Podcast details

StarTalk Radio

StarTalk Radio

Science, pop culture, and comedy collide on StarTalk Radio! Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Director of New York's Hayden Planetarium, and his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientific experts explore astronomy, physics, and everything else there is to know about life in the universe. New episodes premiere Tuesdays. Keep Looking Up! Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Podcast Website: playlist

Books Mentioned in This Podcast

Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's almanack for kids

Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's almanack for kids

by Benjamin Franklin

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My favorite quote is from Ben Franklin from Poor Richard's Almanack, yes he said, three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead!

Episode: Talking Aliens with NASA UAP Chair, David Spergel

Mr. Tompkins in paperback

Mr. Tompkins in paperback

by George Gamow

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Now that being said, there's a book series called Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland written by a physicist, George Gamow, a mid-20th-century physicist; brilliant!

Episode: Confronting Neil With Our Burning Questions… Again!

The handy answer book for kids (and parents)

The handy answer book for kids (and parents)

by Judy Galens

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There's the handy answer book, which is a series.

Episode: The Science of Star Trek with Dr. Charles Liu

The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles

by Ray Bradbury

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I read somewhere in the Space Chronicles book that they would need to hold the antimatter in a chamber made of antimatter so it wouldn't have to interact with the matter.

Episode: The Science of Star Trek with Dr. Charles Liu

Accessory to War

Accessory to War

by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Avis Lang, Avis Lang

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And we write about this in 'The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military.'

Episode: Scientists Discuss the AI Alignment Problem

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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Yeah, well, I'd put it a little differently; I saw it as a superb opportunity to use this film as a motivator and to get people interested or intrigued in science, and then there would be a bridge to the science through this book.

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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Yes, the Science of Interstellar: New York Times bestseller Kip Thorne with a foreword written by, of course, Christopher Nolan. It says spoiler alert: this book explains the fantastic climax and ending of 'Interstellar.'

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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Oh, so they're on a subterranean island? You got to read it in my book! They are on--they're on an island, and this wave diffracts around the island; they hardly notice the island at all!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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This planet is distorted by tidal effects and it's swinging back and forth, it has not yet settled down to one face toward the planet, and that swinging back and forth is generating this wave. That's all in the book!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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The formula is in the book in this book! So you--so we don't have to go to your graduate textbook for that? Well, not for the answer!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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So this is the key thing that's not explicit, that you only understand if you read my book! You didn't read it carefully enough! No, I--I read a lot of it!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

The Science of Interstellar

The Science of Interstellar

by Kip S. Thorne

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But you don't know that's what's happening until you read my book, by agreement between Chris and me! That's the only way anyone's ever going to know!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

Contact

Contact

by Carl Sagan

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And he said that he wanted, uh, that he had written--he'd already written this book, the novel; it was already in page proofs, and he said, 'I've got this novel, it's in page proof; the publisher is not going to be happy if I change it!

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

Gravitation

Gravitation

by Charles W. Misner

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In this book published in 1973, we went to press just after Ray Weiss wrote his seminal paper, I had not yet really studied that paper fully.

Episode: The Science of Interstellar with Science Advisor, Kip Thorne

Alien Oceans

Alien Oceans

by Kevin Hand

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It is, and my God, just at the dawn of co, you had a book by that title. That's right, Alien Oceans.

Episode: Will We Meet Our Alien Neighbors in 2031?

The Conscious Mind

The Conscious Mind

by David J. Chalmers

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He is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist, also an author. Reality Plus and The Conscious Mind are two of his many books.

Episode: David Chalmers Discusses the Hard Problem of Consciousness

Reality+

Reality+

by David J. Chalmers

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First of all, this has been yet another edition of StarTalk, a special edition this time with Professor David Chalmers regarding your latest book. Tell me about Reality+, all those questions about reality and consciousness.

Episode: David Chalmers Discusses the Hard Problem of Consciousness

Course of six lectures on the chemical history of a candle

Course of six lectures on the chemical history of a candle

by Michael Faraday

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So it's a great question; it's reminiscent of a famous essay from the 19th century written by Michael Faraday called 'What is Fire?' Because what is it?

Episode: Answering Fan Questions About Photons, Fire & Gravity Waves

Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons

by Dan Brown

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Uh, in the film 'Angels and Demons,' oh, I like that one! Yeah, the Dan Brown second novel of that series. It reports that the Catholic Church, oh, that's right!

Episode: The Sounds of Space | StarTalk Live! at Guild Hall

The World in Six Songs by Daniel J Levitin

The World in Six Songs by Daniel J Levitin

by Daniel J Levitin

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Yeah, so I mentioned this because in 2019 there were a couple of target articles about the evolution of music, and this is something I devoted a whole book to in 2008, The World in Six Songs.

Episode: Scientists Discuss Music and the Origins of Language

This Is Your Brain on Music

This Is Your Brain on Music

by Daniel J. Levitin

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So this is the book I wanted to write 20 years ago when I wrote This Is Your Brain on Music. But there was not enough evidence for medical applications of music!

Episode: Scientists Discuss Music and the Origins of Language

I Heard There Was a Secret Chord

I Heard There Was a Secret Chord

by Daniel J. Levitin

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So, Daniel, you have a recent book published with W. W. Norton. That's who your publisher is? Anyone over 70 will get that reference! No! Yeah, if you’re an Eddie Murphy fan, you’ll get it too! You’ll get that from that one skit he did! I'm with W. W. Norton, very happy! Yeah! I have a few books with W. W. Norton; that was one part of the attraction for me! Oh, is that right? Do I get 10%?Don't bet! The publishers—so in it, which has a beautiful title: I Heard There Was a Secret Chord.

Episode: Scientists Discuss Music and the Origins of Language

Finnegans Wake

Finnegans Wake

by James Joyce

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The word quark comes from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake!

Episode: Answering Fan Queries About Strange Matter, the Insides of Black Holes & More

Contact

Contact

by Carl Sagan

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And that fact was preserved in his novel Contact when the screen version, at least, you don't see the aliens at all!

Episode: Scientists Discuss NASA’s Strategy For Finding Alien Life in the Universe

The Martian

The Martian

by Andy Weir, R.C. Bray

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So that was like for a— Did you watch the movie The Martian? We did not watch The Martian, but I had read the book already! And one person read the book while we were in!

Episode: Spending 378 Days in a Mars Simulation with NASA Commander Kelly Haston

The Martian

The Martian

by Andy Weir, R.C. Bray

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So that was like for a— Did you watch the movie The Martian? We did not watch The Martian, but I had read the book already! And one person read the book while we were in!

Episode: Spending 378 Days in a Mars Simulation with NASA Commander Kelly Haston

History of the Peloponnesian War

History of the Peloponnesian War

by Thucydides

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Okay, he's claimed by the gay community in some books I've read. Right, but he never procreated.

Episode: Answering Fan Questions About Nuclear Fusion, the Smallest Unit of Time and the Early Universe

Little Oxford English Dictionary

Little Oxford English Dictionary

by Dictionary

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I didn't know about the OED, the Oxford English Dictionary, but the Random House was nice and big! Found the biggest word!

Episode: Answering Fan Questions About Nuclear Fusion, the Smallest Unit of Time and the Early Universe

Dune

Dune

by Frank Herbert

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Uh, so I got into a little dust-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert because we had both seen Dune! We went to the world premiere, and I didn't hang out with him there, but we saw each other!

Episode: NASA’s Snake-Like Robots Searching for Life on Saturn’s Moon

Black holes and time warps

Black holes and time warps

by Kip S. Thorne

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There's a book from the 1990s by Kip Thorne, probably the most famous relativist in the world, but also very gifted for writing and for making things very, very clear!

Episode: Astrophysicists Discuss the Latest in Black Hole Physics

Archaeology from Space

Archaeology from Space

by Sarah Parcak

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And recently you have a book, sensibly titled 'Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past'.

Episode: Finding Hidden Temples and Lost Nazca Lines with Satellites

Satellite remote sensing for archaeology

Satellite remote sensing for archaeology

by Sarah H. Parcak

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And is this true? You wrote a textbook, the first textbook on satellite archaeology?

Episode: Finding Hidden Temples and Lost Nazca Lines with Satellites

Satellite remote sensing for archaeology

Satellite remote sensing for archaeology

by Sarah H. Parcak

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Okay, subtitled 'Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology', published by Rutledge, a good academic publisher.

Episode: Finding Hidden Temples and Lost Nazca Lines with Satellites

Archaeology from Space

Archaeology from Space

by Sarah Parcak

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And your 2019 book with Henry Holt, 'Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past.'

Episode: Finding Hidden Temples and Lost Nazca Lines with Satellites

Mr. Tompkins in paperback

Mr. Tompkins in paperback

by George Gamow

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I'm reminded of the charming illustrated book series by George Gamow, Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland, or something, and what he would do is—he's a business, famous business is mid-20th century. Okay, lived only just died only 20 years ago or so, but he, yeah, George Gamow, he was one of the original predictors of the temperature of the universe. Yeah, if the universe began as a explosion with the big bang, could you measure that?

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Sean Carroll Discuss Controversies in Quantum Mechanics

Night thoughts of a classical physicist

Night thoughts of a classical physicist

by Russell McCormmach

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One of my favorite stories is from the book 'Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist.' Oh yeah, LS...oh no, that's not it, or maybe it's not; I'm misremembering. Either it was fiction or I remember it as a memoir from Ernest Rutherford, who first showed how empty the atom is by passing...was it neutrons or alpha particles?

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Sean Carroll Discuss Controversies in Quantum Mechanics

Gravitation and cosmology: principles and applications of the general theory of relativity

Gravitation and cosmology: principles and applications of the general theory of relativity

by Steven Weinberg

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I noticed you have his book right there, right behind Chuck. Yeah, that's right here; that is the book I learned cosmology from. I was an experimentalist at Fermilab, gravitation, and cosmology principles and applications of the general theory of relativity.

Episode: Astrophysicists Discuss New Evidence for Dark Matter Stars

The Cosmic Cocktail Three Parts Dark Matter

The Cosmic Cocktail Three Parts Dark Matter

by Katherine Freese

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Ten years ago, you wrote a book, 'The Cosmic Cocktail,' three parts, dark matter. I now that I'm looking at it, I thought I remembered I had a blurb. Wow, is that how many blurbs you've written in your life?

Episode: Astrophysicists Discuss New Evidence for Dark Matter Stars

Flavorama

Flavorama

by Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi

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Good Eats isn't in production right now, but Alton was actually kind enough to, uh, come and do my initial book launch event here in New York at R.I. Bookstore. So is that the Flavorama book? That is the Flavorama book, I have it!

Episode: The Secret Science of Flavor

Flavorama

Flavorama

by Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi

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Good Eats isn't in production right now, but Alton was actually kind enough to, uh, come and do my initial book launch event here in New York at R.I. Bookstore. So is that the Flavorama book? That is the Flavorama book, I have it!

Episode: The Secret Science of Flavor

Flavorama

Flavorama

by Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi

Buy on Amazon

Good Eats isn't in production right now, but Alton was actually kind enough to, uh, come and do my initial book launch event here in New York at R.I. Bookstore. So is that the Flavorama book? That is the Flavorama book, I have it!

Episode: The Secret Science of Flavor

Flavorama

Flavorama

by Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi

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So Ariel, before we turn this over to our Q&A session with our Patreon supporters, because we told them we were going to talk to you! And questions just flowed in like rivers! Just give us a quick overview of your book Flavorama and who published it!

Episode: The Secret Science of Flavor

Flavorama

Flavorama

by Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi

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All right, Ariel delighted to have you back on and watch out for her book which, uh, which hit the stands just a few months ago, flavorama, flavorama, yes, thank you much, give me the full subtitle of that book, oh a guide to unlocking the art and science of flavor, I love it when you put art and science in the same sentence, you know it's going to be good.

Episode: The Secret Science of Flavor

Alien Earths

Alien Earths

by Lisa Kaltenegger

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Did you put all that in your book? Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos! Ooh!

Episode: Astrophysicists Discuss Whether JWST Discovered Alien Exoplanets

Billions and billions

Billions and billions

by Carl Sagan

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You did say billions and billions; the man wrote a book called 'Billions and Billions.' After everybody kept saying it, and then he went on to the show, right, and said 'Okay, now I say it officially.' So do you know who first said 'billions and billions'?

Episode: Astrophysicists Discuss Whether JWST Discovered Alien Exoplanets

The elegant universe

The elegant universe

by Brian Greene

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Right, and the one I think most people know if they know you at all is 'The Elegant Universe.'

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Greene Confront the Edge of our Understanding

The fabric of the cosmos

The fabric of the cosmos

by Brian Greene, Javier García Sanz

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There’s another one, 'The Fabric of the Cosmos.'

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Greene Confront the Edge of our Understanding

Gravitation

Gravitation

by Charles W. Misner

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But in terms of his book, he wrote an encyclopedic book on gravity and black holes, which is about, you know, 1,200 pages just filled with equations!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Greene Confront the Edge of our Understanding

Gravitation

Gravitation

by Charles W. Misner

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So John Wheeler is one of the authors of this Misner-Thorne-Wheeler!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Greene Confront the Edge of our Understanding

Frankenstein

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley

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Oh, whoa, okay, very Frankenstein here. That's very cool though because our brains do the same thing, I guess, so don't they?

Episode: Scientists Discuss the Future of Biological Computing

Frankenstein

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley

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It's a separation before we get to the abilities of these things that you are creating in your Frankenstein lab.

Episode: Scientists Discuss the Future of Biological Computing

The Selfish Gene

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins

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So you've written – I mean I have a list here of, like, all your books; you've been out of control, but not as much as some people. Was The Selfish Gene your first book? Yes, back in 1976.

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins Discuss Science, Religion & Evolution

The Selfish Gene

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins

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If I may, so start off The Selfish Gene. Natural selection chooses between genes; genes are the only thing. The information contained in genes, digital information is the only thing that goes from generation to generation; that which survives is information, digital information.

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins Discuss Science, Religion & Evolution

The Selfish Gene

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins

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You came up with the word meme; I know it was you. That was in The Selfish Gene. You invented the word, and people long forgot.

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins Discuss Science, Religion & Evolution

The God Delusion

The God Delusion

by Richard Dawkins

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Here's one we all saw and know about whether or not we read it – The God Delusion; that put you on a plateau to be identified as one of the Four Horsemen. Oh right, yes, okay, not a phrase that any of us actually, it was bestowed upon you.

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins Discuss Science, Religion & Evolution

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

by Richard Phillips Feynman

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Richard Feynman tells the story in his work; he wrote a lot, of course, about physics, about this conversation that he had with John Wheeler about the one-electron universe. But I need you to tell it because...

Episode: Astrophysicists Explore Space, Time, & The Insides of Atoms

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut

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That's the theme in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five, where the protagonist is in his backyard and he's lifted up by aliens—which I always want to have happen to me when I go to anybody's backyard at night and I look up!

Episode: Astrophysicists Explore Space, Time, & The Insides of Atoms

Quantum Supremacy

Quantum Supremacy

by Michio Kaku

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He's a theoretical physicist, best-selling author, futurist, and his most recent book is called Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Revolution Will Change Everything.

Episode: The Future of Quantum Computing with Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson & More

Quantum Supremacy

Quantum Supremacy

by Michio Kaku

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That's why it's called Quantum Supremacy; what we're now talking about is computers.

Episode: The Future of Quantum Computing with Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson & More

Quantum Supremacy

Quantum Supremacy

by Michio Kaku

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That's why it's called Quantum Supremacy; what we're now talking about is computers. That's the name of your book, Quantum Supremacy! This sounds like you're ready for a fight.

Episode: The Future of Quantum Computing with Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson & More

How the Universe Got Its Spots

How the Universe Got Its Spots

by Janna Levin

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So one of them is 'How the Universe Got Its Spots.' How the Universe Got Its Spots!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson & Janna Levin Answer Mind-Blowing Fan Questions

Black Hole Survival Guide

Black Hole Survival Guide

by Janna Levin

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Okay, the other one was 'Black Hole Survival Guide.' The Black Hole Blues, excellent!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson & Janna Levin Answer Mind-Blowing Fan Questions

A madman dreams of Turing machines

A madman dreams of Turing machines

by Janna Levin

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So what's the novel? A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines. Maybe the title's too long.

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson & Janna Levin Answer Mind-Blowing Fan Questions

The Colour of Magic

The Colour of Magic

by Terry Pratchett

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Hi, this is from Michigan and I would like to know if you, Charles, have read the Discworld books! Ah, yes!

Episode: Neil and Charles Discuss Their Dream Time Travel Destinations

Harlan Ellison's The city on the edge of forever (teleplay)

Harlan Ellison's The city on the edge of forever (teleplay)

by Harlan Ellison, Scott Tipton, David Tipton

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So if memory serves, that was The City on the Edge of Forever, which was a famous story by Harlan Ellison, a famous science fiction writer.

Episode: William Shatner Has Questions for Neil deGrasse Tyson

The large scale structure of space-time

The large scale structure of space-time

by Stephen Hawking, G. F. R. Ellis, George F. R. Ellis

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So back on my shelf I got a book by Stephen Hawking, 'The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time.' Okay, it’s got some title like that.

Episode: Galaxies Beyond Our Horizon - Cosmic Queries with Neil deGrasse Tyson

A primate's memoir

A primate's memoir

by Robert M. Sapolsky

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Oh, it's sort of one of my not-even-marginally scientific books that I cranked out; it's called 'A Primate's Memoir.' Basically, just stories of the 30 odd years hanging out with baboons in various places in East Africa.

Episode: Do We Have Free Will? with Robert Sapolsky & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Treasure Island

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

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I am in Action Comics 14! So, uh, Superman visits the Hayden Planetarium!

Episode: Stars Ask Neil Their Deep Questions

Berlin

Berlin

by Rory MacLean

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There is also a book in the works, which is like a 'to be continued,' and I will talk more about it soon, but keep a lookout.

Episode: The Neuroscience of Depression with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Heather Berlin

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis

by Charles A. Lindbergh

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I was given a book by a dear friend Greg Marinac, The Spirit of St. Louis, and I’m reading the book. He gave it to me to encourage me to finish my pilot's license.

Episode: The Competition to Extend Human Lifespan with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Diamandis

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis

by Charles A. Lindbergh

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And I’m making notes in the margin of the book, The Spirit of St. Louis, again, that Lindbergh published in 1957 won the Pulitzer Prize!

Episode: The Competition to Extend Human Lifespan with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Diamandis

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis

by Charles A. Lindbergh

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And so as I’m reading this book, The Spirit of St. Louis, I’m like, ‘I have to do a prize like this for space flight because I’m not going to get a chance of becoming a government astronaut or slim.’

Episode: The Competition to Extend Human Lifespan with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Diamandis

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis

by Charles A. Lindbergh

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And so in the back of The Spirit of St. Louis that I’m reading—that my friend Greg gave me to finish my pilot's license, which I eventually did at the end—I wrote the words XPRIZE!

Episode: The Competition to Extend Human Lifespan with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Diamandis

The Singularity Is Near

The Singularity Is Near

by Ray Kurzweil

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Long story; I was carrying Ray's book, 'The Singularity is Near,' which is an interesting title, and he just came out with a new book, 'The Singularity is Nearer.'

Episode: The Competition to Extend Human Lifespan with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Diamandis

Death by black hole : and other cosmic quandaries

Death by black hole : and other cosmic quandaries

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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In fact, it's a chapter in my Death by Black Hole book!

Episode: The Race to Long Distance Entanglement – Cosmic Queries

Look Up with Me : Neil deGrasse Tyson

Look Up with Me : Neil deGrasse Tyson

by Jennifer Berne

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Alright, there's a book called Look Up With Me, right? Which is for you're just barely learning how to read.

Episode: The Race to Long Distance Entanglement – Cosmic Queries

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry

by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gregory Mone, Levar Burton, Gabrielle de Cuir

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Awesome, and that's called Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry. So there it is, there you go.

Episode: The Race to Long Distance Entanglement – Cosmic Queries

The Sky Is Not The Limit

The Sky Is Not The Limit

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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So Bryn, this question better be true about mushrooms being the largest organism because I wrote about that in my book I put out a couple years ago, so I’m listening!

Episode: The Mystery of Mushrooms with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Bryn Dentinger

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism

by Peter Hotez

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Well, you know, I had written this book titled 'Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism' in 2018. And this new one is called 'The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science.'

Episode: Immunizing Against Anti-Science with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Hotez

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism

by Peter Hotez

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I have four adult kids, including Rachel, who has autism and intellectual disabilities, and I wrote the book 'Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism' in 2018: a deep dive explaining why there's no link between vaccines and autism, the science behind it, and also what autism is and how it begins early in fetal brain development through the action of autism genes.

Episode: Immunizing Against Anti-Science with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Peter Hotez

Bold Return to Giving a Damn

Bold Return to Giving a Damn

by Will Harris

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You're the author of 'A Bold Return to Giving a Damn.' That's a great title!

Episode: Is Regenerative Farming the Future? with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Will Harris

Bold Return to Giving a Damn

Bold Return to Giving a Damn

by Will Harris

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Well, check out Will's book, 'A Bold Return to Giving a Damn,' from an authentic farmer! Yes, some still exist in this world!

Episode: Is Regenerative Farming the Future? with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Will Harris

Consciousness explained

Consciousness explained

by Daniel C. Dennett

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So, the fact that the bookshelves are filled with people writing titles like 'Consciousness Explained', for example, doesn't that mean we don't really understand consciousness?

Episode: What is Consciousness? With Neil deGrasse Tyson & George Mashour

Letters from an Astrophysicist

Letters from an Astrophysicist

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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But I'll tell you something; in my book Letters from an Astrophysicist, there's an entire chapter of me communicating with people who had religious experiences or deep thoughts at the intersection between religion and science! There's a whole chapter on that!

Episode: The Intersection of Science and Religion with Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Martian

The Martian

by Andy Weir, R.C. Bray

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I'm just saying we've had Andy Weir as a guest on Star Talk, and he would want you to call him Mark Watney! Mark Watney!

Episode: Why We Probably Can’t Terraform Mars

Turning Oil Into Salt Energy Independence Through Fuel Choice

Turning Oil Into Salt Energy Independence Through Fuel Choice

by Anne Korin

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There’s a book I read called Turning Oil into Salt, and I forgot the two authors—co-authors of that—where that made a fascinating point.

Episode: Can Our Infrastructure Handle An All-Electric World?

The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies

by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Nessa Carey

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So today we're tackling the very serious topic, the emperor of all maladies: cancer.

Episode: The Biggest Challenge in Medicine with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Dr. Linda Malkas

Cosmic Queries

Cosmic Queries

by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jame Trefil

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No, no, no, the lazy answer is our second StarTalk book published with National Geographic called Cosmic Queries, which has an entire section on how astronomers find distances to things in the universe, and it was called the distance ladder.

Episode: Galaxies Galore with Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

by Edmund Morris

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I don't think Edmund Mars, who was in the White House, who was his official biographer, and I also got to know Mars because he wrote "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," which I wrote as a screenplay for Martin Scorsese at one point.

Episode: How Two Movies Prevented Nuclear War with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Letters from an Astrophysicist

Letters from an Astrophysicist

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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In my very latest book, 'Letters from an Astrophysicist,' it’s dedicated to you! I don't know if you knew that!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson Celebrates Mother’s Day with His Mom

Letters from an Astrophysicist

Letters from an Astrophysicist

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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So I dedicated my next book to you! Letters from an Astrophysicist to you and Dad!

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson Celebrates Mother’s Day with His Mom

Jim Fixx's second book of running

Jim Fixx's second book of running

by James F. Fixx

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There was a guy named Jim Fixx, who was a big running enthusiast; he was interviewed everywhere and wrote a bestseller, then dropped dead of a heart attack!

Episode: Inside the Heart Disease Epidemic with Dr. Lipi Roy & Neil deGrasse Tyson

How the Universe Got Its Spots

How the Universe Got Its Spots

by Janna Levin

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Editor-in-chief of the Pioneer Works podcast, author of 'How the Universe Got Its Spots,' one of my favorites.

Episode: Relativity Round-Up With Janna Levin

Black Hole Survival Guide

Black Hole Survival Guide

by Janna Levin

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Editor-in-chief of the Pioneer Works podcast, author of 'How the Universe Got Its Spots,' one of my favorites. 'Black Hole Survival Guide.'

Episode: Relativity Round-Up With Janna Levin

Black hole blues

Black hole blues

by Janna Levin

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And also one of my favorites, 'Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space.'

Episode: Relativity Round-Up With Janna Levin

The glass universe

The glass universe

by Dava Sobel

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They died in poverty, penurious, and a book highlighting their care—Dava Sobel focused on this, right? Called 'The Glass Universe'?

Episode: Relativity Round-Up With Janna Levin

In the Shadow of the Moon

In the Shadow of the Moon

by JOHN, S. BOHNE

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Ooh, that's the title of his book! No, I guess that is a book title—in the Shadow of the Moon!

Episode: The Most Famous Eclipse in History with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Joe Rao

Elements

Elements

by Euclid

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He wrote a textbook on geometry, you know, 2,000 years ago, that was still in use up to a couple hundred years ago. He was an amazing scientist who really founded the field of geometry.

Episode: Exploring the Euclid Mission with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jason Rhodes

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

by Natalie Starkey

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You've written two of my favorite books that are out there: Fire and Ice: The Volcanoes of the Solar System. We did a whole show on that. We talked about ice volcanoes!

Episode: OSIRIS-REx & Asteroid Mining with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Natalie Starkey

Catching stardust

Catching stardust

by Natalie Starkey

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And a book a few years before that, back in 2018, Catching Stardust: Comets, Asteroids, and the Birth of the Solar System. Natalie: That's why we have you on now, because the space mission OSIRIS-REx is bringing back samples from an asteroid. Neil: Yeah, so was it a comet?

Episode: OSIRIS-REx & Asteroid Mining with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Natalie Starkey

The elegant universe

The elegant universe

by Brian Greene

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We had my friend and colleague Brian Green theoretical physicist professor of physics and math at Columbia University author of The Very best-selling The Elegant Universe followed by The Fabric of the Cosmos followed by The Hidden Reality.

Episode: The Edge of Our Understanding with Brian Greene & Neil deGrasse Tyson

The fabric of the cosmos

The fabric of the cosmos

by Brian Greene, Javier García Sanz

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We had my friend and colleague Brian Green theoretical physicist professor of physics and math at Columbia University author of The Very best-selling The Elegant Universe followed by The Fabric of the Cosmos followed by The Hidden Reality.

Episode: The Edge of Our Understanding with Brian Greene & Neil deGrasse Tyson

The elegant universe

The elegant universe

by Brian Greene

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so why not a particle that makes up the smallest particles instead of this idea of a vibration or string thing that causes it to be more easily understood right and Brian let me let me prepend that by asking are you proposing that everything's made of strings just so that it's more elegant now certainly not the man who wrote the book The Elegant Universe is this a philosophical motivating force for you because Kepler had his own philosophically motivating mathematics where the planets were platonic solids and it was beautiful because it was it was math and it was and are you why do why what confidence do we have that you are describing reality and not a reality you want to be true so that the universe becomes elegant so you can sell more books we're hip to you you you in the industrial string complex so that is a key question not the uh the selling of the books one but the what is it one of aesthetics in in making these decisions

Episode: The Edge of Our Understanding with Brian Greene & Neil deGrasse Tyson

The elegant universe

The elegant universe

by Brian Greene

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And your books are still out there: The Elegant Universe, the other side of the cosmos, The Hidden Reality, but the most recent is Until the End of Time, and my most favorite.

Episode: The Edge of Our Understanding with Brian Greene & Neil deGrasse Tyson

American Prometheus

American Prometheus

by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

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He is the biographer of J. Robert Oppenheimer, with a book that appeared back in 2005 called American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. And you know why we're talking about that: because that's the book on which the movie Oppenheimer was based.

Episode: Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Age with Kai Bird & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus

by Mary Shelley

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Another famous book that references Prometheus is the subtitle of Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein. And, yeah, what's the full title? It is Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.

Episode: Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Age with Kai Bird & Neil deGrasse Tyson

The making of the atomic bomb

The making of the atomic bomb

by Richard Rhodes

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If it was just about building the H-bomb, the atomic bomb, of course there's already a book with that title, The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes, right? But also a prize-winning book, by the way.

Episode: Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Age with Kai Bird & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Genius Kitchen

Genius Kitchen

by Max Lugavere

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Years of investigative research led to the New York Times instant bestseller Genius Foods, which was followed by Genius Life, and a third book, Genius Kitchen.

Episode: The Gut-Brain Connection with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Max Lugavere

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

by Aomawa Shields

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And she's got a new book, Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe.

Episode: Life on Other Planets with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Aomawa Shields – Cosmic Queries

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

by Aomawa Shields

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Yeah, plus I want to get to the bottom of what it means to have a book titled Life on Other Planets, and now you call it a memoir.

Episode: Life on Other Planets with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Aomawa Shields – Cosmic Queries

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

by Aomawa Shields

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You know, we had to ask that question, as I write in the book that having this question, could these planets even exist, is the first place to start for any scientist.

Episode: Life on Other Planets with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Aomawa Shields – Cosmic Queries

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

by Aomawa Shields

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I have to say, I still remember, and you're gonna find out—you probably read parts of it already, but if not, you'll see later, like you're in the book! Okay?

Episode: Life on Other Planets with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Aomawa Shields – Cosmic Queries

Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

by Aomawa Shields

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I write in the book, I say, 'Umua,' it sounds like my name. Oh, that's great!

Episode: Life on Other Planets with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Aomawa Shields – Cosmic Queries

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Aron Ralston

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The dude wrote a book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, where he had to cut off his arm. Yes! So is that possible?

Episode: Science of Survival with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Dr. Teimojin Tan – Cosmic Queries

The elegant universe

The elegant universe

by Brian Greene

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Our buddy Brian, the author of the bestselling book 'The Elegant Universe,' and he followed it up with 'The Fabric of the Cosmos'... Anyhow, here's what he told me...

Episode: The Fabric of Spacetime with Neil deGrasse Tyson – Cosmic Queries

The fabric of the cosmos

The fabric of the cosmos

by Brian Greene, Javier García Sanz

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Our buddy Brian, the author of the bestselling book 'The Elegant Universe,' and he followed it up with 'The Fabric of the Cosmos'... Anyhow, here's what he told me...

Episode: The Fabric of Spacetime with Neil deGrasse Tyson – Cosmic Queries

Philosophical essays

Philosophical essays

by Bertrand Russell

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He wrote an essay called ‘Mysticism and Logic’ where he discusses the battle between intuition and intellect, and the point is—we now have these skills; we are intellectually equipped to apply the scientific method and determine if things are real or fake, yet we're not using it as well as we could be!

Episode: Fact and Fiction of Health and Wellness with Dr. Nick Tiller & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Le Morte d'Arthur

Le Morte d'Arthur

by Thomas Malory

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In my recent book, Story Messenger, I reflect on what a simulated world would be.

Episode: The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies with Charles Liu & Neil deGrasse Tyson – Cosmic Queries

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

by Natalie Starkey

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She's written two books: Catching Stardust, which I love, and Fire and Ice, of which a paperback edition is coming out very soon.

Episode: Volcanoes & Life in the Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Natalie Starkey, PhD –Cosmic Queries

The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain

by Michael Crichton

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There have been many books, but I think Michael Crichton's first novel was The Andromeda Strain. Oh, was it? Okay, I think it was where there's a piece of space dust that we captured and brought back to Earth.

Episode: Volcanoes & Life in the Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Natalie Starkey, PhD –Cosmic Queries

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

by Natalie Starkey

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This is Connor Home: Firstly, I loved Fire and Ice! You really make geology exciting! I like the way that sounds!

Episode: Volcanoes & Life in the Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Natalie Starkey, PhD –Cosmic Queries

Into the Anthropocosmos

Into the Anthropocosmos

by Ariel Ekblaw, Sands Fish, Cady Coleman

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You're the founder and director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative and author of 'Into the Anthropocosmos.' One word there, whoa!

Episode: The Research Powering Humanity’s First Space Civilization with Ariel Ekblaw

Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary

by Andy Weir

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And a quick fun recent update: there's a group called Gravity Labs that's looking at making real a technology that was described in Hail Mary, Andy Weir's latest book. We love Andy Weir; he's a friend!

Episode: The Research Powering Humanity’s First Space Civilization with Ariel Ekblaw

The jazz of physics

The jazz of physics

by Stephon Alexander

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Among your books, the one I remember most is from now six or seven years ago: The Jazz of Physics. Let me get the right subtitle here: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe.

Episode: Understanding Infinity with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Stephon Alexander – Cosmic Queries

Fear of a Black Universe

Fear of a Black Universe

by Stephon Alexander

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Then you followed that up with Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics. So you're still at it, but you're also a jazz saxophonist, so you're out of control here, it seems.

Episode: Understanding Infinity with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Stephon Alexander – Cosmic Queries

Brave New World

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

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So this is clearly, as Thomas Huxley once said, a Brave New World! On a whole other level, yeah!

Episode: The Ethics of Genetic Testing with Dr. Stuart Kim & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Venus revealed

Venus revealed

by David Harry Grinspoon

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So that book was called 'Venus Revealed.' There you go, okay.

Episode: Are Aliens Smarter Than Us? With Neil deGrasse Tyson and David Grinspoon

The Martian

The Martian

by Andy Weir, R.C. Bray

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So okay, whatever the soil is, as of now it probably isn't very fertile; you know, because it doesn't have organics from the book and movie, The Martian.

Episode: Are Aliens Smarter Than Us? With Neil deGrasse Tyson and David Grinspoon

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring

by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Christina Scull

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I some people call it science fantasy, even; like they call the Lord of the Rings or The Sword of Shannara, or you know, these kinds of fantasy—the D&D Magic Gathering books that I used to read when I was a teenager—they call them 'science fantasy'.

Episode: Time Travel, Dreaming, & Free Will With Joseph Gordon-Levitt

ההיסטוריה של המחר

ההיסטוריה של המחר

by Yuval Noah Harari

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You know him from his widely read books, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and other works.

Episode: How Humanity Came To Rule The World | Yuval Noah Harari & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Sapiens

Sapiens

by Yuval Noah Harari

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You may know him as the author of some hugely best-selling books, including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and just recently, a new book called Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World.

Episode: How Humanity Came To Rule The World | Yuval Noah Harari & Neil deGrasse Tyson

ההיסטוריה של המחר

ההיסטוריה של המחר

by Yuval Noah Harari

Buy on Amazon

You may know him as the author of some hugely best-selling books, including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and just recently, a new book called Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World.

Episode: How Humanity Came To Rule The World | Yuval Noah Harari & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1

by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz, Yuval Noah Harari

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You may know him as the author of some hugely best-selling books, including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and just recently, a new book called Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World.

Episode: How Humanity Came To Rule The World | Yuval Noah Harari & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Hard Kick in the Nuts

Hard Kick in the Nuts

by Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, David Peisner

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You've got a new book out; let me get the title of this book because it's right here. It is A Hard Kick in the Nuts: What I've Learned from a Lifetime of Terrible Decisions.

Episode: Surviving the Laws of Physics with Steve-O

Hard Kick in the Nuts

Hard Kick in the Nuts

by Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, David Peisner

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StarTalk, Cosmic Queries Edition; I've got Steve-O right here with us who is a beloved participant in the Jackass franchise from the beginning, and he's got a new book with the best title ever: A Hard Kick in the Nuts: What I've Learned from a Lifetime of Terrible Decisions.

Episode: Surviving the Laws of Physics with Steve-O

Hard Kick in the Nuts

Hard Kick in the Nuts

by Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, David Peisner

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What's the subtitle of your book? What I've learned from a lifetime of terrible decisions!

Episode: Surviving the Laws of Physics with Steve-O

Hard Kick in the Nuts

Hard Kick in the Nuts

by Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, David Peisner

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Um, and that, that's what the book lives on, and remind me the title of it again, it's nothing about getting kicked in the nuts, it's called A Hard Kick in the Nuts: What I've Learned from a Lifetime of Terrible Decisions.

Episode: Surviving the Laws of Physics with Steve-O

Professional idiot

Professional idiot

by Stephen "Steve-O" Glover

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What was the first one? It's called 'Professional Idiot: A Memoir.'

Episode: Surviving the Laws of Physics with Steve-O

A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time

by Stephen Hawking

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Actually, it wasn't just a rumor; I heard it from the person who said it that the original editor for Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time' at Cambridge Press warned him that for every equation he put in that book, the available audience would be cut in half.

Episode: Cosmic Queries – The Biggest Ideas in the Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Sean Carroll

Brain Gym for Business

Brain Gym for Business

by Gail E. Dennison

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I read an entire book on kinesiology when I was in high school, and they said, 'Damn, if I didn't love astrophysics so much, I'd be a kinesiologist!' It was like it was physics applied to the human body in ways that I was just so fascinated by.

Episode: How to Survive a Heat Wave with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Radley Horton, and Bud Cooper

Hot Mess

Hot Mess

by Matt Winning

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And you've written a book on this subject? Yep, it's a comedy book titled 'Hot Mess.'

Episode: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Steve Wozniak, & Space Sustainability Experts Live in London

Meghadūta

Meghadūta

by Kālidāsa

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And a big part of Ayurveda, which really intrigued me was when I was traveling around the world after I retired, someone gave me a book on Ayurveda, and I opened the book, and the first chapter was about living in accordance with the seasons. Okay?

Episode: Taking a Hit with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ricky Williams & Dr. Staci Gruber

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving

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On that same note, Nicholas Lenson says, in Scott Kelly's book, Endurance, he mentions that an astronaut who has to wear glasses during a spacewalk—contact lenses weren't an option—had to glue his glasses to his head during his spacewalk to prevent them from falling.

Episode: Cosmic Queries – How to Not Die in Space w/ Neil deGrasse Tyson & Ana Diaz Artiles