The Limits of Knowing with Elise Crull
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice talk with philosopher of physics Elise Crull about the historical and contemporary relationship between physics and philosophy. They trace how natural philosophy split into specialized disciplines, how foundational concepts like space, time, and objectivity shaped classical and modern physics, and why questions raised by quantum mechanics-such as entanglement and non-locality-force a reevaluation of those concepts. The conversation also explores academic specialization, the role of philosophy in guiding cutting-edge physics, and Neil's nuanced critique of modern academic philosophy.
Things You Thought You Knew - Quantum Cat
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice explore three classic concepts from astrophysics and quantum physics: death by black hole, Schrödinger's cat and the observer effect, and quantum tunneling. They explain tidal forces and spaghettification near black holes, clarify what the quantum observer effect really means, unpack the idea of superposition in Schrödinger's cat and qubits in quantum computing, and show how quantum tunneling enables nuclear fusion inside stars at temperatures lower than classical physics would predict.
The New Space Race with Jeff Thornburg
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice interview aerospace engineer and Portal Space Systems CEO Jeff Thornburg about the emerging space industry, agile spacecraft propulsion, and the interplay between government and commercial space. Thornburg discusses his work on advanced rocket engines at the Air Force Research Lab and SpaceX, why rapid maneuverability in orbit is now strategically critical, and how his company is pursuing solar-thermal propulsion and modular spacecraft. They also examine the value of failure in engineering, the consequences of cutting U.S. R&D and NASA science budgets, the geopolitical competition in space-especially with China-and speculative future technologies like quantum-enabled warp-like drives.