The Stoner Episode with Janna Levin & Neil deGrasse Tyson - Cosmic Queries

Is anything real? Is time just a construct? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Matt Kirshen answer your far-out questions about black holes, dark matter, and the universe with astrophysicist Janna Levin.
Could you surf gravitational waves? What is the universe expanding into? We visualize the expanding universe, the inside of atoms, and what it even means for particles to interact. Is everything just a form of energy? Is there a physical reality or are we all just perceiving ourselves in the moment?
We dive into if time is a human construct. Is time fundamental to the universe? We explore models for the death of the universe and what would happen if nothing changed. Discover how time dilation works and whether gravity and velocity could cancel each other out. What does it mean to rotate between space and time?
What is the temperature inside a black hole? Are they cold or hot? What happens when dark matter enters a black hole? We discuss Hawking radiation, gamma rays, and what a black hole really looks like. All that, plus, get our step-by-step guide on how to open up a wormhole and an invitation to 2005’s time traveler conference.
Thanks to our Patrons Ivan Masjuk, c, Nathan Mitchell, Conner Kemmsies, Dustin Dewayne Hart, Kyle Reinsberg, Andrew Magri, Virginia Cohen, Cathleen Corrie, and David Claassen for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
Get the NEW Cosmic Queries book (5/5 ⭐s on Amazon!): amzn.to/3dYIEQF
Get Janna Levin’s ‘Black Hole Survival Guide’: amzn.to/3hUif8g
Support us on Patreon: / startalkradio
FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk:
Twitter: / startalkradio
Facebook: / startalk
Instagram: / startalk
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!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson
0:00 - Introduction
1:52 - Janna Levin’s Pioneer Works
3:33 - Can Black Holes Create Repulsive Gravity Waves?
8:51 - What Is The Universe Expanding Into?
13:24 - Is Everything Just A Form Of Energy?
17:27 - Social Media Plugs
18:29 - Is Time Just A Human Invention?
22:21 - Why Does Gravity Slow Time?
27:30 - Do Your Feet Age Quicker Than Your Head?
32:01 - Janna Levin’s Books
34:11 - Why Are Black Holes So Cold?
41:20 - Will A Black Hole Radiate Dark Matter?
43:00 - How Do We Open A Worm Hole?
47:13 - Closing Notes

[@StarTalk]

Be honest...Was your mind blown?!

[@Logan-kv5cv]

Honestly yes, i was smoking with my girlfriend and when you all started talking about us being energy and molecules i got the tingles😂

[@bigwill123ism]

With Startalk, my mind is always blown lol

[@jasonleblanc-comeau9705]

That there no chuck

[@infinatep1mp737]

Always at least 1 thing I learn per episode

[@williamckama8470]

I come2 klass

[@MosiExotix]

Luv star talk! But for a true stoner edition we definitely need Chuck 🔥😂

[@gazzabethyname]

Exactly.

[@jagrutpandya07]

True 😂

[@paul4280]

Yeah I was very disappointed not seeing Chuck 😢

[@CompaCookies]

@@paul4280 me too, “but then I got high”

[@fuzzykurb]

Facts. Chuck is the stoner addition that makes the educational information entertaining

[@Igor-Demchuk]

It's always so great to see Janna Levin on the podcast.

[@mxxxrcalexxxander9394]

I don’t know what’s sexier her looks or her brains lol

[@thegreenhornetkato6211]

Brains ! ......definitely Brains... looks and the rest of her is a bonus

[@StarTalk]

It's always a blast!

[@Esteb86]

@@thegreenhornetkato6211 I agree!

[@brucepreston3927]

Janna Levin is my favorite guest! I could sit an listen to her talk about this stuff for hours...She has a way of explaining things that makes sense to me...I've watched all of her past episodes many times! Love the show!

[@cristinal919]

Genuinely countless times. I agree, by far the best guest.

[@B1u35ky]

Same, no Chuck though :(

[@brucepreston3927]

Yea, I like this guy also but Chuck and Janna together is awesome! Chuck always gets his mind blown! lol

[@OGMrWayne]

Preach

[@-___-g]

I agree ☝️

[@June_Magoo]

Loving the stoner friendliness, casualness and positivity towards it by such intelligent scientists

[@jeanmakesgames]

If you make that stoner edition, you NEED to have Chuck Nice has co-host! 😂🙏👍 Also, love Jenna and Matt, always a pleasure to see them on the show ☺

[@dunderwood4444]

This is true, Lord Nice will ELEVATE the Stoner edition episode

[@shinjutsu4235]

That's what i said 🤣🤣🤣Chuck would have LOVED this episode

[@frantisekvtelensky820]

Chuck and the album Dopethrone by Electric Wizzard as a background. 🙏👍

[@colliersmith5499]

Agreed

[@nashbassett4120]

This needs to be done getting high and watching this is the best thing you can do (that's productive AND easy that is)

[@user-tc1fw5ms5s]

The Janna Levin episodes are always so good! Her knowledge of her field is incredible, that field is one of the scientific topics im most interested in, and on top of it she's funny and easy to understand. More Janna episodes please! (And it would be dope to have Chuck for a stoner edition especially)

[@laurafortier9295]

Janna is so chill. Her mic makes her look like she has her knee up while she's chatting. She always talks about this stuff so conversationally. Much appreciated!!

[@laurafortier9295]

She's the kind of person you'd want to be at a dinner party with. And she is so ready to laugh and smile. It's fun for her. That's super cool

[@astilen5647]

Please do an actual stoner episode, we need a good laugh and an immense sense of wonder just like Carl Sagan

[@TooshanSrivastava]

yes please

[@thomastmc]

Id very much enjoy to participating on that (cough) 😉

[@amriddle01]

I think it's best they don't promote recreational drug use. Especially considering the health implications amongst other issues...

[@astilen5647]

​@@amriddle01 Please don't promote mediocrity. Do you know the health implications amongst other issues of living restricted protected lives under the care of your 'betters', or being misinformed and not knowing what your limitations are? We asked them to have a healthy amount, not act like teenagers. They actually need to show teenagers what is the proper use because all they see is rappers doing it wrong and making it superficial. Plus, using it justifies a more emotional inspirational show just like Carl Sagan did, whom you must look up immediately.

[@Takeangel1995]

@@astilen5647 Tell me, what is the proper use then? As a person that walked away with a psychosis after smoking cannabis for a few years, I really wonder what the "save amount" is, when different people react extremely differently to different substances.

[@JuanFlores-zg2zs]

Oh how awesome would it be to have Janna as a professor; her way of explaining is so clear. I really appreciate her presence in these Star Talk episodes. It’s uplifting

[@calapsesathir4408]

FINALLY. JANNA LEVIN.

[@StarTalk]

We're as excited as you!

[@TJ-hs1qm]

37:34 gravitational energy in the curvature of the space time wow by far the best explanation I've ever heard!!! Janna Levin is so awesome in explaining this stuff 🙏🙏🙏

[@swoodruff]

That blew my mind. Everything that falls into a black hole completely disappears and turns into freakin gravity...

[@Logan-kv5cv]

For stoners? Im in‼️‼️

[@danaprescott8977]

🙌🏻😂😂

[@danaprescott8977]

Love it😜

[@gazzabethyname]

Bruh, where's Chuck when you need him.

[@Logan-kv5cv]

@@gazzabethyname im sayin😭😭

[@skatealex1]

@@gazzabethyname was thinking that too. Like seeing Chuck for more out there episodes.

[@SadCatSad]

Im listening to Startalk in the morning on my way to work, and i just wanna say that i cant get enough of your comedic and yet intelligent way of stating facts and theories. Thank you Mr Tyson for being an awesome human being!

[@SadCatSad]

@Shon Mardani not true...There are many facts stated by all of them during this episode as they were explaining theories. This is how you articulate a theory. Based on facts and knowledge we speculate that X behaves like Y ^^

[@StarTalk]

Thank you for this awesome comment! Glad you're enjoying :)

[@wendy645]

​@@SadCatSad One might say it's a relative theory, even!

[@a13Banger]

I must say, this episode in particular, this particular panel, everything was clicking so well I think that this was my favorite Star Talk ever and I think I have heard just about all of them. Such amazing work S.T. Team

[@StarTalk]

So glad to hear you think that! Thank you.

[@juliesloan4100]

It's only my 2nd! Easy hook. And Jana, I keep thinking how much alike atoms and solar systems are, which makes size another dimension, if each atom had the possibility of containing a type M planet with life

[@swoodruff]

@@juliesloan4100 I've thought about that before too! What if every atom in our universe was a whole other universe? Crazy to think about

[@oscarbaezsoria1650]

Petition to bring Janna every week....👍🏻

[@Nefville]

You can tell Chuck learns from Neil but also Neil has definitely learned some comedy from Chuck! 😂🤣 I love it my two favorite science educators! Neil and Janna are so good at explaining these deep subjects. I've spent most of my life studying this stuff, its familiar to me and even still I can't wait to watch you two discuss these subjects. Would love love love to take one of Janna's classes.

[@tomv7327]

Totally agree on your comment on how the two have learned from each other. I was thinking the same thing.

[@joehebert789]

Star Talk episodes with Janna definitely cause time to pass more quickly than normal.

[@swoodruff]

Heyyy we discovered time travelling to the near future!

[@michaelallen2501]

Not gonna lie, I sit down with a freshly brewed coffee and a freshly packed bowl every time to fully enjoy Star Talk lol. I also purchased the classic Cosmos series with Carl for background noise to fall asleep at night. I can't help but be fascinated by the world and universe around me. Getting high just makes me appreciate it that much more. 🤷‍♂️

[@skepticusmaximus184]

I know. It's like how I get drunk and it makes certain people to look reeeeeeal pretty. 😍 😜

[@manasisnehal1572]

It's always an interesting episode when janna is on the show.. I have never missed any of her episodes. Love her! ❤✨🌈

[@ollywright]

Janna is awesome: such an engaging and entertaining manner whilst communicating very complex ideas clearly.

[@mikesmalling2020]

Matts room looks like every spare room in England 🇬🇧

[@PkmnMasterHolly]

Loved this episode!!!!

[@StarTalk]

We're so glad you did!

[@colinmcisaac6263]

Every episode is a stoner episode, Neil

[@0blueskycomplex]

Legit. Love getting elevated and learning.

[@THCza]

I always watch each episode while blazing. It's the law

[@infinatep1mp737]

Love listening to this while working to renovate my new home. Always learning

[@StarTalk]

Happy renovations! Always learning is the best way to be.

[@AdamOn24s]

I love starting my day with startalk you two are the best!

[@eddiemasa77]

I love when Janna levin and Charles lui come to the show! Please more of them!!!

[@sirvapalot]

I am actually enjoying being high smoking bongs while watching and listening to this fabulous discussion,, we may be high but we are hungry for knowledge.

[@ilaphroaig]

Janna, my favorite guest of all time!

[@kameronpayne9291]

Janna Levin needs to be a full time co host love her energy

[@vincentbeaulieu5300]

Chuck is my favourite co-host, but matt has a knack for segueing questions into answers of previous questions that i just love ❤️

[@jool7793]

Chuck would have been great in this episode. He’s the only reason I listen to this podcast.

[@harper4622]

Please bring back stoner edition!! Let chuck tag along for one too 😎🥴

[@williamdecker3989]

You had me at stoners! So we could be in a galaxy inside a giant's thumbnail?

[@dougyplex]

I love when Jann 11 is on the show! Always a fascinating conversation that makes me daydream about black holes and space time for days afterward.

[@georgiabrower7112]

I enjoyed this edition So Much!! Great guests, great subject matter that answered some questions I had myself. Great humor and great big smiles all around. BRAVO ZULU!

[@rurouni.]

Neil is way too happy that the idea of a Stoner edition of the show was brought up 🤣

[@user-oi6ec8ge4c]

Was rolling a joint when this video dropped

[@StarTalk]

Meant for you!

[@onigvd77]

I like how this episode came out March 11 my time, and featured Janna Levin as well, nice little rhyming coincidence :)

[@30Goblins]

MORE JANA LEVIN AND MATT KIRSHEN! MORE MORE MOREEEE!

[@king5phenom]

Lets goo time to get my startalk mug out

[@StarTalk]

Woohoo! Whatcha drinking?

[@king5phenom]

@@StarTalk currently snowed in here in Avon,Colorado so a nice hot chocolate sounds about right. P.s I received your mug yesterday thank youuuuu for everything

[@Richie876]

Every episode is a stoner edition!

[@SuperiorDave]

Im not sure how to handle an episode without my favorite comedian Chuck Nice.

[@NoahFroio]

As a long-time ocean diver and kayaker, I can tell you, unequivocally, that the water IS indeed moving (4:30) near shore. The major body of water that is the ocean may be moving up and down, but breakers and waves, definitely have a strong forward and backward (under-tow) movement and can be witnessed by how far a wave will push you from (or toward) a stationary object (landmass or surface piercing rock formation).

[@TheMapleMandalorian]

that title got me on lock lmao

[@StarTalk]

Haha! We hope you enjoy :)

[@TheMapleMandalorian]

@@StarTalk I enjoyed very much! Thanks for the video and the reply! Have a good one, Chuck, Neil, and whoever may be the one reading comments!

[@scoobertmcruppert2915]

Wait…how do you do the stoner episode without Chuck?

[@jadedmonroe8526]

I Truly enjoy Janna Levin on the show. Would love to see more of her! Missed Chuck on this episode. You guys should definitely do a stoner version, and bring Lord Chuck!

[@fc-qr1cy]

was in the middle of listen to A STATE OF TRANCE LIVE but saw the name Janna Levin i had to stop what i was doing and watch. Love me some Janna Levin.

[@ramonmedina6287]

I would 1000% watch a stoner version of star talk. We also need Chuck so we can happily die of laughter 😃

[@15DAVIDYOUNG]

1000%? think you mean 100%

[@J.D.Mc.]

You had me at Stoner. 😆👍🏻

[@ZergD]

Amazing! The trio you have there is Incredible! Loved every second of it!

[@Olga-jm5xf]

Great as always, thanks for the knowledge and information and your two co-hosts! Psst, hey, Chuck, Lord Nice, always miss you!

[@a-par82]

I demand chuck!

[@ryanrutledge922]

When Janna described temperature as air molecules vibrating at different speeds it changed my life . Mind blown .

[@RayTay623]

Omg please stoner episode lol love this podcast!! Would LOVE to meet neil, chuck, and janna

[@diegofernandez4789]

Great episode. It worth to watch it several times

[@dizzytitan8481]

I'll be here whenever Janna is. Read black hole blues back in 2019, a better time

[@XXIII_89]

Where's the stoner edition of star talk where Janna falls asleep, Neil won't stop laughing, and Chuck starts sounding like the smart one? I can't wait to watch!!!

[@FelixProject]

I have to confess, one of my most favorite things to do is smoke some weed while watching Startalk. It's quite amusing for an episode to be so appropriate for me.

[@R0gueNinja]

The fact that black holes appear totally empty when observed from outside is mind blowing when you consider the ginormous amount of mass they contain. It’s pretty wild to imagine that entire stars and planets practically disappear when they get sucked in. At least, from our perspective, only their mass remains. We’ll probably never know for certain what form matter takes inside a black hole, or the exact process by which it all happens. I like to think of black holes as galactic trash compactors that we can’t look inside.

[@GOLVEL]

Neil, being a great mixture of scientist, educator and entertainer tries to, I believe, make complex concepts accessible to the average person... and I feel he interacts with this guests so that they explain in a different way.

[@GOLVEL]

@@HopDavid OK. I'll try to let him know.

[@BePositiveMindset]

I don't really need an explanation for "space". The word and its meaning are profound enough. Just imagine the possibilities. Greatest stoner questions ever. Even better answers and the quotes...lol

[@TuxedoMaskMusic]

Best episode in a long time but with a title like that we really needed chuck. Lets see a sequel to this episode shall we?!

[@robinghosh8891]

Fantastic information on Space, Time ,Black hole, event horizon..of the Grandeur of the universe..Mind Blowing

[@Djknowledgebones]

This was great..the wormhole theories at the end was quite eye opening, so we just need to find a way to harness a mass of negative energy 🤯

[@bigwill123ism]

Hit that notification so fast!! I'm surprised KZbin actually sent it in a reasonable amount of time

[@Logan-kv5cv]

Same lol

[@SneakyDSP]

You guys made my day with your Stoner Queries idea

[@damianmlamb]

Need more stoner additions with more mind blowing facts.... 💯

[@cortbelmont]

The only thing missing was some psychedelic background music and lava lampd. Awesome show, bring Jenna again soon

[@joshuawoodbury8112]

I love the question, can you view the whole universe and how far away do you have to be. One, you would have to see infinite. Two, have you seen Hubble deep space. It's mind-boggling to try to grasp infinite. That's why I love the show, Neil deGrasse Tyson thank you for inspiring me. It would be an honor to one day meet you at the museum of natural History

[@pnnkznkt]

I just love it that out of tree of them, two have a professional setup and Jenna Levin is just in classroom.

[@paulnielsen6719]

One of my favorite episodes thus far. Thanks!

[@gusmarokity6482]

Immensely enjoyed the show. Would love to have two questions: - Is it still true that if we knew positions of all atoms in the universe we could tell the future? - Our souls live on after death which is scientifically proven, couldn't Tyson and friends incorporate this fact in answering some of the greatest questions regarding space and time? Or, if they already have can you give me info link?

[@kayanims]

I really like the way Janet thinks and speaks. I would love to be in her class. Speaking to her is mind blowing

[@leoncorns1450]

Jana Levin can even blow the mind of Neil DeGrasse Tyson 👏👏👏

[@dcell2216]

Loved the episode. Spacetime seems to have very elastic properties or perhaps have something like muscle memory properties that can revert it's sections to their default state. Blackholes affect spacetime, they move trough space, do they actually connect with spacetime like on a planck level of sorts? It's kind of fun seeing the universe expanding as a bubble with overtime more and more blackholes giving more and more energy converting matter into energy that partly fuel the expansion of the universe. Like fuel stations.

[@charlesandrews2419]

Just watched. Great. Must watch again. Is it possible to run out of time?

[@sediasnailzz3943]

Since COVID is on the decline, can y’all go back to the studio and be in person again 🥺

[@navjothhimself]

I just loved it... Space time continuum 😍😍😍

[@iwannaseenow1]

I love the explanation at 11:00 . Such an intuitive explanation.

[@apextroll]

I believe time is a placeholder for matter. Energy in its radiation form, time is the wavelength and therefore implicit. Whereas in the material form, time is explicit.

[@thelyrebird1310]

Just as well I got buzzed for this ep

[@jasonblack6142]

Thanks guys you guys play just a little part in each segment in my life thank you definitely getting the laughs out of me I needed it

[@jasonblack6142]

And I live a brilliant life health-wise but I do smoke a little weed and yes I just smoked some good stuff it's from the government

[@pmosh1]

It's ALWAYS great to see Janna Levin

[@tysonmckinney5494]

I always like your conversations. For instance, As to the expansion of our Universe, I think that this is where dark matter comes in to play, in that the 5% of frequencies that we perceive are surrounded by the multiple other extrapolations of of space time. That very moment we experience is occurring around us at all times, and the choices we don't make then recumbently occur in our experience as dark matter. I like some of the ideas posed, ( though I don't agree with all of them) in The Ending of Time ( conversations between Dr. Bohm and Jiddu Krishnamurti, as well as some of the ideas proposed by ancient Vedic scripture, though may be more complicated then what we are capable of understanding ( or had the vernacular which would correlate to our understanding of the world now.) with these space time attached consciousnesses we have. There are some mind blowing things in the "Bhagavad Gita: As It Is" that get in to some of the Hindu conception of existence. To a comment I've made on a previous topic, Triune brain theory, doesn't have to necessarily be confined to an individual evolution of the different parts of the brain, but could have to do more with the evolutionarily advantageous parts that get utilized more depending on each species specific needs and the environment that needs that part of the brain to be more utilized at any one time or another. I would be curious to compare brain scans between wolves and domesticated dogs or even wolves from the wild, and those in a zoo, to see if there was a difference in the amount of brain activity in the more base levels of the brain. Similarly between those individuals from a stable upbringing and those from a not so stable one.

[@yunghitta2x77]

Jann is beautiful I can listen to her all day!

[@terimeinmera69]

Jana the most beautiful scientist ever... Thanks jana for all the info.. we all love u and your knowledge

[@andilemtwana1871]

When I'm struggling to sleep I just listen to Neil's talks... I love science but it somehow makes me fall asleep

[@Jaba100]

Hello Niel. The colors of the room Matt is in are a huge distraction, I'm a bit dizzy from the contrast between the very white doors and heat radiator against the color of the wall, which so far I haven't been able to decide if the color is lilac, fuchsia or purple, so i decided to call it "LIFUPLE". I am a Venezuelan "AFICIONADO" to your channel and I have acquired knowledge in a fun and entertaining way. I hope you keep releasing new content. Thank you for bringing culture and knowledge to my life.

[@TheGeekosDen]

What a great, informative show!

[@TailoredReaction]

About the gravitational wave question at the beginning: Its not analogous to a surfer catching a wave and being moved forward. The surfer is relying on earth's gravity to pull him down the face of the wave as the wave lifts up under him. A surfer kind of balances his downward motion with the upward motion of the wave. In space there is no second force acting on the object.

[@rolandschoenke1840]

Janna is my favorite guest too, very very smart, and cute too

[@321Thizzles]

Star talk is great before bed. Keep it up Neil!!

[@bnicolette14]

No Chuck?! What! He'd be awesome on this one, plus the two of you with Janna Levin is *chef's kiss*

[@rainmanjr2007]

I call the singularity Tao. It is ultimate calm (not love). Within Tao flows a current called time and the friction causes magnetism. Electrons also flow through the current and clump together by poles. When they do they create a vibration and we are illusions of the waves that vibration makes. At the moment an illusion is born it carries a duality, Yin/Yang, because of time. Tao is an eternal circle so has no beginning and no end. I think it's a very old universe that has expanded into cold death.

[@patludwig1971]

Great show. Mind always blown. Sometimes suffer mild concussion. I heal fast.

[@henrycruz5156]

Bring Action Bronson along with Janna!!! A two hour show 🙏🏽

[@anOhhhMan]

But the sound tracks were EPIC for such an exciting adventure

[@kt420ish]

Every time Niel introduces Janna Levin, it sounds like he is saying Jan Eleven. Idk why but Jan Eleven sounds cool

[@mantis_monk]

Neil is a national treasure...