Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast

Guest: Prof. Lisa Kaltenegger Professor Lisa Kaltenegger, Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, beams aboard to talk about her book, Alien Earths, the search for life in the cosmos, what exoplanets teach us about our home world, and her love for Star Trek. Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos, by Lisa Kaltenegger: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250283641/alienearths/

Guest: Thomas White Mike speaks to propulsion engineer Thomas White about their experience participating in The Planetary Society's 2025 Day of Action, where they met with six Congressional offices to lobby in support of space science at a critical time. Inspired to take action? Visit The Planetary Society's Action Center: https://www.planetary.org/action-center Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social The Planetary Society: https://bsky.app/profile/planetarysociety.bsky.social

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Fungi are everywhere—from forests to deserts to cities to Star Trek! Science journalist Dr. Shi En Kim beams back aboard to talk about some of the latest developments in fungal research. "Can Fungi Save This Endangered Hawaiian Tree?" by Shi En Kim for Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-fungi-save-this-endangered-hawaiian-tree-180985171/ "Why scientists are enlisting fungi to save endangered plants" by Shi En Kim for Knowable Magazine: https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2025/mycorrhizal-fungi-help-save-endangered-plants-ecosystems "Biocrusts: The secret world living at the surface of drylands" by Shi En Kim for BioScience: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biae119/7927803 "The Netherlands' Surprising Bus Stop Bounty" by Shi En Kim for bioGraphic: https://www.biographic.com/the-netherlands-surprising-bus-stop-bounty/ Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Kim: https://bsky.app/profile/goesbykim.bsky.social

In a few weeks, Professor Lisa Kaltenegger—the Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University—will be a guest on Strange New Worlds to talk about the search for life in the universe. To prime us for that discussion, on this episode, Mike shares his review of Professor Kaltenegger's new book, "Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos." Want to read Mike's review instead? Just click here: https://www.americanscientist.org/article/earth-2.0-could-be-just-around-the-corner

Guest: Dr. Erin Macdonald Star Trek science consultant Dr. Erin Macdonald returns to unpack the quantum mechanical themes in the mind-bending and universe-hopping fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Crowdfunding for Erin's short film "Long Away": https://seedandspark.com/fund/long-away?token=c03b8b5fafc2effbb976d3c5566c1bddbb1154cb4a8b856e4ccde26c259585c4#story Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Erin: https://bsky.app/profile/drerinmac.bsky.social

Guest: David Mack Award-winning Star Trek writer David Mack beams aboard to discuss his Star Trek: Picard novel Firewall, which tells the story of how Seven of Nine becomes a Fenris Ranger. More about Firewall: https://davidmack.pro/writing/firewall/ Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social David: https://bsky.app/profile/davidmack.bsky.social

Guest: Bernadette Mary Dineen Astrochemist Bernadette Mary Dineen speaks about her love for Star Trek: The Original Series, her quest to search for life on Mars, her experience participating in the NASA Astrobiology Mission Ideation Factory, and her TEDxTufts talk "Looking Out Is Looking In." Bernadette's TEDxTufts talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nT7g3nOWxs

Guest: Dr. Shi En Kim Science journalist Dr. Shi En Kim joins Mike to discuss the final episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks, from Tendi and T'Lyn's competitive relationship in "Fully Dilated" to Malor's crucial insight in "The New Next Generation." Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Kim: https://bsky.app/profile/goesbykim.bsky.social

Guest: Dr. Anirudh Prabhu Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a part of every aspect of our lives—and science is no exception. Data scientist Dr. Anirudh Prabhu returns to the show to discuss the 2024 Nobel Prizes involving AI. Then, Anirudh and Mike use the Lower Decks episode "The Stars at Night" as a launchpad to talk about how they're using AI to help search for signs of life in the universe. Anirudh & Mike's paper "A robust, agnostic molecular biosignature based on machine learning": https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2307149120 Mike & Anirudh's paper "Toward Network-Based Planetary Biosignatures": https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JE007658 Follow us on Bluesky! Mike: https://bsky.app/profile/miquai.bsky.social Anirudh: https://bsky.app/profile/anirudhprabhu.bsky.social

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

Guest: Prof. Amitai Shenhav On this episode of Strange New Worlds, 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

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: 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

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: 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

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: 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 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 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 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 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. 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: 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: 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: 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: 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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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: 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: 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. 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. 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: 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

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

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

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

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: 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

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: 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

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: 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