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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Are we on the brink of merging with machines? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly dive into the mysteries of consciousness versus intelligence, panpsychism, and AI with neuroscientist and author Anil Seth.
Hypnosis—stage act or science? Neil deGrasse Tyson, joined by co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, dives into the mysterious world of hypnosis with clinical psychiatrist David Spiegel. What is hypnosis? Is it about losing control—or gaining it?
Could we have reached the moon in 1700? Neil deGrasse Tyson answers the burning questions co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly’s have been saving all year about immortality, redshifting photons, altering the laws of physics, and more!
How can we ensure technology evolves ethically in a rapidly advancing world? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice & Gary O’Reilly explore the challenges of designing a future where human values and AI coexist with The Future of Life Award’s 2024 recipients, Batya Friedman & Steve Omohundro.
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.