Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe
Episodes
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.
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.