Alternative Aliens with Andy Weir and David Grinspoon

What do aliens look like? In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice talk aliens with astrobiologist David Grinspoon, “Dr. Funkyspoon,” featuring Neil's interview with The Martian author, Andy Weir, on his new book Project Hail Mary.
To start, we discuss what astrobiologists think aliens look like and the fractal architecture present on Earth. Getting into Andy’s book: could microbes live on our sun? What would happen if the sun dimmed? Find out about the oxygen catastrophe that created snowball Earth early in our planet’s history. Are carbon, liquid water, and metabolism always necessary to life? We break down Andy’s invention of “astrophage” and the concept of panspermia.
What would happen if something cooled the Earth? Discover scenarios where we would have to accelerate our greenhouse effect and other real-life theories on geoengineering. Would plans to shade the sun really help fight global warming? Also find out what species will exploit our changing earth as it gets warmer. Is there life on venus? Acquaint yourself with the cloud people of venus as we explore alternative ways life may exist in our own solar system. What would happen if we needed to invent things very quickly, could we do it?
We also discuss SpaceX and driving down the price of getting to low-Earth orbit. Once we start sending people into space, will we have space diseases? The Andromeda Strain? You’ll learn the difference between microbes adapted to space and those adapted to a planet. We beg the question, how dare we enter into another world at all? You’ll also discover why we purposefully crashed Casini into Saturn and the Planetary Protection Protocol. All that, plus we talk space exploration, generational spaceships, and space lasers accelerating mini spacecrafts!
Thanks to our Patrons Jason Mahoney, Connor Snitker, Stephen Fosmark, Christopher Orzechowski, Tony Baker, Mike l Ness, Daniel L Thompson, Ashley Finamore, Luigi Santiago-Villa for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
About the prints that flank Neil in this video:
"Black Swan” & "White Swan" limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. inuit.com
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@turdlemelton3571]

Being homeless in LA, you guys are my favorite parts of my days. Thank you so much Neil and you too Chuck!

[@mbrew3244]

To better days for you in the very near future.

[@iannamboga7995]

To better days my man ❤️🙏🏿

[@ethanpeeples6187]

Still homeless bro?

[@edenb329]

location checks out

[@climbingbear9042]

Homeless in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and California as well. Thank you Neil and Chuck for making the universe available to all of us!

[@wahn10]

42:48 I love how Neil says "let's geek out here for a moment" when they've been doing that for 42 straight minutes (and every episode) 😆. In fact this is geek heaven.

[@CamilaSaurus]

😂

[@peanutbutter732]

wait am i a geek?

[@joannecook1335]

@@peanutbutter732 🤣

[@WildlifeWarrior-cr1kk]

I've been geeking out for 47 years

[@WildlifeWarrior-cr1kk]

​@@peanutbutter732no you're a dork

[@lonewolf36s]

I am proud to be alive alongside Neil & Chuck. Can't name a single time I have ever been disappointed, nor a single time my brain has not expanded, by listening and watching and enjoying. I hope he knows how valuable he is to society.

[@noemipascal]

Do me a favour and watch cowspiracy and seaspiracy on Netflix, then read Neil's comments against a plant based lifestyle. This is the only time I was disappointed of him as he should know better.

[@sayittomyfaceortapglassfar4392]

@@noemipascal well no one's perfect and he has bosses too

[@kindu812]

@@noemipascal what do you mean? Are you talking about him talking about what plant based intelligence would look like ?

[@XanaxandAdderall]

Now that astrology has been scientifically proven and is rather robust especially when it comes to the possession of the equinox and the fact that tribes in Africa knew of certain stars and dual systems. Sorry I'm going back to Buddhism

[@DeepBoxGames]

I love talking about Space but my friends are always asking me “what could I possibly know about space” I say I have my own personal Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson. Cosmic mic drop

[@AMikeStein]

Me too! That and I tell them I read... a lot.

[@kevinashe6]

@@AMikeStein wa

[@RahnOzzy]

Can I borrow this..? Credit to you...!! 💯💯💯

[@KathrynLizenby]

My mother thought I was insane for loving science.

[@PaletteBegonia]

Same dude , I hate that some people can even respond like that.. the arrogance ☠️ but all there doing is directly telling you what they can contribute too the conversation.. which is nothing sadly and I just don’t understand how someone could have no curiosity about what’s up there and never spend time looking into it…. People literally waste the time we have here doing the most pointless of things yet never seem too interested in asking questions or seeking answers.

[@cheeks8991]

I just finished Project Hail Mary, Definitely one of my more favorite books. I recommend it 10/10. it's on audible as well.

[@dotpace7284]

Neil degrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice are my favorites ..StarTalk...I have a Startalk T-shirt! Yaaay!

[@alirezamohseni5475]

I just finished the audiobook and I it was f**ing out of this world! ( pun intended ). I defenitly recommend the audiobook over the book itself, not trying to spoil it but in some parts of the story sound plays an important role!

[@sarahr4099]

Chuck is my favorite, I just love how absolutely sweet he seems. I love in another episode, he made a worm hole on his laser printer thing and he was so excited, he brings a much needed element to this whole show

[@dakotadad8835]

Such a genius idea to have Tyson teamed up with a comedian, I love this channel and all the topics they cover and they add a little humor on top of that it’s fantastic! ⭐️🌠🌕🔭🪐☄️🛰🚀👩‍🚀👽🛸👾

[@jnmwtkns]

My god im an idiot for not picking these up before. Now I literally cant get enough! Thanks so much to entire science community for these eye and mind opening series of videos. I hope to catch as many live occasions as humanly possible.

[@maximusdecimus5371]

Gotta say this, Mr. Nice, you are awesome. Whenever someone is down, Just watch him making fun conversation with Mr. Tyson and guests. I love watching Startalk to break and make the day again. Thank you, Mr Nice and Mr. Tyson for all the work you guys bring into this world and even beter, into our ears! So THANKS!

[@kenbee1957]

"Let's geek out here for a minute..." Yes, Neil, let's 😀

[@ahardcorejedi2968]

Chucks questions are over here evolving like pokemon Love ya chuck.

[@simplyrowen]

I support Chuck’s motion to make “People from the Clouds” . I’d read that novel/watch that movie 🍿 Celestia lol.

[@KeljuIvan]

In the old game Star Control 2 you could meet creatures who live in the outer gas layers of a gas giant.

[@simplyrowen]

@@KeljuIvan 😯 is it a computer game or for a console?

[@luciendesar]

Finished reading Project Hail Mary. two days ago. Fantastic book. Very much like Martian (of that genre). Love the characters in it.

[@popinjayackroyd4526]

Project Hail Mary is the best book I have read in over a decade. Every book of Weir's is better than the previous one.

[@Zagy21]

Ok so here is a little story; I’m an international student from France in central New York. Behind my dorm hall I made friends with a groundhog; now we watch each other for minutes at a time from a few feet distance and listen to some music together. Today I watched an entire 40+ minutes of cosmic queries with my groundhog buddy. Thats how lonely I am 😂.

[@SH7SH7SH7]

Cool

[@anothermouth7077]

Dude, you got an awesome groundhog to company you, you're not alone 😄

[@Makairl]

I live with fish 🐠🐟🐳

[@njones420]

Do they have groundhogs in new york? are you sure it's not a huge rat? ;) love the story though!

[@ayannawatts3446]

@@njones420 if he's upstate it may indeed be a groundhog. I just moved the Poughkeepsie NY and we get rabbits in the yard, the city bus drove through a clearing full of deer and I've yet to see an aggressive city-like pigeon.

[@mickeycraven1822]

Just ordered Andy’s book via Audible. Looking forward to it.

[@DarkTempler1]

why? they debunked his theories already

[@nestormarrero538]

It’s great. Just read it

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

@@DarkTempler1 mate... it's fiction...

[@ThePixelExpedition]

Another fantastic episode. Thank you so much for these conversations of phenomenal topics. Can't get enough!

[@barbaralachance5836]

There are extreme organism on earth that love acid 😂 lol! My aunty in the 70s sure did hahaha

[@DeuceGenius]

She was one extreme organism

[@galatea3107]

And Still Do ✨

[@rohansharma1574]

😂

[@arjitjere1559]

Haha she was extremophile

[@backwardsman8887]

Don't get us started on what lengths those people will go to get it.

[@christianolivera8019]

I love the use of the extra clips with Andy Weir in this video!

[@alaina3164]

I'm reading Andy Weir's new book now! I love it so far!

[@thegreenhornetkato6211]

Wow.... I haven't heard the name "Rahsaan Roland Kirk" since the late 1970's . That guy is an amazing musician

[@FifthCornerRecords]

Yea he is, I've been experimenting with playing different combinations of instruments ever since I discovered him last year!! Pretty fun haha

[@monsieurgolem3392]

4:17, you beat me to it, he played multiple reed instruments at a time.

[@Anti-HyperLink]

If Dr. Tyson wrote a novel, I'd buy it multiple times. As long as the audio book was narrated by him.

[@michaelvazquez5144]

Neil has written a book lol Astrophysics for people in a hurry and it’s in audiobook but not sure if he’s narrating

[@gothsauceproductions5243]

My favorite alien singer was the blue lady vocalist from the film “The 5th Element”

[@dami7018]

These videos are the only thing that keeps my mind happy while trying to fall asleep, thank you

[@starlessmystery6429]

I’m so appreciative of this video right now. Need some cheering up

[@mouawyaa]

Starless ⭐️ 🌟

[@jsmithers.]

But this video is about gloom and doom

[@ahardcorejedi2968]

The world is vast, and we are as vast internally as the universe, as we make our way through the galaxy, we'll live on.

[@fletchy88]

@@jsmithers. it's kind of interesting (or a word for something less than interesting) that you arrange it gloom and doom.... Instead of doom and gloom like the saying actually goes and everyone who has ever lived says it properly 😂😂😂 no hate... Just my mind wonders, just... Like, why? It's confusing

[@jsmithers.]

@@fletchy88 No everyone says gloom first...

[@AMikeStein]

I’ve been waiting for Andy’s next book. Forgot it had recently Come out until this episode. Needless to say I just bought it. Especially after hearing his description of the content.

[@steby123]

That's some excellent writing !!!!! AND fine spoken narration !!

[@ayoslim3599]

I love these typa convos 💪🏾 keep up w the amazing content 💯🙏🏾

[@Soumyabasu5]

What I love about Startalk is the encapsulation, even in geeking out. Just before the end of the video, while David Grinspoon was talking about starshot technology, I was actually thinking of the speed of light and Proxima Centauri being 4 ly away. So whatever is the time to be taken by the stamp sized spacecrafts, the time to analyze the signals will be +4 years, and I was just planning to post this question on Patreon for another episode of Cosmic queries. Guess what, Dr. Tyson just shrugged of my idea of a question in 2 seconds! XD

[@hoarder66]

Neil and Chuck r a great team. Never split up

[@EzFlyers10]

Grinspoon still my favorite guest. He's so awesome

[@OmarAbdulMalikDHEdMPASPACPAPro]

This is such a refreshing show!😊 I've always contemplated this question (" What do aliens look like?"👾👽🤖).🤔 I look forward to watching more of your videos!👋🏾👨🏾‍⚕️

[@manpreetbhattee9732]

Gentle reminder. We love Neil and Chuck and ofc Dr Spoon, just thought I should say this more often.

[@user-tc1fw5ms5s]

Every Chuck Nice co-hosted video is a banger. I wish it was 100% Niel & Chuck hosted

[@rinaldo-rex]

14:33: "Mitochondria, which is the power house of the cell" 🤣 That joke was overlooked.

[@iloverussia111]

Lets see what my favourite scientist and astrophysicist got for me today

[@nolan412]

Chuck Nice!

[@montanamike7948]

You sound ridiculous saying that

[@Gooberguy8705]

There was a neat episode of ALF, where David Stiers cameoed, and discribed ALFs homeworld just by looking at him. I don't know how accurate it is, but it seemed to make sense.

[@lucyspearl]

Here for this discussion. 🙌🏾

[@artswri]

One of the best in this series!

[@BryonLetterman]

I'm anxiously waiting for the next Andy Weir movie. I must have seen "The Martian" like three times when it came out. I thought it was fascinating

[@Superphilipp]

Guy wrote three novels, they‘re awesome!

[@cristallechanelboone9781]

Love this show, dynamic duo, but Tyson’s voice is so Brainy ASMR 💛

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

a wise man once proposed that the scariest thing we could find on another planet is other humans because it would completely undo all we know about our selfs and where we came from the only thing we're not prepared to find in the darkness Is our selves

[@drkFenix9]

Phew!!! That reading of the ending passage from War of the Worlds by Neil gave me goose bumps!

[@sathanimations1457]

37:54 Things from space hurting people on Earth isn't new. 'The Andromeda Strain' was microbes on a satellite, and the OG 'Night of the Living Dead' mentioned space radiation as a possible cause for zombies.

[@LysaHawley]

Can't wait to see you in Indianapolis in September!

[@jacobeverett2024]

I'm going to see him in Oklahoma city in October!!! Justbas you said can't wait!!!

[@NeganJeff]

Ok what about the Pentagon reports on UAP's?

[@jeroenjager8064]

This is what we subscribed for! Or at least me.

[@DrSimpp]

Lol mood

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Andy Wier! My fractal friend! So many people don't understand This world is so connected! But fractal dudes do!

[@Eremon1]

5 minutes in and I've already started generating visions in my head regarding aliens and music. Now I can't get the image of the multi-mouthed alien from Alien series, where all the mouths shoot out, one after the other. The last mouth has a harmonica in it playing the blues.

[@njones420]

haha, love it! (I'm being forced to play through alien isolation at the moment, this thought will help with the terror)

[@abacue1976]

What a great show! Thank You!

[@NorthwestAdventurerNWA]

Glad I discovered this channel!

[@pennyevans7446]

Roland Kirk Did a song called "One Ton" He played five instruments at once, Tenor Sax, A flute, a nose flute, a Stretch and a "moncello" at the new Port Jazz festival in 1968.

[@shaun906]

I am 2/3 rds my may through and I'm gripped, amazing writing not to mention the story, I highly highly highly 🤫 recommend the audio book!

[@mouawyaa]

One of the best channels ever

[@JS-yf9xh]

Loved this in entirety.

[@JBMoney.]

Can't wait until June

[@Lauramagic18]

Star Talk is my favorite part of life!

[@jewscontrolyou9730]

Ur a genius

[@robvangessel3766]

This was 2 years ago, so I trust and hope since then Neil got Chuck to see Andromeda Strain. It's profane not to know Michael Crichton's output of so many sci fi classics. "Too young"? I've seen LOTS of films that were made before I was born. NOT an excuse! If we're gonna geek out, we gotta do it together.

[@zSwervee]

Wow, Chuck asks such smart questions 🙏🏻

[@cronistamundano8189]

I heard that there are two "Panspermia" hipotheses are out there One, called "Hard panspermia", is the one tha is described on the video The Second, cald "soft panspermia" is that, since organic molecules have been discovered in clouds, meteorites, comets, stellar formation rings, that all that biological material gets exchanged over time so the "Panspermia" comes acutally from the whole universe

[@tims.440]

Anyone gonna talk about the UAP coverage on 60 Minutes and everywhere else?

[@brandonlow]

His refusal to give an opinion on the topic is comical at this point.

[@tims.440]

@@brandonlow tbh I have lost a lot of respect for him and other science educators for simply ridiculing the subject and not addressing it maturely. I am a science teacher and skeptic in general. It was only after the 60 Minutes interview that I began to tip over the 50% mark in belief in UFOs.

[@n1mutant]

@@tims.440 same here, just a science enthusiast but after 60 mins started taking some of these evidence seriously and was hoping that Neil or few others I have been sub to for years now will address it but they are pretending it doesn't exist at all... its really weird

[@bunnyban5365]

Because he’s a joke

[@njones420]

because those "UFO" videos are laughable... here's some of the obvious debunks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHSraHWNfNWfa9U kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHSraHWNfNWfa9U

[@jasN86]

Great episode!!!

[@albooga]

@45:50 oh NOW we're geeking out

[@anewman]

WOO i have patreon but i decided to wait until thursday for this one. Lets goooo

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Me too.

[@plant.more.trees.]

I like the plant more trees for some geo engineering!

[@guytheincognito4186]

Yeah calculations has been done and even planting 20 million trees successfully would only have a miniscule effect on the global system as a whole. Just saying.

[@plant.more.trees.]

@@guytheincognito4186 the problem we have to solve is not the quantity of trees we plant, but the quality of specimens, the quality of planting , and the follow up maintenance they will need to prolific at capturing carbon. I will upload a video soon with one of my teaches talking about this. Take care and plant more trees

[@tofu2383]

You guys are great, I enjoy your Star Talk a lot. I have read all of Andy Wier 's books. Great stuff. I just wonder why there was no mention of the other alien entity, in Project Hail Mary, called Rocky. This alien explores how different aliens could be from our own law of physics, reality. Anyway, I'm sure this will get talked about eventually.

[@chancem2382]

Dr.Grinspoon is a wonderful strain! ❤

[@reidsmith9073]

Was very cool to find out that Dr. Funkyspoons has the same belief about life elsewhere in the universe as I!!!

[@641199]

Neil laughing makes me happy.

[@stewdaniels88]

I am dying to hear Neil’s reaction to the 60 minutes segment about the Navy’s interaction with genuine unexplained phenomena. They have gathered an incredible amount of data. Whatever it is, it’s something real... come on, share those thoughts sir!

[@freeyaaa]

Can you provide a link to this segment?

[@larmufc1]

He won't go into it.. He was definitely consulted about this by the Pentagon

[@stewdaniels88]

@Ariel Lazarus Unfortunately you’re responding to your own ideas on a broader topic and not what I actually wrote. I simply asked about the UAP segment on 60 minutes and I didn’t propose or even imply an explanation.

[@stewdaniels88]

@Ariel Lazarus Not being coy, I am just genuinely baffled by the segment and I don’t know enough to guess as to what the objects described in it could be

[@raidermaxx2324]

@@larmufc1 BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHHA ... really? you know this for a fact??? ROFL

[@otvicious6296]

this is a really nice duo

[@Venhili]

22:54 on in, I couldn't help but visualize the episode of Futurama where they drop an ice cube in the ocean to solve global warming "once and for all" and each time they have to add more and more ice, it just made me chuckle that this is something we're seriously discussing 😂

[@sciencewolf7775]

I just finished Project Hail Mary.

[@ZodiacVoodoo23]

I like Stanislav Lem's notion that a majority of life in the Universe may Photosynthesize or Chemosynthesize and planets where (like our own) life feeds on life may be quarantined. Also I read somewhere that the form that has parallel evolved again and again the most times in Earth history is the "Crab" form....so I'm guessing Green Lobster Police.....

[@digital_ferret7263]

this is a very interesting topic

[@fredkidd9478]

I know I am not a patron, but please consider an episode on the “slinky effect” in relation to planetary motion.

[@MusicGunn]

The time to believe something is when there is evidence for it. Extraordinary

[@imakethesites3048]

Intergalactic battle of the bands would be epic

[@JoseGarcia-dw9tt]

You people are beautiful, thank you for sharing your minds and humor to the masses willing to listen to your wisdom. I talk to my friends about you all and about ideas, getting to the point I was asked this: Do you think there’s life in other universes? Any help? Assuming he knows there r other universes lol

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

AndyW, I enjoyed your short stories, ‘The Egg, especially the ‘Annie’ story’, plus ‘Hail Mary’ is on my 2022 reading list. … Great episode. So your ending HGWells verse, was your way of saying all the people who died from SAR-CoV did not die in vain and it is a premptive strike for an alien invasion? Thank you Neil…

[@pennyevans7446]

Thanks!

[@JoseAlvarezV]

Hey guys big fan of your show!

[@marianfrances4959]

WHY do I smile through this entire video? 😉👍🇨🇦✨🦇

[@JohnyG29]

I don't know.

[@DrkEnigma]

What do aliens look like ??....take a walk through Walmart at any given hour.....geeesh....😒

[@JavierFernandez01]

Hahahha. Someone must buying those grapefruit drinks. 👽👾🕴🛸

[@Mixmastermez]

I'm so glad I only go there maybe once a year and that's to much

[@mattyy101]

Story about a rogue black whole or star passing by would be fun :)

[@stevesingkofer8879]

"Climatic" was correct, Neil, in the context in which Dr. Funkyspoon used it.

[@josephmiller1576]

Love this

[@kevinhagen7808]

I'd like to see the author James S.A. Corey (both of them) on Startalk. Their book series would be interesting to discuss with regard to humans expanding out to the solar system, if that would in reality be possible, and the physiological, cultural and political possibilities of such expansion, and the way space flight powered by fusion is described in the books including military engagements and the discovery of an alien technology and how that might relate to the possibility of alien life in reality.

[@imdiyu]

Andromeda Stain is one of the best SciFi films.

[@zero65ss1]

Love Dr. funkyspoon

[@medunco]

If you’re interested in generational starships, you must read Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson!

[@adorable6385]

Love you Doctor

[@toponesss]

Neil is the host, Chuck it's one of us 👍

[@randy11748]

As I told my girlfriend, “I’m not a musician, baby, I’m a drummer”.

[@757simmer7]

What?

[@ricoridgez3822]

Literally what😂

[@EchoLocoCJ]

Is this a Ben Shapiro joke?

[@Superphilipp]

It‘s a drummer joke. The best kind.

[@picturebreakdown]

I’d like to personally give an award to the people who commented “first” to commemorate their stupendous achievement

[@LysaHawley]

Lol

[@chromabotia]

See "The Black Cloud" by Fred Hoyle, for what is the original sci-fi variation of this Weir story.

[@humbledbythepower6821]

Virtual studio like the space station!!

[@user-rq1pq5gy6y]

I agree with possibly looking or performing in some way familiar . Only to our Milky Way though. Haven’t finished the video yet though so you might say that right when I unpause it lol! They do say we are the heart of the universe. Maybe that applies to location. And unit.

[@Vohlfied]

House Band of the Universe: SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT

[@caonabo2]

Interesting!