StarTalk Deciphers the Cosmos, with Neil deGrasse Tyson - Week 1

Teacher or professor: StarTalk
Subject: Astronomy
Content of the Lesson: To celebrate the launch of "Cosmos: Possible Worlds," Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice are taking a deep dive into each Cosmos episode as they premiere. Neil and Chuck are investigating the first two Cosmos episodes with a slew of guests including people who made the show and others from the science community. Before we dive into episode number one, we reflect on what makes Cosmos the stand-out science show that it is and has been sine the original aired in 1980. Find out how the show emphasizes the importance of storytelling to explain scientific subjects. Then, we dive into the first episode: “Ladders to the Stars.” You’ll hear from executive producer Brannon Braga on garnering top industry talent to bring this new series to another level. Brannon tells us why he thinks Star Trek and Cosmos share a certain sense of optimism. You also better believe we talk about the Cosmic Calendar. Next, executive producer Jason Clark drops by to take us through the process of establishing the vocabulary and ideas of the season in the first episode. You’ll explore DNA with science communicator and psychologist Cara Santa Maria. Then we move on to the second episode, “The Fleeting Grace of the Habitable Zone,” as Neil chats with Polynesian Wayfinder Nainoa Thompson on the similarities between the first Polynesian Wayfinders adventuring into the pacific and our adventure today of traveling through the stars. Lastly, we ponder about humanity’s connection to the cosmos. Is humanity a way for the universe to know itself? How should we understand our place in the universe? All that, plus, Neil and Chuck give their final thoughts on what it means to have “hope.”


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