Where the unexpected is expected, Special Edition is StarTalk’s place for a medley of general interest science subjects including human performance, health, technology, and more! Special Edition covers more human and lifestyle aspects of science to help illuminate the world around us.
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What is the probability of our existence? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the probabilities all around us, the idea of risk, and how they factor into our own security in the digital age with cybersecurity expert Alex Cosoi.
What does it take to truly thrive on Mars? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Terry Crews answer grab bag questions about Mars, magnetic fields, photons, Hot Ones spicy wings and the entropy of muscles.
What exactly is consciousness, and why is it such a hard problem to solve? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly take you deep into the mysteries of consciousness and objective reality, David Chalmers, a philosopher and cognitive scientist.
Are we all living in a simulation inside our brains? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the root of perception, if AI really is intelligent, and The Free Energy Principle with theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston.
Did early humans sing before they could talk? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice discover how music helps us recall memories, the Singing Neanderthal Theory, the default mode network, and how music can be used as medicine with neuroscientist and author, Daniel Levitin.
How close are we to enabling astronauts to go into deep sleep for long space journeys? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly team up with Ryan Sprenger, Senior Research Scientist at Fauna Bio, to explore whether humans can hibernate like animals do.
Was Lamarckian evolution actually right? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly learn about the new field of epigenetics and how the lived experiences of past generations can get passed down genetically with neuroscientist & epigeneticist Bianca Jones Marlin.
What happens to the human body in deep space? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore tissue engineering, Wolverine & Deadpool’s healing style, and the science to help humans adapt to long-term space travel with biomedical engineer Ronke Olabisi.
What are the physics present at the Olympics? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly with the help of Charles Liu, explore the science in some of the newest additions to the Games with pro-breakdancer RoxRite and freestyle BMX rider Nikita Ducarroz.
What is flavor? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the science of what makes some foods tastier than others, what is “umami,” and how flavor changed in the 20th century with food scientist Arielle Johnson.
