Universe

Ready to have your mind blown by the cosmos? Meet Eli Mercer, the teenage digital philosopher who makes the universe's biggest mysteries accessible, entertaining, and absolutely fascinating. From the Big Bang's first moments to the search for alien intelligence, Universe: Your Guide to Everything transforms complex cosmic concepts into mind-bending conversations about our place in an infinite cosmos. Discover how gravitational waves let us hear spacetime screaming, why we're made of ancient

Are we alone in the universe? Eli dives deep into astrobiology, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the mind-bending possibilities for life in forms we can barely imagine. From extremophiles thriving in Earth's most hostile environments to potentially habitable exoplanets and the subsurface oceans of icy moons, explore what the discovery of alien life would mean for humanity's place in the cosmic story. Grapple with the Fermi Paradox and consider whether the universe's apparent silence

Explore the incredible technologies that have revolutionized our understanding of the universe, from Galileo's simple telescope to gravitational wave detectors that can sense ripples in spacetime itself. Eli guides listeners through the ingenious instruments that collect ancient light, listen to cosmic collisions, and peer into the atmospheres of distant worlds. Learn how AI and machine learning are transforming astronomy and discover the ambitious projects that will define the next century of

Eli takes listeners on a breathtaking journey from the Big Bang to today, exploring the mind-boggling scale and structure of the universe. From cosmic inflation and the formation of the first stars to the cosmic web of galaxies and our place within it, this episode sets the stage for understanding how 13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution created the conditions for complexity, consciousness, and wonder. Discover why we're living in the universe's golden age and what it means to be made of ancient