time!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened to M33's black hole?

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about the mystery of the missing mysterious black hole at the heart of M33See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 50: Dark matter, photon wavelengths and rainbows!

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners like you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does electricity work?

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Katie explain how electric current, lightning and static electricity emerge from the strange quantum nature of electrical charge.See omnyst...

Physics of Chocolate

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about the deep but tenuous connection between physics and chocolate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 49: Black Holes, Neutrinos and Gravitational waves!

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners and get stuck in philosophical rabbit holes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the Universe made of waves (Part 2)

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Matt Strassler about how everything is vibrating, and his new book "Waves in an Impossible Sea" (Part 2)See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Is the Universe made of waves (Part 1)

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel talks to Matt Strassler about how everything is vibrating, and his new book "Waves in an Impossible Sea" (Part 1)See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Are there charm quarks in the proton?

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about whether the cozy story of the proton might need to be updated to describe all of its true charm.See omnystudio.com/listene...

Why is quantum gravity so hard?

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge explain why the two theories of physics are so at odds with each other.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is cold welding?

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly talk about how its possible to merge metals without melting!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is general relativity wrong?

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge talk about why we think Einstein was wrong about the nature of the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Questions 48: Vacations, Destruction and Anti-matter Black Holes

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Jorge answer questions from listeners and try to avoid giving marriage advice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have interstellar meteors hit the Earth?

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel and Kelly analyze recent claims of the recovery of iron spheres from interstellar meteors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.