Episode #1658
Neil Degrasse Tyson
Books mentioned
The War of the Worlds
Mentioned by Neil Degrasse Tyson · at 00:48:43 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
The Bible
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 01:03:22 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Salem's Lot
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 01:20:35 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Julius Caesar
Mentioned by Neil Degrasse Tyson · at 02:55:55 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Timestamps are segment start times from the podscripts.co transcript of the audio release (includes ad reads), so they may differ from the video by a few minutes.
Astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses how evidence for UFO claims should be evaluated, along with scientific literacy, pseudoscience, and confirmation bias. He and Joe Rogan explore cosmic expansion, multiple universes, the Big Bang, possible cosmic endings, and how science fiction, technology, belief, and creativity shape human ideas about the universe.
What they talked about
- Randomness vs. evenly spread patterns in nature
- Challenges of teaching middle school students
- Animal intelligence and human exceptionalism
- UFO evidence and the burden of proof
- Pluto's demotion and the search for Planet X
- The Big Bang, cosmic microwave background, and multiverse
- Science communication, Twitter, and public education
- Astrology vs. astronomy and tidal forces
Data last updated · Report a mistake · How it works: mentions are pulled from public transcripts and episode descriptions, partly with AI-assisted extraction, so details and timestamps can be off.