Cool Worlds Podcast

#33 Sarah Rugheimer - LIFE Mission, Prebiosignatures, Mountains 27.06.2026 1u 55min

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Download Saily app go to https://saily.com/coolworldspodcast - Use code coolworldspodcast at checkout ⛵ 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 13.04.2026 1u 36min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#31 Joshua Winn - Exoplanet History, Discoveries and Future 12.02.2026 1u 7min

Head to https://NordVPN.com/coolworldspodcast to get 4 months free when you sign up for their 2-year plan. Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off Incogni. 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 Thumbnail background from www.halcyonmaps.com Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#30 Solo Episode - We Need To Talk About AI 01.02.2026 1u 14min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#29 Nick Bostrom - Simulation Theory, Anthropic Reasoning, Great Filters 28.01.2026 1u 5min

Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off.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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#28 Néstor Espinoza - JWST, Exoplanet Atmospheres, Molecule Detection 05.12.2025 1u 40min

Use code COOLWORLDS at https://novium.shop/coolworlds to get an exclusive 15% off for the next 72 hours. 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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#27 Jason Steffen - Kepler Mission Legacy, Particle Physics, Optimal Plane Boarding 07.11.2025 1u 50min

Use code coolworldspodcast at https://incogni.com/coolworldspodcast to get an exclusive 60% off. 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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#26 Will Kinney - Before the Big Bang, Inflation, Infinity of Worlds 09.10.2025 2u 13min

🌏 Get exclusive NordVPN deal here ➵ https://NordVPN.com/coolworldspodcast It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!✌ 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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#25 Matt O'Dowd - PBS Spacetime, Science on YouTube, Quasars 06.09.2025 1u 39min

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 08.08.2025 1u 55min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#23 Geraint Lewis - Fine-Tuning, Multiverse, Cosmological Tensions 26.06.2025 1u 17min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#22 Sara Walker - Origin of Life, Assembly Theory, Biosignatures 18.05.2025 1u 10min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#21 Edwin Kite - Early Mars, Terraforming/Settling Mars 25.04.2025 1u 18min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#20 Natalie Batalha - Kepler Mission, Exoplanets with JWST, Future Imagers 12.03.2025 1u

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 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 08.02.2025 1u 53min

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 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 14.01.2025 1u 15min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#17 Adam Riess - Modern Cosmology, Hubble Tension, New Physics 09.11.2024 1u 3min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#16 Janna Levin - Black Holes, Singularities & Wormholes 07.10.2024 1u 18min

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 Go to https://ground.news/CWP to discover the full spectrum of truths and absurdities behind today’s headlines. Save 40% on the Ground News unlimited access Vantage plan with my link. Prof Levin's research page: https://jannalevin.com/ Pioneer Works: https://pioneerworks.org/ Janna's Books: https://jannalevin.com/books/black-hole-survival-guide/ Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#15 Jackie Faherty - Brown Dwarfs, Clouds, Atmospheres, JWST 10.07.2024 1u 36min

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 Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]

#14 Gavin Schmidt - Climate Science, Projections, Measurements, Denialism 22.06.2024 1u 34min

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/ Cool Worlds Podcast Theme by Hill [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hdkvBtRdOW4SPsnxCXOjK]