June 8, 2017 8:32 pm

Friday, Neil Tyson and Eugene Mirman answer Cosmic Queries with Matt O’Dowd from PBS Space Time

I love when we collaborate on StarTalk. Over the years, we’ve had some great collaborations and this week adds to that list. Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Eugene Mirman are together again to usher in a galactic batch of fan-submitted Cosmic Queries along with their special guest Matt O’Dowd, astrophysicist and host of PBS Space Time.

If you’re unfamiliar with Space Time here’s a synopsis from their YouTube Channel:

“Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host: Matthew O’Dowd.”

Having Matt on StarTalk is a perfect fit and the episode doesn’t disappoint. You’ll hear the guys chat about dark matter, mapping the galaxy, the limits imposed by physics on creation throughout the universe, and the whether there were ever reptiles the size of buildings.

My favorite part of the episode is when Matt and Neil dive deep into the concept of “ancestor simulation” and the logistics of living in a universe that’s really a simulation.. Whenever you can have someone going toe-for-toe with Neil about theoretical science and the poetic language of the universe it’s like watching two gladiators spar (but in a much more sophisticated way that doesn’t involve physical combat).

They also offer up some of their favorite theories about the multiverse, including the quantum multiverse, a multiverse that’s eternally inflating and expanding, and the Fecund universes theory.

Want to join Neil, Eugene and Matt on a journey through Space Time? Then please join us tomorrow night for Cosmic Queries: A Taste of Space, with Matt O’Dowd at 7pm EDT right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And 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