Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

In part two of our discussion with Cecilia Sanders, we learn more about her research on chemosynthetic life forms and discuss how Star Trek's tricorder might work.

In this bonus episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike and Elise take you on an away mission to the Japanese American National Museum in LA.

Guest: Cecilia Sanders In Episode 8, Mike and Elise chat with Cecilia Sanders about how to look for signs of life in the universe.

In Episode 7, Mike, Elise, and Desun look towards the future of humanity and of Star Trek from a historian's point of view.

In Episode 6, Mike and Elise speak with historian Desun Oka about the historical context from which Star Trek emerged.

In Episode 5, Mike and Elise bring aboard Heidi Klumpe to investigate the disappearance of Klingon cranial ridges in the Star Trek: Enterprise episodes "Affliction" and "Divergence."

In Episode 4, Michael and Elise bring in Christopher Spalding to talk about the binary disks in the Star Trek: Discovery trailer as well as astrophysical disks in general. Note: Chris uses the term "Hill sphere." Listeners may have heard the alternative term "Roche lobe." These are essentially the same. Erratum: Michael calls the Discovery character "Michael Burnhams" when it is actually Michael Burnham.

In Episode 3, Michael hails Erika Carlson to discuss systems with more than one star, how they're discovered, how they form, and the real triple star system that is said to house Spock's home planet, Vulcan. The book about the "Harvard computers" that Erika mentions at 21:26 is called "The Glass Universe" by Dava Sobel.

In Episode 2, we talk to Dr. Courtney Dressing about the frontiers of exoplanetary astronomy. Erratum: [6:47] The reference for the first discovery of an exoplanet around a puslar was from 1992 instead of 1995.

In Episode 1 of Strange New Worlds, Michael Wong and Elise Cutts sit down with Dr. Peter Gao and discuss the Star Trek: Discovery trailer (released May 17) as well as the science of clouds and hazes in planetary atmospheres.

In Episode 0, Michael introduces the mission of Strange New Worlds and beams in a co-host!

Strange New Worlds Episode –1 Announcement