November 14, 2019 9:00 pm

Friday, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Paul Mecurio Talk About Planets and Stuff

We’ve done Cosmic Queries on planets. But, have we ever done Cosmic Queries on planets…and stuff? What could “stuff” entail? You’ll have to listen to this week’s episode of StarTalk Radio to find out.

Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Paul Mecurio are back in studio together, this time in the YouTube Studios in New York City, to answer your fan-submitted questions about planets and a whole lot more. When Neil and Paul get together it’s always a good time. Previously they explored other Cosmic Curiosities as well as Bioethics with bioethicist Matthew Liao. Both episodes are worth a listen if you haven’t heard them yet.

We start with an interesting thought experiment – if we had an ocean or bathtub large enough, would Saturn float? Neil tells us why this is true and explains the more scientific way to understand the idea. You’ll learn more about the density of water. Discover more about Jupiter and if it fits the description of a “failed star.” We also discuss tidal science and how the Earth moves “through” the tides.

What’s the most exciting field of science today? Neil tells us why he’s always excited to hear new developments in the world of neuroscience. You’ll learn how the brain gets in the way of studying the brain. We explore where the phrase “we only use 10% of our brain” came from and how it’s been flipped to mean a different thing from the original idea. Speaking of heads, we explore the science behind finding your hat size.

Discover what it would have been like if we were a two-star solar system. Lastly, you’ll hear about thermonuclear fusion. All that, plus, after a fan asks what we gained from going to the Moon in the late 60s and early 70s, Neil enlightens us on all the science, knowledge, and inspiration that came from our missions to the lunar surface.

Please join us tomorrow night for Cosmic Queries – Planets and Stuff at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re a StarTalk+ Patron or an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
-Ian Mullen