Loading...

PODCAST

Cool Worlds

Space, astronomy, exoplanets, astroengineering and the search for extraterrestrial life & intelligence.The Cool Worlds Lab (http://coolworldslab.com), based at the Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, is a team of astronomers seeking to discover and understand alien worlds, particularly those where temperatures are cool enough for life, led by Professor David Kipping.Links:Subscribe!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHZpIpAWJQ-Jy_CeCdXhMA?sub_confirmation=1

science

All Episodes

27:41

NASA's in Trouble

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.NASA is the primary means through which US astronomy is funded, which in turn leads astronomy globally. But significant cuts to NASA this year are hurting programs across the board, and many worry that the future looks grim for NASA's astronomy programs due to two growing problems on its horizon. Join us as we explore what's happening and what you can do.Written & presented by Prof. David

en

26:35

Crowded or Lonely? The Statistics of Alien Life

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

New research paper from the Cool Worlds Lab! Today we explore the implications of a classic result in statistics but applied to alien life for the first time. The result implies a startling conclusion, the cosmos is either teeming with intelligent civilizations, or we're essentially alone. Join us today as explore how this works and what the implications might be.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch:

en

6:37

How to Flip a Planet

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Many exoplanets, including hot-Jupiters, have been observed to orbit the star the wrong way round, in retrograde orbits relative to the star's rotation. Prof. Smadar Naoz from UCLA visited the Cool Worlds Lab and explained why this is so odd and how we might explain these bizarre observation.::More about this Video::► Prof Smadar Naoz homepage: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~snaoz/► Simulation video of planet-planet scattering, credit Trent Schindler / National Science Foundation:

en

18:12

A JuMBO Mystery - This Shouldn't Happen!

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Some startling discoveries from JWST and now Euclid and shaking up our ideas of planet formation and evolution - free floating worlds that really tax our current theories and could be just the tip of the iceberg. Join us today as we explore a "jumbo" mystery that's recently emerged in astronomy...Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast:

en

7:16

A Real Tractor Beam

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

NYU Professor of Physics, David Grier, dropped in to tell us about his team's amazing work building the world's first real life tractor beam. Just like Star Trek, he explains how their light beam pulls things toward it, how it works and how it could soon be used by NASA.::More about this Video::► Prof David Grier's homepage: http://physics.nyu.edu/grierlab/► "Building Star Trek", Smithsonian Channel: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/building-star-trek/0/3436402► Outro music by Taylor Davis:

en

23:37

Are Dyson Spheres Physically Possible?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.The idea of Dyson Spheres was a radical proposal by the physicist Freeman Dyson, an enormous shell of material enveloping a star. Dyson's idea may be over half a century old, but interest in looking for such objects has only grown in the decades since. But how would such structures work? Are they physically even possible? And what might someone use them for? Today, we dive into the physics of

en

5:17

Alien signal received from HD 164595?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Dr Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer of the SETI Institute, was at the New England Fall Astronomy Festival with me last week and I took the opportunity to ask him about the news reports of a SETI signal detected in Russia from the star HD 164595. Dr Shostak explains why he's not convinced that we've just heard from another civilization. Apologies for the noisy background and typo on the title: Shostak not Shostack!::More about this Video::► CNN News report:

en

25:57

Do "Grabby Aliens" Solve The Fermi Paradox?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: https://www.storyblocks.com/CoolWorldsThere are many possible solutions to the Fermi Paradox but a few have risen to particular prominence - including the "Grabby Aliens" hypothesis. Today, we'll explore what this solution proposes, what it assumes, and ultimately three reasons why I personally don't think it's right.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas

en

7:50

Climate Emergency? Global Sea Ice at Anomalously Low...

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/12

This week a plot showing the global sea ice over time went viral due to shockingly low levels, smashing previous records. The plot was so weird that we decided to check out the data for ourselves and see if it was legit. Indeed, we can reproduce this alarming plot and provide some links and scripts for any of you who want to go ahead and try yourselves. Here we get into why we think these kinds of weird observations may become more common in the future.::More about this Video::► National Sea and Ice

en

8:27

Proxima b QandA - is Proxima b tidally locked?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Thanks for all of your great comments and questions on our last two Proxima b videos! Here's a quick video covering some of the most common questions about Proxima b, such as: Is it tidally locked? Can we image it with Hubble? Can we take a photo with a flyby spaceship?::More about this Video::► "Discovery of a Planet around our Nearest Star: Proxima b" Cool Worlds video by Dr Guillem Anglada: https://youtu.be/59ClESB1AqA► "Proxima b: Transits, Habitability & How to Get There!" Cool Worlds video by

en

30:38

Interstellar Propulsion Technologies - RANKED!

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.Many of you wanted me to talk about the different interstellar propulsion ideas out there so we figured a fun way to compare them all would be in a tier list! Today we take a look at 14 different methods proposed to explore the stars. Let us know your rankings down below in the comments.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research:

en

7:41

How often does life start on other worlds?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Astrobiology an exciting new field studying how life begins and the conditions needed both on Earth and elsewhere in the cosmos. Columbia's Director of Astrobiology, Dr Caleb Scharf, dropped into the Cool Worlds Lab to tell us about his new paper which created a "Drake Equation" for abiogenesis. Whilst we can only guess at many of the factors in the equation right now, it provides a framework for tackling this problem going forward.::More about this Video::► The paper by Scharf & Cronin (2016),

en

11:23

IT'S HAPPENING!! RIGHT NOW!

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Unscripted excitement about what's coming next...→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastPrevious videos in this story…- Some Bad Newshttps://youtu.be/HtHqmlAb1pA- Some Good News https://youtu.be/4sv_sa_tLPg?si=9D4Pzh8H0TkisrTr- Why Exomoons Are So Important https://youtu.be/b2crw2DGy38?si=-mEc8rznBsO0GDahTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C

en

4:33

1000 Subs Thank-you + Channel Mission

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Woah, 1000 subscribers! Thanks to everyone who viewed and subscribed so far! Quick thank-you video and some background about this channel's goals and future. Stay curious!::More about this Video::► Cool Worlds Lab website: http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.edu► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ►

en

26:36

The Odds of Life - THIS CHANGED MY MIND

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Go to https://ground.news/CoolWorlds 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. There's been some new studies in the fields of paleopaleontology that have changed my mind about one of the most profound questions - does life start easily on Earth-like planets? Join me today to find out why.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research:

en

8:32

Proxima b: Transits, Habitability and How to Get There!

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Dr Guillem Anglada and the Pale Red Dot project team announced today the discovery of a planet orbiting our nearest star, Proxima Centauri! Prof Kipping provides an update on the search as to whether "Proxima b" also is seen to transit its star our the Cool Worlds Lab MOST data + a discussion of habitability and how to reach this planet!::More about this Video::► MOST telescope homepage: http://most.astro.ubc.ca► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For

en

24:11

From Wobbles to Worlds - Discovery of The Exoplanet...

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Thanks to Incogni for sponsoring us. Use the code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.Today we explore what could be considered a classic problem in exoplanetary science, yet one which has eluded astronomers for decades. Transit timing variations (TTVs) are seen in thousands in systems, literally wobbling worlds. Yet for the vast majority of cases, we have no solution for the culprit. Today, we present new research from our team that finds

en

26:17

Could A.I. Replace Scientists?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

It's getting harder to harder to ignore the potential disruptive power of AI in research. Scientists are already using AI tools but could the future lead to complete replacement of humans? How will our scientific institutions transform? These are difficult questions but ones we have to talk about in today's episode.Written, presented & edited by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our

en

10:34

How we know that the Earth's climate is changing

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Our own cool world is warming up. Dr Gavin Schmidt, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), visited the Cool Worlds Lab and explains how NASA actually measures these climatic changes and the modeling used to understand what is responsible for them.::More about this Video::► NASA GISS Surface Temperature Analysis software and data sources: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For

en

10:59

Did Astronomers Just Prove Dark Energy is an Illusion?

Cool Worlds ·

2026/09/11

Did astronomers just prove dark energy is wrong? Some breaking news this week that I couldn't resist covering on here...Written, presented & edited by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S

en

101 results

Similar Podcasts

NÖÖRDS - Der Podcast

NÖÖRDS

Autobiography of an Electron

Charles R. Gibson

Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Kurt Nelson, PhD and Tim Houlihan

Big Picture Science

Big Picture Science

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

Stuart Gary