June 13, 2019 10:04 pm

Friday, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen J. Dubner, and James Altucher Answer Cosmic Queries on the Science of Economics

The world of economics can seem like an unstable, unreliable, uninviting system that impacts everyone and everything. However, hidden behind that facade of big words and confusing numbers, there’s science.

On this week’s episode of StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with Stephen J. Dubner, author of the best-selling book Freakonomics and host of Freakonomics Radio, and first-time co-host James Altucher, host of The James Altucher Show. We’re answering fan-submitted questions on economics and both Stephen and James have experience in the world of economics so they’re the perfect pair to dive in and explain to us what’s what.

Discover more about the economics of asteroid mining. Would an influx of resources from an asteroid devalue the markets on Earth? What would happen if you brought back gold? We discuss the pros and cons of trying to mine asteroids and how it would shape the world economy. We ponder the impact of aluminum and try and imagine a world without it.

We discuss whether there are ways to predict a recession and if they happen in cycles. Learn more about why markets go up and down. James and Stephen give their assessment of the current economic climate, and we debate the influence of artificial intelligence on economics.

Explore the future of space exploration: whether investments should be private or public, if it’s better to send people to the Moon or Mars, and why space exploration is an important engine to future economies. Stephen tells us why you should set aside your moral compass when doing analytical work. Lastly, Stephen gets to ask Neil a Cosmic Query about contaminating the solar system with our Earthly microbes.

Please join us tomorrow night for Freakonomics, with Stephen J. Dubner 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 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