Cool Worlds Podcast

#35 Lee Cronin - Chemputation, Origin of Life, Assembly Theory

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:19:42 -0400

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Lee Cronin, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Glasgow University, where he holds the Regius Chair. He is also the Founder and CEO of Chemify (https://www.chemify.io/).

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#34 Solo Episode - We Need to Talk About That "First Exomoon" Discovery

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:48:54 -0400

Special solo episode about the recent news of the first exomoon discovery.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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REFERENCES

- Hoy et al. 2026, "Planetary-mass exosatellite detected around the substellar companion of a star": https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.05193 and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10751-w#Bib1
- Kral et al. 2026, "Exomoon search with VLTI/GRAVITY around the substellar companion HD 206893 B": https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20091
- Todorov et al. 2010, "Discovery of a Planetary-mass Companion to a Brown Dwarf in Taurus": https://arxiv.org/abs/1004.0539
- Chauvin et al. 2004, "A Giant Planet Candidate near a Young Brown Dwarf": https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0409323
- IAU Commission F2, "The IAU Working Definition of an Exoplanet": https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.09520

#33 Sarah Rugheimer - LIFE Mission, Prebiosignatures, Mountains

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 08:26:33 -0400

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Sarah Rugheimer, Reader (Assoc Prof) at the Institute of Astronomy, Edinburgh University. Check out Sarah's new Great Courses series at https://shop.thegreatcourses.com/experiencing-james-webb-the-invisible-universe-revealed, her Audible Originals at https://www.audible.com/pd/Searching-for-Extraterrestrial-Life-Audiobook/B08N5CHQF8 and her fantastic TED talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_rugheimer_the_search_for_microscopic_aliens

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#32 Chris Lintott - Technosignatures, Citizen Science, Scicomm

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:42:23 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Chris Lintott, Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University and presenter of BBC's "The Sky At Night".

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#31 Joshua Winn - Exoplanet History, Discoveries and Future

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:15:09 -0500

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Joshua Winn, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University and author of "The Little Book of Exoplanets".

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#30 Solo Episode - We Need To Talk About AI

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 16:15:42 -0500

This episode is a bit different in that it's a solo-episode! I spent this week visiting the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, and one meeting in particular shook me so much I felt compelled to make this special episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#29 Nick Bostrom - Simulation Theory, Anthropic Reasoning, Great Filters

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:43:50 -0500

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Nick Bostrom, Professor of Philosophy at Oxford University and author of several books including "Deep Utopia", "Superintelligence" and "Anthropic Reasoning".

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#28 Néstor Espinoza - JWST, Exoplanet Atmospheres, Molecule Detection

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:58:05 -0500

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Néstor Espinoza - Associate Astronomer and Mission Scientist of Exoplanet Science at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Néstor is a prolific researcher, developing state-of-the-art statistical tools and performing some of the most exciting analyses of exoplanets with JWST.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#27 Jason Steffen - Kepler Mission Legacy, Particle Physics, Optimal Plane Boarding

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 06:15:54 -0500

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Jason Steffen, Professor of Physics at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jason is the author of the book "Hidden in the Heavens: How the Kepler Mission’s Quest for New Planets Changed How We View Our Own".

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#26 Will Kinney - Before the Big Bang, Inflation, Infinity of Worlds

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 08:57:27 -0400

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Will Kinney, Professor of Physics at Buffalo University, NY. Will is the author of the fascinating book, "An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe".

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#25 Matt O'Dowd - PBS Spacetime, Science on YouTube, Quasars

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 10:03:52 -0400

Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off. In this week's episode, David is joined by Matt O'Dowd, Professor of Physics at Lehman College, CUNY. Matt is the host of the phenomenally successful PBS Spacetime show and an avid communicator of science. To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#24 Colin Hill - Modern Cosmology, Hubble Tension, Exotic Physics

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:18:15 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Colin Hill, Professor of Physics at Columbia University. Colin is a world renowned expert working at the cutting edge of modern cosmology, giving us the opportunity to do a deep dive into the state of the field.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#23 Geraint Lewis - Fine-Tuning, Multiverse, Cosmological Tensions

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:52:05 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Geraint Lewis, Professor of Astrophysics at Sydney University. Geraint is a proponent of the fine-tuning argument as evidence for a multiverse and has authored a book on the topic "A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos" [https://shorturl.at/xLyak].

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#22 Sara Walker - Origin of Life, Assembly Theory, Biosignatures

Sun, 18 May 2025 15:12:00 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Sara Imari Walker, Professor of Earth & Space Exploration at the Arizona State University. Prof Walker has spent the last few years developing a new concept in astrobiology known as assembly theory, which we explore in this episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#21 Edwin Kite - Early Mars, Terraforming/Settling Mars

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:03:02 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Edwin Kite, Professor of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. Prof Kite is a Participating Scientist for the NASA Curiosity Rover and has devoted much of his career to the study of Mars' evolution and fate.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#20 Natalie Batalha - Kepler Mission, Exoplanets with JWST, Future Imagers

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:10:50 -0400

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Natalie Batalha, Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. Prof Batalha was one of the leaders of the historic NASA Kepler Mission which discovered the majority of known exoplanets, and in 2017 was one of the Time 100 most influential people.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#19 Brian Keating - Inflation, B Modes and Losing the Nobel Prize

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 13:02:53 -0500

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In this week's episode, David is joined by Brian Keating, host of the Into the Impossible Podcast, Professor of Cosmology at UC San Diego and popular science book author.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#18 Nick Searra - Alien Communication, Golden Record, Future Relics

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:59:36 -0500

Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan. In this week's episode, David is joined by Nick Searra, Founder and Executive Directory of the Interstellar Foundation (https://www.interstellarfoundation.com/). The Interstellar Foundation is building updated versions of the Golden Record for the new space age - physical data storage devices that will be attached to spacecraft to serve as a record of humanity's knowledge and an attempt at alien communication through deep time.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#17 Adam Riess - Modern Cosmology, Hubble Tension, New Physics

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 14:20:31 -0500

In this week's episode, David is joined by Nobel laureate Adam Riess, Bloomberg Distinguish Professor and Thomas J Barbar Professor of Physics & Astronomy at John Hopkins University. In this conversation, we explore the Hubble tension and recent disagreements between cosmology teams.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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#16 Janna Levin - Black Holes, Singularities & Wormholes

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 11:59:12 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Janna Levin, Professor of Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Janna is an expert in the theoretical physics of black holes, an author, a communicator of science and co-founder of Pioneer Works.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

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Prof Levin's research page: https://jannalevin.com/

Pioneer Works: https://pioneerworks.org/

Janna's Books: https://jannalevin.com/books/black-hole-survival-guide/

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#15 Jackie Faherty - Brown Dwarfs, Clouds, Atmospheres, JWST

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 19:08:30 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Jackie Faherty, Senior Scientist and Senior Education Manager at the American Museum of Natural History and co-founded of the BDNYC research team. Jackie is a champion of brown dwarf science, mysterious objects that aren't quite stars, and aren't quite planets.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to https://coolworldslab.com/support

Dr Faherty's research page: https://www.jackiefaherty.com/

2030 STEM: https://2030stem.org/

BDNYC: https://bdnyc.org/

Backyard Worlds: https://backyardworlds.org

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#14 Gavin Schmidt - Climate Science, Projections, Measurements, Denialism

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 18:18:15 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by climate scientist Dr Gavin Schmidt, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and co-founded of the RealClimate blog.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

RealClimate: https://www.realclimate.org/

NASA GISS: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/

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#13 David Spergel - NASA UAP Taskforce, Dark Matter, Hubble Tension, Leadership

Sat, 04 May 2024 08:38:43 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dave Spergel, Professor of Astrophysics, Chair of the NASA UAP Taskforce and President of the Simons Foundation. Dr Spergel has been a prominent leader in the field of cosmology, both intellectually and strategically.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

NASA UAP Report: https://smd-cms.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf

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#12 Lisa Kaltenegger - Alien Earths, Astrobiology Controversies, Frequency of Life

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:56:47 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Lisa Kaltenegger, Professor at Cornell and Director of the Carl Sagan Institute. Lisa's new book, "Alien Earths", has just hit the shelves so we talk about what made her write this book, her view on the abundance of life in the cosmos, and her take on a couple of recent controversies in the field of astrobiology.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

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#11 Paul Sutter - Rescuing Science, Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 07:45:18 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Paul Sutter, Professor at Stony Brook and a Visiting Professor at Barnard College. Paul is a theoretical cosmologist, who has had a long and productive career in research, but is better known to most for his science communication work. Having one numerous awards, written popular science books and starring in shows like "How the Universe Works", Paul has become a familiar face to many. In this third book, "Rescuing Science: Restoring Trust In an Age of Doubt", Paul explores how the public are losing trust in scientific institutions and what we can do about it.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Paul's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Science-Restoring-Trust-Doubt-ebook/dp/B0CCH5K6JL

Paul's website: https://www.pmsutter.com/

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#10 - Viraj Pandya - Early Galaxies with JWST, Galaxies "Gone Bananas", Galaxy Formation

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 19:38:39 -0500

In this week's episode, David is joined by Dr Viraj Pandya, Hubble Fellow at Columbia University. Viraj's work was recently highlighted on the front page of the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/science/space/astronomy-galaxies-bananas.html) where his recent discoveries with JWST were showcased. Viraj's work suggests that early galaxy formation was far more bizarre than expected and is shaking up long standing ideas.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Viraj's website: https://virajpandya.github.io/

#9 Renée Hložek - Axions, Tracing Dark Matter, Fate of the Universe

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 19:03:37 -0500

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Renée Hložek from the University of Toronoto/Dunlap Institute. Renée is cosmologist studying the CMB, Type 1A Supernovae and baryonic acoustic oscillations. She's an Azrieli Global Scholar within the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a Senior TED fellow and a Sloan Research Fellow. Our conversation spans axions, dark matter, dark energy and most importantly how astronomers can unravel the secrets of the universe.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

Renée’s website: https://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/dunlap-people/prof-renee-hlozek/

TED Ed, "The Death of the Universe": https://youtu.be/mSzCS_5qtVY?si=oLSKFqVbSBO77yKv

TED Archive, "The Making of Cosmic Soup": https://youtu.be/mWzQ3aYlMVQ?si=t5bWERtS0mkFCGGr

#8 Malena Rice - Planet Nine, Oumuamua, Misaligned Exoplanets

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 18:11:07 -0500

In this week's episode, David is joined by Prof Malena Rice from Yale University. Malena obtained her PhD from Yale University before heading to MIT for a year as 51 Pegasi fellow. She has recently returned to Yale, joining the astronomy faculty. Malena has been featured in Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 and is an expert in planetary dynamics and detection techniques. To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#7 Ramesh Narayan - Black Holes, Extreme Astrophysics, Event Horizon Telescope

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 16:57:13 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Ramesh Narayan - a renowned astrophysicist whose groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of black holes and accretion processes. With a career spanning decades, Narayan's work has contributed invaluable insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and the dynamics of matter falling into these cosmic giants. He has also been lead member of the Event Horizon telescope which captured the first photo of a black hole. To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#6 Adam Frank - Technosignatures, Semantic Information, Galactic Colonization

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 09:49:53 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Adam Frank. Adam is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rochester University, author of popular science books such as "The Little Book of Aliens" and "Light of the Stars", as well as a regular CNN contributor.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

You can watch to the video recording of this podcast over at https://youtu.be/VM8n7HANYpM

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#5 Kathryn Johnston - The Milky Way, Dark Matter vs MOND, Gaia

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 20:28:24 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Kathryn Johnston. Prof Johnston is a Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University and the Dynamics Group Leader at the Flatiron Institute. Kathryn is a world renown expert for her work on Milky Way dynamics, especially tidal streams and the dark matter components of our galaxy.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

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#4 Hod Lipson - Automated Physics Discovery, ChatGPT, Future of AI

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:02:31 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Hod Lipson. Prof Lipson is the Director of the Creative Machine Lab at Columbia University and is a leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, self-replicating robots and self-learning machines. We dive into his work on machines that can discover new physics, the trajectory of current AI and the future of humanity and AGI.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#3 Chiara Mingarelli - NANOGrav, Background Gravitational Waves, Black Holes

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 14:10:44 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Chiara Mingarelli. Prof Mingarelli is currently moving from the University of Connecticut to Yale University and is theorist working on the so-called background gravitational wave signal. Predicted for decades but incredibly elusive, we are on the cusp of detecting this signal for the first time. Learn all about what this signal is and what it means for astronomy in today's episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#2 Wendy Freedman - The Crisis in Cosmology, Standard Candles, Future of Cosmology

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:09:50 -0400

In this week's episode, David is joined by Wendy Freedman. Prof Freedman is a legendary cosmologist, who has played a central role in understanding the expansion rate of our Universe. She is a Professor of Cosmology at University of Chicago, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, a legacy fellow of the American Astronomical Society and winner of the Gruber Prize in Cosmology. Her recent work has focussed on precise measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe and has been a the heart of the so-called "Crisis in Cosmology" that we get into in today's episode.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support

#1 Rebecca Charbonneau - Astrohistory, Carl Sagan, Cold War SETI

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 09:32:45 -0400

In our inaugural episode, David is joined by Rebecca Charbonneau. Dr Charbonneau holds a PhD in the History of Science from Cambridge University, and served as the Historian-in-Residence at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 2020-2022. She is currently a Janksy Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and working on an upcoming book exploring the history of SETI - the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.

To support this podcast and our research lab, head to www.coolworldslab.com/support