Geeks and jocks collide on StarTalk Playing with Science, the science and sports podcast from StarTalk. Every week, we'll explore the science behind the most iconic moments in sports with our hosts, professional British soccer player and sports broadcaster Gary O'Reilly and fan favorite StarTalk co-host Chuck Nice. Our guests include pro athletes, coaches, sports experts, scientists, and everyone's personal astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Remember: Playing with fire gets you burned, "Playing with Science" gets you learned. Click here for more information.
Please follow Playing with Science on your favorite social media platforms. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Scroll down for episodes or search by keyword
Now updated for the 2017 race: Aerodynamics, Newton’s Laws, drafting, power to weight ratio, nutrition, technology and more! Get smarter about the Tour de France with hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly and their guests Lance Armstrong, Neil deGrasse Tyson and John Eric Goff.
This week, Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice explore what it would be like if we held the Olympics on Mars, or went ice skating on Europa, or played baseball on the Moon, using Neil deGrasse Tyson’s popular tweets that look at sports through the lens of science. Their only guest: astrophysicist and master tweeter, @neiltyson.
Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice are back for Season 2 of Playing with Science! First up: answers to our fan’s questions about the physics of hockey. Feat. Prof. Alain Haché, Neil Tyson, and NHL Nashville Predators Left Wing Colin Wilson. (Warning: Adult Language.)
During our off-season, Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly went to SXSW for a few “exhibition games” with the folks at TuneIn. First up, the science of pitching, hitting, and catching with Toronto Blue Jays catcher JP Arencibia, astrophysicist Charles Liu and Holden Kushner, host of MLB on TuneIn.
Get your skates, grab your stick, and join Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly as they find out why hockey has more science in it than any sport on Earth! With physics professor Alain Haché, Bauer Hockey’s Craig Desjardin, and LA Kings color commentator Daryl Evans.
Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice explore the physics of the legendary Skyhook with the help of Neil deGrasse Tyson and three superstars from the LA Lakers’ “Showtime” dynasty: Jamaal Wilkes, Michael Cooper, and the NBA’s all-time point scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In this week’s off-season episode of Playing with Science, hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice answer fan-submitted questions about soccer (fútbol), with a little help on the science of “the beautiful game” from returning fan-favorite physicist John Eric Goff.
Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice learn why it’s so hard to hit one out of the park. Guests: Geoff Blum, Chicago White Sox legend and announcer for the Houston Astros, and Alan M. Nathan, Professor Emeritus of Physics.
Get the inside scoop on the NFL Scouting Combine! Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice learn what it takes to turn a hard-up college student into a multi-millionaire in 6 weeks. Guests: Trainer Pete Bommarito and NFL Media Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelund.
The Hail Mary pass is one of the most exciting plays you’ll ever see in any sport. This week, hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice look at one of the greatest, the “Miracle at Michigan,” with the man who threw it, Kordell Stewart, and physicist John Eric Goff.
