StarTalk

Episodes

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  StarTalk: The Salt of the Earth, Part 1

  5/21/2012

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  Duration: 41:59

  Historically, salt has had a major impact on human culture and society. Author Mark Kurlansky, museum curator Peter Whiteley, and co-host Eugene Mirman discuss the big importance of little old sodium chloride.

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  StarTalk:Live-A Night at Neptune, pt 2

  5/1/2012

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  Duration: 41:58

  In the second half of our live show at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, StarTalk geeks out on heroes, villains, and technology that?s changed the world.

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  StarTalk: Live-A Night at Neptune, pt 1

  4/30/2012

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  Duration: 41:59

  Wil Wheaton, famous for his role as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation and many exploits online, joins StarTalk Live at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle.

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  StarTalk: The Space Between Your Ears, Part 2

  3/26/2012

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  Duration: 48:10

  Psychiatrist Heather Berlin, science blogger Cara Santa Maria, and comedians Eugene Mirman and Wyatt Cenac explore about the chemistry of love, including the altered psychology humans might experience during long space voyages.

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  StarTalk: The Space Between Your Ears

  3/12/2012

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  Duration: 48:12

  For our third Bell House show in front of a live audience, we peer into the vast and mysterious cosmos of consciousness. Featuring psychiatrist Heather Berlin, science blogger Cara Santa Maria, and comedians Eugene Mirman and Wyatt Cenac.

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  StarTalk: A Conversation With Morgan Freeman

  10/24/2011

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  Duration: 48:11

  Neil talks with Freeman about the many roles he has played over his career that celebrate science, the dramatic potential that science can offer, and his thoughts about alien life and space exploration.

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  StarTalk: The Astronaut Session, Part 2

  2/6/2012

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  Duration: 47:55

  Astronaut Mike Massimino and the comedy crew discuss how space telescopes like Hubble (which Mike repaired) and Kepler are being used to search for planets orbiting far-distant stars.

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  StarTalk: Live at the Bell House-The Astronaut Session

  1/30/2012

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  Duration: 47:53

  Astronaut Mike Massimino and three comedians discuss how space adventure can be an extraordinary combination of comedy and cosmic discovery, from astronaut diapers and the dangers of pop rocks to spacewalking above the Earth.

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  StarTalk: Time Capsule

  1/17/2012

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  Duration: 47:53

  Revisit some of the best highlights of our Season 2 shows. This show includes interview excerpts with Whoopi Goldberg, John Hodgman, Nichelle Nichols, Phil Plait, and Morgan Freeman.

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  StarTalk: A Conversation with Whoopi

  12/12/2011

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  Duration: 47:59

  Oscar-winning actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg joins Neil to talk about her love of science, and how it eventually led to her role as Guinan on Star Trek, The Next Generation.

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  StarTalk: When Science Crashes the Party

  12/5/2011

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  Duration: 47:39

  Janeane Garofalo joins the show to engage in political warfare, exploring the divide between Democrats and Republicans, and their furious debates over scientifically driven issues that affect our lives.

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  StarTalk: Time Lords--The Science of Keeping Time

  11/15/2011

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  Duration: 47:46

  The Nerdist Chris Hardwick joins us this week for an upbeat discussion of clocks, calendars, and leaps in time.

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  StarTalk: Spooky Science

  10/31/2011

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  Duration: 47:58

  Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell talks to us from beyond our corporeal plane; Mary Roach provides a post-mortem on the history of spiritualism; and Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, devilishly dissects our favorite ghost movies.

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  StarTalk: The Big Bang Theory

  10/24/2011

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  Duration: 47:15

  Neil talks with Bill Prady, co-creator and writer of the hit CBS show, David Saltzberg, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA and science advisor to the show. From romantic relationships to religion to reflections on relativity, learn about the many ways "The Big Bang Theory" uses science to shine a light on society.

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  StarTalk: Spaceward Bound

  10/10/2011

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  Duration: 48:05

  After sending NASA astronauts into low-Earth orbit for 30 years, the Space Shuttle program is over. Neil talks with the final shuttle crew about how will we now make the great leap into space.

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  StarTalk: Live at the Bell House, Part 2

  10/3/2011

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  Duration: 47:17

  Actor Alan Alda, comedian Eugene Mirman, and more great guests discuss the state of science literacy and take audience questions that explore just how weird and funny science can be.

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  StarTalk: Live at the Bell House

  9/26/2011

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  Duration: 47:16

  Actor Alan Alda, comedian Eugene Mirman, and more great guests engage in a hilarious discussion about aliens, black holes, asteroid Apophis, and the end of the universe.

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  StarTalk: The Music of the Spheres

  9/20/2011

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  Duration: 47:14

  From the physics of sound to the healing power of song, groove to the universal sway of music with guests Moby and Jonathan Coulton.

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  StarTalk: 9/11 Memorial

  9/12/2011

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  Duration: 47:15

  On September 11, 2001, the United States was hit by the biggest terrorist attack in our nation?s history. Ten years later, we talk with people from different professions to discuss how the event affected them then and now.

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  StarTalk: Making the Fur Fly

  8/22/2011

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  Duration: 47:15

  Animals have been our companions, co-workers, and food since before the dawn of civilization; more recently, they've also become our lab rats. The president of PETA, argues that, thanks to new techniques, we'll soon be able to eat meat and do science "without the patter of little feet."

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  StarTalk: Revolving Around the Sun

  8/15/2011

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  Duration: 47:16

  Once worshipped as a God, we now know the Sun is one of many similar stars in a relatively quiet region of the galaxy. See the Sun with new eyes as we discuss the many ways this ball of plasma illuminates our past, present and future.

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  StarTalk: Through the Wormhole

  8/8/2011

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  Duration: 47:15

  Morgan Freeman joins the show to discuss his Science Channel program. From the birth of the universe to the end of time, this series addresses some of the most long-lasting and quandaries facing science and philosophy.

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  StarTalk: The Physics of Superheroes, the Sequel

  7/27/2011

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  Duration: 47:14

  Doctor Manhattan of Watchmen can use quantum mechanics. Professor X uses electromagnetism. Doctor Solar has power over the periodic table. Neil and James Kakalios talk about when science goes super.

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  StarTalk: NASA and Nichelle Nichols

  7/18/2011

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  Duration: 47:14

  Through her ground-breaking role as Star Trek?s Chief Communications Officer Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols became a passionate advocate to get women and minorities involved in real-world space exploration.

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  StarTalk: On the Bridge to Equality

  7/12/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  In much of the past, the future was depicted as being a time when there were no people of color?a scary prospect, especially if you happen to be a person of color. And that's why Star Trek's Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols, was such a revelation.

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  StarTalk: Making Cents of Money

  6/28/2011

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  Duration: 47:13

  Bestselling personal finance author and TV host Suze Orman gives us her two cents about investing, the economic meltdown, and the impact of science on the financial world. MIT's Andrew Lo guides us on a non-random walk down Wall Street.

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  StarTalk: Time Travel at the Movies

  6/13/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  Neil discusses and Phil Plait, the ?Bad Astronomer,? lead a journey to the land of time travel movies, including Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, Bill & Ted?s Excellent Adventure, Star Trek, and the Terminator series.

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  StarTalk: Let There Be Light

  6/6/2011

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  Duration: 47:13

  Space telescopes and other technology act as our spy-glasses on a realm that's entirely invisible to the naked eye: the huge swaths of the electromagnetic spectrum that are not in the narrow band of visible light.

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  StarTalk: The Political Science of The Daily Show

  5/26/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  Neil and Jon Stewart talk about Jon's love for science, scientists as guests on The Daily Show, and the cosmic connections that unite us all?because even New Jersey is made of star stuff.

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  StarTalk: Climate Confusion

  5/16/2011

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  Duration: 47:13

  Extreme weather events around the world are dominating the news, making people wonder whether climate change is the culprit for all these catastrophes. A few experts drop by the StarTalk studio to discuss the science and politics of climate and weather.

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  StarTalk: The Physics of Superheroes

  5/4/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  James Kakalios tells us about the physics principles of the caped crusaders; Lee Silver discusses animals that have super-abilities that could expand the limits of human biology; Eugene Mirman imagines what it would be like to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

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  StarTalk: Science at the Movies

  4/19/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  How much of the science presented on the silver screen is accurate? Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer," joins Neil and comedian Leighann Lord to review the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of science in the movies.

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  StarTalk: The Cosmic Chemistry of Cosmetics

  4/4/2011

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  Duration: 47:11

  Derived from the Greek word kosmos, meaning "order," cosmetics have been used since ancient times to fine tune our appearance. From old poisons like belladonna and lead-based paints to tanning beds and the neurotoxin Botox, cosmetics are serious--and seriously dangerous--business.

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  StarTalk: Are You Out of Your Mind?

  3/28/2011

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  Duration: 47:15

  Oliver Sacks, author of best-selling books on brain disorders, including "Awakenings" which was made into an Oscar-nominated film, discusses some strange cerebral shenanigans that can shape our senses.

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  StarTalk: A Violent Earth

  1/24/2011

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  Duration: 47:09

  Neil delves into the science behind the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Physicist and author Michio Kaku discusses the science of nuclear power and the problems facing the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

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  StarTalk: Cosmic Cuisine

  3/16/2011

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  Duration: 47:11

  Anytime humans venture beyond home, they need to have some snacks for the road. Dr. Charles Bourland, who developed food for astronauts for 30 years, propounds on the preparation and packaging that goes into making food fit for space.

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  StarTalk: Appetite for Destruction

  3/7/2011

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  Duration: 47:12

  The fossil record shows that time and time again, life has suffered major population crashes and extinctions, often due to conditions caused by life at the time. Will human beings' self-destructive behavior eventually bring us to our knees?

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  StarTalk: A Conversation with John Hodgman

  3/5/2011

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  Duration: 47:58

  "Will you donate your body to be stuffed and put on display (at the American Museum of Natural History)?" This is one of the many questions John Hodgman poses to Neil during their monumental meeting of minds.

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  StarTalk: Tour of the Solar System

  3/2/2011

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  Duration: 47:59

  Every now and then it's good to take a tour around your own backyard. Space scientists Steve Squyres and Heidi Hammel, comedian Chuck Nice, and Bill Nye the Science Guy join Neil in a look around our own corner of the cosmos.

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  StarTalk: Matters of the Heart

  2/28/2011

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  Duration: 47:57

  From Aristotle's misguided meanderings to modern open heart surgery. Guest: Dr. Daryl Hoffman, cardiac surgeon, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York.

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  StarTalk: Time Capsule

  2/10/2011

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  Duration: 47:58

  In this episode, we highlight a few star moments from our constellation of past shows.

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  StarTalk: The Physics of Football

  2/1/2011

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  Duration: 47:53

  Neil discusses the science of the gridiron with astrophysicist Charles Liu, comedian Chuck Nice, and three brainy members of the NY Giants.

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  StarTalk: Out-of-this-World UFO Show

  1/24/2011

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  Duration: 48:00

  Have you ever seen mysterious lights in the sky, or glimpsed an alien spacecraft? This show provides a probing yet playful discussion about Unidentified Flying Objects.

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  StarTalk: Wit and Wisdom about Wine

  1/18/2011

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  Duration: 47:48

  In this spirited toast to the science of wine, Neil, wine jedi Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, and comedians Lynne Koplitz and Brian Malow dive deep into everyone's favorite juice, discussing everything from the elements that go into creating a fine wine to the technology that will change wine in the future.

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  StarTalk: A Space-Age Cathedral

  1/12/2011

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  Duration: 48:01

  Neil takes a close look at the International Space Station, one of the most ambitious, interesting, and expensive objects ever constructed.

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  StarTalk: Holiday Lights

  12/23/2010

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  Duration: 48:12

  Neil talks about winter sky constellations, Santa's sleigh ride, and the astronomy behind the Star of Bethlehem with comedian co-hosts Chuck Nice and Leighann Lord. The stars are brightly shining as Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, and Bill Nye the Science Guy drop in on the festivities. 'Tis the season for some spectacular science.

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  StarTalk: Science Is Fierce

  12/17/2010

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  Duration: 48:12

  Do sci-fi classics like Star Trek provide a glimpse into future fashions? Neil chats with stylist James Aguiar of Full Frontal Fashion about the dance between science fiction and style.

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  StarTalk: An Alien's Guide to Earth

  12/10/2010

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  Duration: 49:06

  Jon Stewart is the first guest of the new season. He and Neil discuss the Daily Show book, "Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race." Addressed to aliens who visit our planet long after humans have gone extinct, this book is all that's left to document the world as we know it. Lynne Koplitz returns as Neil's co-host to investigate this hilarious encyclopedia humanica.

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  StarTalk: Pop Space

  10/12/2009

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  Duration: 52:05

  Neil and guest cohost Bill Nye the Science Guy discuss the cosmos and the public's seemingly unquenchable thirst to hear more about it.

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  StarTalk: Science and Art

  10/5/2009

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  Duration: 52:02

  Geometry, physics and the other sciences describe the world we live in, and artists often play with these properties in their own imaginative investigations. From the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci to high tech computer graphics, Neil and Lynne paint a picture of how science has inspired art through the ages.