AGI, Immortality, & Visions of the Future with Adam Becker
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O'Reilly, and Chuck Nice talk with physicist and author Adam Becker about how tech billionaires envision the future through ideas like AGI, space colonization, transhumanism, and digital immortality. Becker explains why many of these visions are scientifically dubious or incoherent, how they misread science fiction as literal blueprints rather than cautionary tales, and how extreme wealth concentrates power over humanity's technological trajectory. The episode closes with a reflection on the need for wisdom and ethical guardrails alongside scientific and technological ingenuity.
Superhero Science: StarTalk Live! With Charles Liu
In this live Special Edition of StarTalk recorded at Guild Hall in East Hampton, Neil deGrasse Tyson, comedian Chuck Nice, former soccer pro Gary O'Reilly, and astrophysicist Charles Liu explore the real physics behind superhero powers. They discuss Superman's physiology, X-ray vision, wormholes and warp drive, invisibility, quantum effects like tunneling, entanglement, and many-worlds, and how these ideas appear in comics and films. The conversation ends with reflections on quantum physics, the limits of human intuition, and why embracing unanswered questions is central to science and culture.
SYSK's 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular
Josh and Chuck present their annual ad-free Halloween Spooktacular by reading and lightly commenting on two public-domain horror stories. First they perform E.F. Benson's "Caterpillars," about a haunted Italian villa, grotesque luminous caterpillars, and a possible supernatural link to cancer. Then they read Allison B. Harding's science-fiction tale "The Deep Drowse," in which a writer and his wife survive a mysterious global sleep catastrophe thanks to an air-sealed room, only for animals to inherit the Earth.
"Oscar Isaac"
The hosts talk with Oscar Isaac about his winding path from playing in Florida ska and hardcore bands to training at Juilliard and becoming one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. He shares stories about nearly joining the Marines, his immigrant family background, his deep collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein, and how grief, family, and theater intertwined during his Hamlet run. The conversation also covers his sci‑fi work in Ex Machina, Dune, and Star Wars, his views on acting craft and decision-making, and his life as a husband and father who still makes music at home.
Cosmic Queries - ALIENS! with Jake Roper
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck interview YouTube science communicator Jake Roper in a Cosmic Queries episode focused on aliens in movies and TV. They discuss the plausibility of alien diseases, energy weapons, and iconic movie aliens, as well as how humanity might react to first contact, whether governments would hide evidence of intelligent life, and why self-replicating machines are a likely form of extraterrestrial visitors. Throughout, they compare cinematic depictions with basic physics, biology, and astrobiology concepts to assess what could and could not work in reality.
The Science of Godzilla, Zombies & Other Monsters, with Charles Liu
Neil deGrasse Tyson, co-host Matt Kirshen, and astrophysicist Charles Liu explore the science and cultural meaning of monsters, from Godzilla, dragons, King Kong, and Frankenstein to zombies and black holes. They discuss how physics, biology, and scaling laws constrain what monsters could exist, and how stories about monsters reflect human fears, technological change, and environmental anxieties. Throughout, they argue that the real "monsters" are often human hubris and ignorance, and that science can both demystify and reframe these fears.