Podcast · 132 episodes
Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe, page 5
by iHeartPodcasts · English
Scientists Daniel and Kelly cannot stop talking about our amazing, wonderful, weird Universe! Each episode is a fun, easy-to-understand, and in-depth explanation of topics in science, from particles to black holes to moon colonies to ecosystems to parasites and everything else in the Universe!
All episodes, page 5
Do Aliens Speak Physics, with Andy WarnerWhether aliens could communicate using physics, and whether alien civilizations would do “science” the way humans do.4 Nov 2025 · 1 h 6 min · 23 chapters
How was the polio vaccine developed?The development of the polio vaccine, explaining polio transmission and symptoms, why early vaccine attempts failed, and how later research enabled effective vaccine trials and manufacturing…30 Oct 2025 · 1 h · 23 chapters
Listener Questions #20Listener Questions #20 covers (1) the Fermi paradox and whether it’s truly a paradox, (2) a newly discussed tiny archaeon “Sukuna Archaea” and what it might imply about “life vs not-life,” and (3) a…28 Oct 2025 · 54 min · 29 chapters
Is physics discovered or invented?A philosophical debate on whether physics is discovered or invented, using an “aliens arrive” thought experiment to test whether human laws/models reflect universal reality or just human-made…23 Oct 2025 · 56 min · 27 chapters
Listener Questions #19Listener Questions #19 covers (1) pinworms’ nighttime egg-laying and itchy-butt cycle, (2) what happens if protons were made from top quarks instead of up quarks, and (3) why eating carotene-rich…21 Oct 2025 · 45 min · 19 chapters
Must there be a single unified theory of physics?Whether physics must have a single unified theory (“theory of everything”), and what counts as “unified.” The episode weighs arguments for unification against the lack of experimental evidence, and…16 Oct 2025 · 55 min · 21 chapters
How might aliens perceive the Universe?How aliens might perceive the universe differently, depending on their senses and what parts of reality they can detect; how that would shape alien science and questions.14 Oct 2025 · 52 min · 23 chapters
Why do we age? (featuring Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan)What biological aging is, why it’s universal, and what science can (and can’t) do to slow or reverse it.9 Oct 2025 · 1 h 8 min · 21 chapters
Relativistic beamingExplains astrophysical jets from galaxy centers and how relativistic beaming makes some quasars appear dramatically brighter when their jets point toward Earth; connects jets to active galactic…7 Oct 2025 · 49 min · 15 chapters
Can we explore the galaxy with self-replicating probes?The episode asks whether humanity (or aliens) could explore the galaxy using self-replicating probes—spacecraft that build more spacecraft—so exploration and potential contact could happen on a…2 Oct 2025 · 1 h 3 min · 27 chapters
Listener Questions #18Listener Questions #18 on Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinarily Curious Universe, covering (1) gravitational slingshots for outer-solar-system travel, (2) why megafauna extinctions happened on some…30 Sep 2025 · 51 min · 28 chapters
What came before the Big Bang?The episode explains what “the Big Bang” means in science versus popular culture, what physicists can infer about the early universe (hot, dense plasma ~13.8 billion years ago), and what theories…25 Sep 2025 · 1 h 13 min · 25 chapters
The Mysteries of MagnetismMagnetism explained from an “everyday mysteries” angle, focusing on how magnets work, why magnetic monopoles haven’t been found, and how scientists search for them.23 Sep 2025 · 48 min · 16 chapters
Does physics have to be causal and local?Whether physics must be local (no instantaneous influence across space) and causal (effects follow causes), and how these ideas fare in classical relativity, quantum mechanics, and interpretations of…18 Sep 2025 · 1 h 11 min · 27 chapters
Zombie antsZombie ants—how the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis hijacks ant behavior to spread spores, including “summit disease” (ants climbing to specific heights and dying attached in a death grip).16 Sep 2025 · 51 min · 21 chapters
How does scientific peer review work?How scientific peer review works across multiple stages (grant review, ethics/permits, pre-registration, preprints, journal review), and how results can still be wrong or not replicated.11 Sep 2025 · 56 min · 22 chapters
How are scientific discoveries made?The episode explains how scientific discoveries really happen versus “movie-style” eureka moments.9 Sep 2025 · 1 h 16 min · 26 chapters
How long will Moore's Law continue boosting computing power? (featuring Dr. Adam Becker)How long Moore’s Law (rising transistor density and performance) can continue, what physically drives it, and whether exponential tech growth will reliably solve future problems.4 Sep 2025 · 1 h 1 min · 23 chapters
Is the Universe Fine-tuned for life?Whether the universe is “fine-tuned” for life, focusing on how changing fundamental constants (especially dimensionless ones) would alter chemistry, stars, and the emergence of life.2 Sep 2025 · 49 min · 24 chapters
Phage therapy (featuring Dr. Katrine Whiteson)Phage therapy as an alternative to failing antibiotics, explaining antibiotic resistance, where resistant infections come from, and how researchers find, purify, and potentially deploy bacteriophages.28 Aug 2025 · 1 h 3 min · 21 chapters
Listener Questions #17Listener Questions #17 on Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe, covering (1) the re-emergence of New World screwworms near the U.S.-Mexico border and whether to worry, and (2) how life might…26 Aug 2025 · 57 min · 22 chapters
Why do we sleep and dream? (featuring Dr. Gina Poe)Why humans sleep and dream, and how “sleep” shows up across animals (including mushrooms, jellyfish, spiders, octopuses, dolphins, whales, seals, and naked mole rats).21 Aug 2025 · 1 h · 24 chapters
What are paraparticles?The episode explains paraparticles as a hypothetical “third kind” of quantum particle beyond the usual two categories: fermions (matter) and bosons (force).19 Aug 2025 · 47 min · 15 chapters
XenotransplantationXenotransplantation—using genetically engineered pig organs in humans to address organ shortages and the immune-rejection problem.14 Aug 2025 · 50 min · 20 chapters