Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast (Michael L. Wong)

Guest: John Jackson Miller In Part 1 of an interview with New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller, we learn about John's career journey, his love for science and engineering, and what it's like to write and publish Star Trek novels. Then, we discuss John's Star Trek: Discovery novel "The Enterprise War" (in which he has the crew science their way out of a sticky situation) and why it's so important to show your homework when telling Star Trek stories. John's website: https://farawaypress.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai John: https://twitter.com/jjmfaraway

Guest: John Jackson Miller In Part 2 of an interview with New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller, we discuss characters, planets, and aliens from his Star Trek: Discovery novels "The Enterprise War" and "Die Standing." John's website: farawaypress.com/ Nerd Nite Victoria, where Mike will give a "Science of Star Trek" talk on March 15, 2021: https://victoriabc.nerdnite.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: twitter.com/Miquai John: twitter.com/jjmfaraway

Guests: Tiffany Jansen & Dr. Jim Green Columbia University astronomer Tiffany Jansen and NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green join Mike to discuss factors that determine planetary habitability. In Part 1 of this interview, they discuss how Trek has influenced their careers, the definition of "habitability," and what Tiffany's climate simulations reveal about how habitability depends on a planet's rotation rate. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Tiffany: https://twitter.com/astro_tiff AAPI Resources: StarTrek.com's statement: https://www.startrek.com/news/star-trek-stands-with-our-aapi-community Buzzfeed article on Asian hate crimes: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/venessawong/asian-american-invisible-hate-crimes Bystander intervention resources: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystander-resources/ Google Doc with links to more resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hHRhuF1qy4lju58Rcuw_TShjAaK9BPwjvCuvpTVZzVI/edit?usp=sharing

Guests: Tiffany Jansen & Dr. Jim Green In Part 2 of a conversation with NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green and Columbia University astronomer Tiffany Jansen, Jim describes how planetary magnetic fields can promote (or demote) planetary habitability, and Tiffany and Jim reflect on the virtual nature of the recent #HabWorlds2021 workshop. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: twitter.com/Miquai Tiffany: twitter.com/astro_tiff Star Trek novellas that Mike will discuss with Justin Oser on a future episode of Strange New Worlds: Ishtar Rising, Book 1: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0QDE/?coliid=I3G6KX1BYMZTI3&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Ishtar Rising, Book 2: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0QD4/?coliid=I3UPXV55KYQHEA&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Balance of Nature: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FBJFZK/?coliid=I4CMTVCW35WI6&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Guest: Dr. Peter Gao Mike beams Dr. Peter Gao aboard to discuss the barrage of Star Trek news from #FirstContactDay 2021 and some personal news about their scientific careers. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Peter: https://twitter.com/PlanetaryGao Star Trek novellas that Mike will discuss with Justin Oser on a future episode of Strange New Worlds: Ishtar Rising, Book 1: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0QDE/?coliid=I3G6KX1BYMZTI3&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Ishtar Rising, Book 2: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0QD4/?coliid=I3UPXV55KYQHEA&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Balance of Nature: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FBJFZK/?coliid=I4CMTVCW35WI6&colid=NOXPRFDT8IGO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Guest: Justin Oser In Part 1 of a conversation with Trek podcaster Justin Oser, we dive into the multiverse of Star Trek novels and pick apart the Venus science in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers novellas "Ishtar Rising, Parts 1 & 2" by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Justin: https://twitter.com/trekfan4747

Guest: Justin Oser In Part 2 of a conversation with Trek podcaster and Star Trek novel enthusiast Justin Oser, we discuss the science in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers novella "Balance of Nature" by Heather Jarman, a story in which we visit the homeworld of the Nasat, a species of sentient insectoids. UW Astrobiology presents "Where is the Best Place to Look for Life in the Universe?" hosted by Mike Wong: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/uw-astrobiology-presents-where-is-the-best-place-to-look-for-life-tickets-152784280897 This episode features original music by EEP, a band founded by Justin Oser's wife, Rosie Varela: https://eepshoegaze.bandcamp.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Justin: https://twitter.com/trekfan4747 Infinite Diversity Podcast: https://twitter.com/IDICPodcast EEP: https://twitter.com/eepshoegaze

Guest: Dr. Margaret Weitekamp Special Co-Host: Dr. Ingrid Ockert Historian of science Dr. Ingrid Ockert joins Mike as a special co-host in this episode, in which they beam aboard Dr. Margaret Weitekamp to talk about the history of women in space and the history of women in Star Trek. Dr. Weitekamp is the author of "Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America's First Women in Space Program" and is the Curator and Department Chair of the Space History Department at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. Together, they delve into the role of women during the earliest days of the American space program, how Nichelle Nichols helped recruit a more diverse workforce for NASA, and how women have been portrayed in Star Trek over the generations. Info about the IDIC Podcast Festival, July 17 & 18, 2021: https://www.womenatwarp.com/idic-fest/ Dr. Weitekamp's book "Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America's First Women in Space Program": https://airandspace.si.edu/research/publications/right-stuff-wrong-sex-americas-first-women-space-program The Nichelle Nichols documentary "Woman In Motion": https://twitter.com/WIMthefilm The Atlantic article about Wally Funk's selection as a Blue Origin astronaut, by Marina Koren: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/07/jeff-bezos-wally-funk-blue-origin/619344/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Margaret: https://twitter.com/mgtwspace Ingrid: https://twitter.com/ingrid_rocket

Guest: Dr. Una McCormack New York Times bestselling science fiction writer Dr. Una McCormack joins us to talk about the scientific themes in her 2020 Star Trek: Picard novel The Last Best Hope—from allegories for climate change and science denialism to the pursuit of synthetic sentience. Info about the IDIC Podcast Festival, July 17 & 18, 2021: https://www.womenatwarp.com/idic-fest/ The Last Best Hope, by Dr. Una McCormack: https://unamccormack.co.uk/?books=star-trek-picard-the-last-best-hope Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Una: https://twitter.com/unamccormack

Guest: Thea Weiss As technology becomes increasingly pervasive, more and more people are perceiving the natural world through screens and simulated experiences. One day, astronauts on long-duration missions may only know natural environments through virtual reality...or perhaps the holodeck. What does this mean for our mental and physical health? In the first of two episodes featuring University of Washington psychologist and astrobiologist Thea Weiss, we discuss whether simulated nature imparts the same restorative benefits as actual nature, the concept of the uncanny valley, and a phenomenon known as "environmental generational amnesia." Also, check out UW Astrobiology's brand-new series of public science panels, hosted by Mike! Panel 1 "Where is the best place to look for life in the universe?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd9nGwH6DpA&t=3s&ab_channel=UWAstrobiology Panel 2 "What is life and how did it begin?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA595wUW5PI&ab_channel=UWAstrobiology Panel 3 "How will we find and recognize life out there?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlTsw7ZR8I8&t=1s&ab_channel=UWAstrobiology Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Thea: https://twitter.com/TheaWeiss17

Guest: Thea Weiss According to one line of thought, the emergence of robots and artificial intelligence has engendered a brand-new category of being. How should we flesh-and-blood creatures treat these synthetic entities? In part two of an interview with University of Washington psychologist and astrobiologist Thea Weiss, we discuss a study that examined whether children ascribed mental states, civil rights, and moral standing to a robot named Robovie—and how this study relates to the battle over Data's self-determination in TNG: "The Measure of a Man." Short video describing Thea's lab's research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEKrTa_z-zk&t=2s Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Thea: https://twitter.com/TheaWeiss17

Guest: Dr. Maddie Stone Can Star Trek help us solve climate change? Science journalist Dr. Maddie Stone joins Mike to recap specific instances of environmentalism in Star Trek—TNG: “Force of Nature,” VOY: “Thirty Days,” and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home—and imagine how contemporary Star Trek can more directly address our present-day climate crisis. “It's Time for Star Trek to Tackle Climate Change” by Maddie Stone: https://gizmodo.com/its-time-for-star-trek-to-tackle-climate-change-1833261411 “Five times Star Trek biology plots went off the rails” by Maddie Stone: https://www.sciof.fi/five-times-star-trek-biology-plots-went-off-the-rails-2/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Maddie: https://twitter.com/themadstone

Guests: Prof. Myriam Telus, Dr. Jessie Christiansen, Dr. James T. Keane, and Dr. Tiffany Kataria Mike hosts a panel discussion about diversity in science & Star Trek, which initially aired live on July 18, 2021, at the IDIC Podcast Festival hosted by Women at Warp. Rewatch all of the IDIC Podcast Festival sessions: https://www.womenatwarp.com/idic-fest/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Jessie: https://twitter.com/aussiastronomer James: https://twitter.com/jtuttlekeane

Luke Tower is a high school student with a passion for science and engineering who is trying to figure out what he wants to study. As part of this journey, he's been interviewing different kinds of STEM professionals on his podcast, Atomic Interviews. On this BONUS episode of Strange New Worlds, we're listening to an interview that Luke did with Mike about planetary science, astrobiology, and Mike's career path. Enjoy! Atomic Interviews: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/atomic-interviews/id1550208265 Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Basem Al-Shayeb Special Co-Host: Elise Cutts Scientists recently announced the discovery of Borgs (yes, Borgs), which they describe as giant genetic elements that assimilate DNA from their archaeal hosts. We speak to the lead author of the Borg paper—UC Berkeley graduate student Basem Al-Shayeb—about finding the Borgs, their global implications, and, of course, the story behind their naming. Basem's paper, "Borgs are giant extrachromosomal elements with the potential to augment methane oxidation": https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.10.451761v1 Two recent science news articles by Elise: "Desert Life Conjures Organic Carbon from Thin Air" in EOS: https://eos.org/articles/desert-life-conjures-organic-carbon-from-thin-air "Missing Antarctic microbes raise thorny questions about the search for aliens" in Science News: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/antarctica-microbes-habitability-aliens-extraterrestrial Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Basem: https://twitter.com/themicrobeguy Elise: https://twitter.com/elisecutts

Guest: Shi En Kim Science journalist Shi En Kim joins Mike to read their StarTrek.com article about how scientists are transplanting tardigrade genes into human cells à la Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery. Then, Kim joins Mike to share some science stories from her AAAS Mass Media Fellowship at Smithsonian Magazine and their connections to Star Trek. Kim & Mike's StarTrek.com article "Discovery's Tardigrades Are Making a Name For Themselves in Our World": https://www.startrek.com/news/discoverys-tardigrades-are-making-a-name-for-themselves-in-our-world Kim's space debris article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-worlds-first-space-sweeper-make-dent-orbiting-debris-180978515/ Kim's spider silk article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fourteen-ways-spiders-use-their-silk-180978354/ Kim's website: https://shienkim.wordpress.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Kim: https://twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guests: Dr. Caleb Scharf & Dr. Stuart Bartlett One thing—perhaps the thing—that sets humans apart is the way we encode information in our environment. In his book "The Ascent of Information," Caleb Scharf, Director of Astrobiology at Columbia University, coined a new name for this externalization of data. It's the "dataome"—like the "biome" because this information can be seen as a living system in its own right. On this exciting episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike is joined by Dr. Scharf as well as astrobiologist and artificial life researcher Dr. Stuart Bartlett to discuss how the concept of the dataome interfaces with themes in Star Trek. Why is AI such a prevalent villain in the Trek universe? Will we ever become the Borg? What can we learn about biology by creating synthetic life? "The Ascent of Information," by Caleb Scharf: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621175/the-ascent-of-information-by-caleb-scharf/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Caleb: https://twitter.com/caleb_scharf

Response to DSC: "Kobayashi Maru" In the first episode of Discovery's fourth season, we meet the Alshain, who navigate by their planet's magnetic field, which is in the processes of reversing polarity. Do planetary magnetic fields actually flip? And do real-life organisms use magnetism to orient themselves? Paper about protist–magnetic bacteria symbiosis: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-019-0432-7 Paper about human magnetoreception: https://authors.library.caltech.edu/90480/ Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/Miquai

Response to DSC: "Anomaly" In the second episode of Discovery's fourth season, the crew goes face-to-face with the dangerous anomaly that radiates gravitational waves and leaves only destruction in its wake. Can you ride a gravitational wave? And why could the anomaly have a seemingly chaotic trajectory through space? A helpful Astrobites article about black hole "superkicks": https://astrobites.org/2018/03/08/recoil-detectives-searching-for-black-hole-kicks-using-gravitational-waves/ Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/Miquai

Response to DSC: "Choose to Live" In an attempt to unravel the mystery of the Dark Matter Anomaly, President T'Rina mind melds with Book to reexamine his memories of Kwejian's destruction. Can personal memories of traumatic events be trusted? Memory distortion references: Strange & Takarangi's paper "Memory distortion for traumatic events: the role of mental imagery": https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00027/full An interview with neuroscientist Donna Bridge: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game The accuracy of 9/11 memories: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/911-memory-accuracy/ "Boldly Go!" a Star Trek parody musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtBArmWHdY&ab_channel=BoldlyGo%21 Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Response to DSC: "All Is Possible" On the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, Lt. Sylvia Tilly leads a cadet training exercise to survey a planetary body. Along the way, she makes a profound personal discovery. Mike shares his reaction to Tilly's mission and her revelation. Interdisciplinary organizations that Mike mentions: The Virtual Planetary Laboratory: https://depts.washington.edu/naivpl/content/welcome-virtual-planetary-laboratory The AEThER Project: https://planets.carnegiescience.edu/aether The Keck Institute for Space Studies: https://kiss.caltech.edu/ Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Response to DSC: "The Examples" On the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, Tarka deduces that the DMA has the power of a hypergiant star. Can we use that info to estimate some key stats of the USS Discovery? Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Jon Wong Thanks to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, many people around the world could once again feel safe gathering with loved ones over the holidays. In this episode, we celebrate the science of vaccines by talking to medical student Jon Wong about the Deep Space Nine episode "The Quickening," where Dr. Julian Bashir develops a vaccine that saves an entire planet from a horrendous viral blight. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Dr. Peter Gao Planetary scientist Dr. Peter Gao beams aboard to discuss: the first half of Star Trek: Discovery's fourth season; the latest Star Trek: Prodigy episode, "Kobayashi"; and the successful launch and deployment of JWST, humanity's most powerful space telescope ever built. "The Five Big Ways the James Webb Telescope Will Help Astronomers Understand the Universe" by Shi En Kim: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-big-ways-james-webb-telescope-will-help-astronomers-understand-universe-180978303/ Articles discussing why JWST should be renamed: 1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-needs-to-rename-the-james-webb-space-telescope/ 2. https://www.dailyuw.com/news/discoveries/article_7122ec66-353c-11ec-9731-b72c140e93b2.html 3. https://astrobites.org/2021/12/19/jwst_renaming/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Peter: https://twitter.com/PlanetaryGao

Guest: David Mack Star Trek novelist David Mack—one of the architects of the Star Trek: Coda trilogy and the author of its final installment, "Oblivion's Gate"— joins Mike to explore the scientific themes in Coda, the symbiosis between science and science fiction, and the power of living in the moment. More about "Oblivion's Gate" on David Mack's website: https://davidmack.pro/writing/oblivions-gate/ Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai David: https://twitter.com/DavidAlanMack

Response to DSC: "All In" We take a closer look at how Michael Burnham inspects Haz Mazaro's isolynium to verify its authenticity on the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Dr. Stuart Bartlett Caltech astrobiologist and complexity scientist Dr. Stuart Bartlett joins us to discuss the relationship between complex systems and life, a novel way to assess planetary complexity, and how this technique may one day help us look for new life and new civilizations. Stuart's paper, "Assessing planetary complexity and potential agnostic biosignatures using epsilon machines": https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01559-x "Bleeding edge tech could help us find unusual alien life" by Charles Q. Choi for Inverse: https://www.inverse.com/science/epsilon-machines-alien-life Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guests: Katie Nickolaou & Dr. Simon Clark Meteorologist and storm chaser Katie Nickolaou as well as science communicator and atmospheric physicist Dr. Simon Clark join us to discuss their favorite instances of weather and climate in Star Trek. Together, they take us on a journey to the beaches of Risa, the cauldron of Caldos, a Borgified Earth, and more! "Star Trek Fandom Forecast" by Katie Nickolaou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N24mG3ZU6y4&ab_channel=SoManyRandomFandoms "Which planets from Star Trek TNG could really exist?" by Dr. Simon Clark and Dr. Hannah Wakeford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykkmlwdgdys&ab_channel=SimonClark Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Katie: https://twitter.com/weather_katie Simon: https://twitter.com/simonoxfphys

Guest: Dr. Anjali Piette Astronomer and exoplanetary scientist Dr. Anjali Piette joins Mike to respond to DSC: "Rosetta"—in particular, how gassy planets can transform into rocky ones, just like the 10-C's homeworld did. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Response to DSC: "Species Ten-C" On the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, the crew makes first contact with Species 10-C, and Captain Burnham decides to relay the concept of "us" using the chemical composition of air. Mike reflects on this utterly brilliant choice. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Let's try something completely new! Every time there is an appearance or a mention of "The Europa Mission" in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, Mike will do a spontaneous episode about some cool Europa science. Here's the first episode of #EuropaWatch, based on PIC: "Assimilation." Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Thomas Marrone Designing Star Trek ships is both a science and an art. Thomas Marrone, Star Trek Online's Associate Art Director, joins Mike to talk about the process of creating starships and how his STO designs found their way into Star Trek: Picard's second season. Thomas' ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/thomasmarrone "My Life at Warp Speed," a short documentary about Thomas' work: https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/11510833-star-trek-online%3A-my-life-at-warp-speed Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Thomas: https://twitter.com/thomasthecat

Mike's second spontaneous Europa-themed episode takes an in-depth look at the LA Times article in Q's hands from the Star Trek: Picard episode "Watcher." Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/Miquai

Guest: Dr. James T. Keane On the third episode of #EuropaWatch, we talk about Io (surprise!) and life on Io (even bigger surprise!) with Io evangelist Dr. James T. Keane (best surprise!) based on the revelations from PIC: "Fly Me to the Moon." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai James: https://twitter.com/jtuttlekeane

Inspired by the events of PIC: "Two of One," Mike interviews random Trekkies at Star Trek: Mission Chicago to see if they would want to board a mission to Europa. Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miquai

Guests: Dr. Erin Macdonald & Prof. Mohamed Noor The official Star Trek science consultants, Dr. Erin Macdonald and Prof. Mohamed Noor, beam aboard to discuss the science behind Star Trek: Discovery's fourth season. We cover the Dark Matter Anomaly, gravitational waves, on-screen physics equations, gas giant aliens, epigenetic clocks, communicating with hydrocarbon pheromones, and more! Erin's Spacetime Productions: https://www.spacetimeproductions.net/ Mohamed's YouTube channel "BioTrekkie Explains!": https://www.youtube.com/c/BioTrekkieExplains Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/Miquai Erin: https://twitter.com/drerinmac Mohamed: https://twitter.com/mafnoor

Guest: Adriana Gómez-Buckley On the final episode of the Europa Watch mini-series, Mike speaks to University of Washington astrobiologist Adriana Gómez-Buckley about her new scientific paper on simulating bacterial and viral ecosystems in Europa's subsurface ocean. "Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean" by Adriana Gómez-Buckley et al.: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/5/620 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Adriana: https://twitter.com/astro_agb

Guest: Dr. Anastasia Klimchynskaya Science fiction—like all forms of literature, art, and media—fossilizes a slice of the way that people made sense of the world at the time in which it was created. Dr. Anastasia Klimchynskaya joins Mike to explain the technoscientific paradox behind science fiction’s emergence as a brand-new genre in the 19th century and how Star Trek continues to reflect its themes to this day. Register for Mike's virtual "Science of Star Trek" Carnegie Neighborhood Lecture (June 16): https://carnegiescience.edu/events/lectures/science-star-trek Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Anastasia: https://twitter.com/anaklimchy

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on the 2022 Astrobiology Science Conference, his first in-person science conference in nearly 3 years. Galactic Journey: http://galacticjourney.org/ Register for Mike's virtual "Science of Star Trek" Carnegie Neighborhood Lecture (June 16): carnegiescience.edu/events/lectures…ience-star-trek Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Dr. Bob Pappalardo On the grand finale of our #EuropaWatch mini-series based on Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, the Project Scientist for NASA's Europa Clipper mission, Dr. Bob Pappalardo, joins us to tell us about the real-life spacecraft launching for Europa in 2024. Find out more about the Europa Clipper mission here: https://europa.nasa.gov/ Carnegie Earth & Planets Laboratory's Neighborhood Lecture on The Science of Star Trek, featuring Mike Wong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYRUnpAtJ3A&ab_channel=CarnegieEarth%26PlanetsLaboratory Follow us on Twitter: Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Bob: https://twitter.com/RPappalardo Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Guest: Prof. Sheri Wells-Jensen In Part 1 of a conversation with Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, we chat about Dr. Wells-Jensen's involvement in creating Species 10-C's language for Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, how deciphering alien languages might work in reality, and the connections between language and thought, mind and body. Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Guest: Prof. Sheri Wells-Jensen In Part 2 of a conversation with Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, we learn about Dr. Wells-Jensen's academic work on disability and inclusion in space exploration: why there should be blind astronauts, how disability can be a model for first contact, and portrayals of disability in Star Trek. "The Case for Disabled Astronauts" by Sheri Wells-Jensen: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-case-for-disabled-astronauts/ "Models of Disability as Models of First Contact" by Wells-Jensen & Zuber (2020): https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11120676 "An alternate vision for colonization" by Wells-Jensen et al. (2019): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.02.012 Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Guest: Dr. Jason von Stietz Clinical psychologist Dr. Jason von Stietz returns to discuss some of the psychological themes in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, from Mariner's therapy in "Crisis Point" to Boimler's perfectionism in "I, Excretus." Follow us on Twitter! Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/CBTSportPsych Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Guest: Dr. Jason von Stietz In Part 2 of our most recent conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Jason von Stietz, we tackle psychological themes from Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, from Spock unleashing his rage to Pike managing the trauma of experiencing his own, gruesome future. Jason's new podcast, Movie House Sport Psychology: https://anchor.fm/moviehousesportpsychology Follow us on Twitter! Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/CBTSportPsych Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek

Guest: Lucas Fifer We've given Europa a lot of attention this year, but Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, is also one of the most intriguing places to seek out new life in our solar system. On this episode of Strange New Worlds, we learn all about Enceladus's subsurface ocean, as revealed by NASA's Cassini orbiter and a new computer model developed by planetary scientist and astrobiologist Lucas Fifer. Is Enceladus's ocean habitable? What's the best strategy for looking for biosignatures? And what would it mean to find life out there? Lucas's paper, "Chemical Fractionation Modeling of Plumes Indicates a Gas-rich, Moderately Alkaline Enceladus Ocean": https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ac7a9f Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/miquai Mike: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Lucas: https://twitter.com/fifebeyondearth

Guest: Prof. Mohamed Noor Dr. Mohamed Noor—Professor of Biology and Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences at Duke University—returns to Strange New Worlds to talk about how being a science consultant for the Star Trek universe inspired his latest paper, "Thinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?" Mohamed's paper, "Thinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12052-022-00172-4 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Mohamed: https://twitter.com/mafnoor

Guest: Prof. Rica French Mike speaks to Rica French, Professor of Astronomy at MiraCosta College and the Associate Director of the Center for Astronomy Education, about how she engages Trekkies at Star Trek conventions and students at MiraCosta about the wonders of the universe. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Rica: https://twitter.com/ricadink

Guest: Daniel Nicholls From Badgey to Peanut Hamper, AGIMUS to the Aledo, artificial intelligence is rife in Star Trek: Lower Decks. Daniel Nicholls, the Information Systems Manager at Carnegie Sciences's Earth & Planets Laboratory, joins Mike to discuss how these fictional examples of AI reflect our fears and desires for AI in the real world. Follow us on Twitter: Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Mike reflects on 2022 and the most recent American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in Chicago, IL. Mike's Carnegie Science Neighborhood Lecture on "The Science of Star Trek": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYRUnpAtJ3A&ab_channel=CarnegieEarth%26PlanetsLaboratory Mike on Science Friday's episode "Searching For Life On The Red Planet Prompts Deeper Questions": https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/mike-l-wong/ Mike on Science Friday's "Sun Camp: Beyond the Sun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUEvEtZGGI&list=PLB2w1JNHV4HR0vBq5XLbsrnVCrDs-9o1h&index=5&ab_channel=SciFri Mike on the Infinite Diversity podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id-124-lower-decks-the-stars-at-night/id1522356073?i=1000584610845 Mike on NASA's "Ask An Astrobiologist!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLKGosgMTIs&ab_channel=NASAAstrobiology Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Lisa Wong We embark on 2023 with a conversation between Mike and his book editor sister, Lisa Wong. Together, they pick apart Ensign Boimler's holonovel from the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "Crisis Point II: Paradoxus" (Season 3, Episode 8), using it as a case study to discuss everything from romantic subplots to writer flow states to exploring the human condition. Soulful Editing, Lisa's website: https://sites.google.com/view/bookbeta/home "We Need More Books Without Romance" by Angela Chen: https://electricliterature.com/we-need-more-books-without-romance/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Dr. Erin Macdonald Star Trek science advisor Dr. Erin Macdonald joins Mike to discuss the science behind Star Trek: Prodigy’s first season, from protostars to red giants, damped sine waves to scientific ethics. Mike also asks Erin about her new children’s book, Star Trek: My First Book of Space, and her cameo appearance in the Prodigy finale! Star Trek: My First Book of Space, by Dr. Erin Macdonald: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710867/star-trek-my-first-book-of-space-by-erin-macdonald-phd-illustrated-by-jason-kayser/ Dr. Erin on Star Formation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIVImXW3yY&ab_channel=ParamountPlus Homoploid hybrid speciation in the real world and in Star Trek: Prodigy by Prof. Mohamed Noor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PJbeySsqn0&ab_channel=BioTrekkieExplains%21 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Erin: https://twitter.com/drerinmac

Guest: Dr. Marta Cortesão Star Trek: Discovery introduced us to the mycelial network, a subspace superhighway that astromycologist Paul Stamets learns to navigate using a piece of technology called the spore drive. On this episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike speaks to real-life astromycologist Dr. Marta Cortesão about the wonderful world of fungi: their mycorrhizal networks, their ability to survive in space, and how they may be vital partners on long-duration space missions. The Virtual Trek Con version of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFkeQy5Jj1c&ab_channel=VirtualTrekCon Marta's book chapter "Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?": https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-29541-7_18 Marta's paper "Aspergillus niger Spores Are Highly Resistant to Space Radiation": https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00560/full Marta's paper "Colony growth and biofilm formation of Aspergillus niger under simulated microgravity": https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.975763/full Marta's paper "MARSBOx: Fungal and Bacterial Endurance From a Balloon-Flown Analog Mission in the Stratosphere": https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.601713/full Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Marta: https://twitter.com/martacortesao

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to his first-ever network science conference, #NetSciX2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "What Is Life?" conference at UC Santa Cruz. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Emilie Lafleche On the 150th episode of Strange New Worlds, Mike speaks to Emilie Lafleche, who recently commanded an analog astronaut mission that simulated a visit to Tsiolkovskiy crater on the far side of the Moon. They chat about why do we do analog astronaut missions, the science that Emilie and her crew performed on their mission, what makes a good leader, and more! Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Emilie: https://twitter.com/astroemilie

Guest: Dr. Anirudh Prabhu Mike speaks to his Carnegie Science officemate, data scientist Dr. Anirudh Prabhu, about the groundbreaking field of mineral informatics and how mineral association analysis can revolutionize Earth and planetary exploration. Anirudh's paper, "What is mineral informatics?" https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.1002/essoar.10511201.2 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Anirudh: https://twitter.com/Anirudh_14

Guest: Dr. Anirudh Prabhu What's the history of artificial intelligence, and where is A.I. headed next? Most importantly, how close are we to creating Data? In the second half of Mike's conversation with data scientist Dr. Anirudh Prabhu, we explore all of these questions—and more! Anirudh's website: https://www.anirudhprabhu.com/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Anirudh: twitter.com/Anirudh_14

Guest: Dr. Peter Gao Planetary scientist Dr. Peter Gao beams back aboard Strange New Worlds to discuss the latest JWST exoplanet findings and the Star Trek: Picard series finale. Warning: we don't hold back on spoilers! Follow us on Twitter: Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Peter: https://twitter.com/PlanetaryGao

Guest: Dr. Scott Perl NASA JPL astrobiologist Dr. Scott Perl joins us to discuss the science of biosignatures and his work on developing ways to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life in the Solar System and beyond. Scott's paper, "A Proposed Geobiology-Driven Nomenclature for Astrobiological In Situ Observations and Sample Analyses": https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2020.2318 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Scott: https://twitter.com/ScottPerl

Guest: John Jackson Miller New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller joins Mike to discuss his Star Trek: Strange New Worlds novel "The High Country"—the first piece of the Star Trek Universe that features Mike's name in it! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country, by John Jackson Miller: https://farawaypress.com/2022/04/08/strange-new-worlds-high-country/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai John: https://twitter.com/jjmfaraway

Guest: Walter Koenig Star Trek actor Walter Koenig joins Mike to reflect upon his friendship with Nichelle Nichols and her boundary-breaking legacy. Both Walter and Mike are on the advisory board for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase diversity and inclusion in STEAM fields. Find out more about the organization and consider donating at: https://nichellenichols.foundation/. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Walter: https://twitter.com/GineokwKoenig

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "Cosmic Visions" conference at Johns Hopkins University. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

On this short solo episode, Mike reflects on his trip to the "Oxygen in Planetary Biospheres" workshop at Green Bank Observatory. "Can You Decode an Alien Message?" by Shi En Kim: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-you-decode-an-alien-message/ A Sign in Space: https://asignin.space/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guests: Tim Russ & Dr. Kayla Iacovino On this episode of Strange New Worlds, we're bringing you a panel that Mike hosted for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation's "Hailing Frequencies Open!" speaker series. This panel features Star Trek actor and citizen scientist Tim Russ as well as NASA volcanologist and TrekMovie.com editor Dr. Kayla Iacovino. Together, they explore strange new worlds and seek out new life! Watch the YouTube version of this panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29NtHNVuGwY&ab_channel=NichelleNicholsFoundation The Nichelle Nichols Foundation: https://nichellenichols.foundation/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Kayla: https://twitter.com/kaylai Tim: https://twitter.com/timruss2

On this short solo episode, Mike shares his address to the students of the 2023 International Society for Artificial Life summer school. Read more about the concept of "lyfe": https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/4/42 Read more about the concept of "genesity": https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/6/783 "Life Evolves. Can Attempts to Create ‘Artificial Life’ Evolve, Too?" by Shi En Kim for Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/life-evolves-can-attempts-to-create-artificial-life-evolve-too/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Desun Oka Historian Desun Oka beams aboard to talk about the intersection of nationalism and Star Trek. The United Federation of Planets is often likened to the United States of America, but in space. In what ways is the Federation like a modern nation state? In what ways is it not? And how might Star Trek reflect, examine, and critique what nationalism is all about? "Imagined Communities" by Benedict Anderson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagined_Communities "Ancient Earth" from PBS NOVA—featuring Mike! https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/ancient-earth-birth-of-the-sky/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith join Mike to explore Data's evolution as a strategist. In Part I of this conversation, they focus on TNG: "Peak Performance," where Data faces off against Strategema master Sirna Kolrami and learns how to deal with defeat. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/CBTSportPsych David: https://twitter.com/StonewallFit

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith return for part two of our trilogy about Data as a strategist. In this episode, we examine how Data deals with prejudice from his subordinates while commanding of the U.S.S. Sutherland in TNG: "Redemption, Part 2." Then, we talk about how Data foils the Borg Queen's plans in "Star Trek: First Contact." Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/CBTSportPsych David: twitter.com/StonewallFit

Guests: Jason von Stietz & David Smith Sport psychologists Jason von Stietz and David Smith return for the final installment of our trilogy about Data as a strategist. In this episode, we analyze how Data defeats Lore in PIC: "Surrender" and saves the galaxy with his gut instinct in PIC: "The Last Generation." Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/CBTSportPsych David: twitter.com/StonewallFit

On the first episode of 2024, we present Mike's interview on the Dice in Mind podcast, where hosts Jason and Brad ask Mike about his scientific journey, his podcasting journey, and his Star Trek journey. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Dice in Mind: https://twitter.com/diceinmind Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jason: https://twitter.com/vagabondkaufman

Guest: Elise Cutts Science journalist Elise Cutts returns to reflect on Caltech's 2016 Star Trek musical, "Boldly Go!", and dissect the 2023 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody." Watch "Boldly Go! A Star Trek Parody Musical": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtBArmWHdY&ab_channel=BoldlyGo%21 "The Simple Geometry That Predicts Molecular Mosaics" by Elise Cutts: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-simple-geometry-that-predicts-molecular-mosaics-20230621/ "The Mysterious Case of Ireland’s Missing Earthquakes" by Elise Cutts: https://eos.org/articles/the-mysterious-case-of-irelands-missing-earthquakes Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Elise: https://twitter.com/elisecutts

Guest: Kayla Smith Getting accepted to grad school isn't something that happens every day. Episode 167 of Strange New Worlds is dedicated to celebrating Kayla Smith, an undergraduate who works with Mike, and her recent acceptances to PhD programs in planetary science. Kayla talks about watching her first Star Trek episode, her journey in academia, her research on Mars, her aspirations to look for life on exoplanets, and why studying planets is both a science and an art. Mike's Carnegie Postdoc Spotlight: https://epl.carnegiescience.edu/michael-l-wong-explores-strange-new-worlds Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Jaime Green Author Jaime Green beams aboard to talk about how we imagine alien life in science and in science fiction. Her new book is "The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos." "The Possibility of Life" by Jaime Green: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-possibility-of-life-jaime-green?variant=40643758391330 "Uncertain Contact" by Jaime Green: https://aeon.co/essays/alien-life-might-not-be-something-science-can-ever-discover "An Existential Problem in the Search for Alien Life" by Jaime Green:https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/12/defining-life-existentialism-scientific-theory/676238/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai Jaime: https://twitter.com/jaimealyse

Guest: Prof. Paul Rimmer In the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale, Q and Picard time travel to the origin of life on Earth. How does that scene compare to our modern scientific understanding of life's emergence? Prof. Paul Rimmer walks us through what Star Trek gets right and wrong—and what we still don't know—about our humble beginnings. "Could Dune really exist? What scientists think of our favorite sci-fi worlds" featuring Mike & Prof. Mohamed Noor: https://www.npr.org/2024/03/01/1198909447/dune-part-two-arrakis-habitable-planets-star-trek-wars Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Dr. Stuart Bartlett Complexity scientist, astrobiologist, and artificial life researcher Dr. Stuart Bartlett joins us to discuss how information processing has been a key feature of life, from its emergence 4 billion years ago to artificial intelligence today. Stuart's paper "Provenance of life: Chemical autonomous agents surviving through associative learning": https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.106.034401 Mike & Stuart's paper "Searching for Life, Mindful of Lyfe’s Possibilities": https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/6/783 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Science journalist Dr. Shi En Kim joins Mike to talk about DSC: "Red Directive," from sand avalanches to the big revelation at the end of the episode. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Mike and Kim examine the themes in DSC: "Under the Twin Moons." What does it take to get a double solar eclipse? And what do they make of Captain Rayner's advice? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Mike and Kim take a closer look at DSC: "Jinaal." What do they make of the Trill's test? And why was Stamets so bubbly about isotope half-lives? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Mike and Kim unpack DSC: "Face the Strange" and "Mirrors." Can you use relativity to defeat a temporal shield? What do they make of Moll and L'ak's backstory? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Mike and Kim chat about themes in DSC: "Whistlespeak" and "Erigah." Is cloud seeding a real thing, how do you create ultra-distilled water, and what are some contaminants that plague our waterways here on Earth? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Science journalist Shi En Kim joins Mike to reflect on the last three episodes of Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season, DSC: "Labyrinths," "Lagrange Point," and "Life, Itself." How do Mike and Kim process their fears? What is a Lagrange point? And what do they make of the Progenitor's technology? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Kim: twitter.com/goes_by_kim

Guest: Prof. Mary-Jane Rubenstein Professor Mary-Jane Rubenstein joins us to talk about her book "Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race," which explores the religious narratives that underpin commercial space exploration, and its connections to Star Trek. Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guests: Prof. Jason A. Kaufman & Prof. Aaron M. Peterson Professors Jason A. Kaufman and Aaron M. Peterson join us to discuss their sweeping book "Leadership in Star Trek: Lessons from the Captain's Chair." Learn how communication, patience, and relationship underpin every good leader, from Burnham to Picard. Book: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/leadership-in-star-trek/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Jason: twitter.com/vagabondkaufman

Guest: Dr. Erin Macdonald Dr. Erin Macdonald, the official science advisor for the Star Trek universe, joins us to discuss the science behind Season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery and Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy. "Chromatin remodeling in tribbles in Star Trek: Prodigy" by Prof. Mohamed Noor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2PePbR3FPk Erin's Nerd Nite talk, "Faster-Than-Light Travel in Science Fiction": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lw7JOgQ_MI Mike's Nerd Nite talk, "The Astrobiology of Star Trek": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtgcaVg7puM Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Erin: twitter.com/drerinmac

On this short solo episode, Mike shares his TEDxNewEngland experience. Mike's paper, "On the roles of function and selection in evolving systems": https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2310223120 Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai

Guest: Prof. Amitai Shenhav On this episode, Mike is joined by his fellow TEDxNewEngland speaker Amitai Shenhav, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley who is known for his work on decision making. How does Prof. Shenhav use Star Trek (or attempt to, at least) in his psychology classes? And what does his research reveal about how to make tough decisions? Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: twitter.com/miquai Amitai: twitter.com/amitaishenhav

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Mike and science journalist Shi En Kim discuss the first half of Star Trek: Lower Decks' fifth season. Is solar sailing a real thing? When is it advantageous to play dead? Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Kim: https://bsky.app/profile/goesbykim.bsky.social

Strange New Worlds Episode –1 Announcement

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

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

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

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

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 Episode 10, Mike and Elise speak to Jane Liu about her master's thesis on the role of emotions in science and science communication.