Curiosity Theory
A podcast about sharpening your curiosity through science, stories, and bold questions. With Astrophysicist Dr. Dakotah Tyler & STEM Educator Justin Shaifer.
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Episodes
47 episodes
Moon Trips, Mermaids, and Immortality
This week on Curiosity Theory, we’re back with Part 2 of our crossover with Science and the City.Dakotah, Justin, Ashley, and Kalpana jump into a rapid-fire science conversation covering everything from Moon and Mars travel risks ...
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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1:07:56
Will We Ever Find Life On A Moon?
Join our Patreon to support!https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheoryOn this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore everything from pri...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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59:30
What It’s Really Like Exploring the Amazon Rainforest w/ Maynard Okereke
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Maynard Okereke (@HipHopMD) for a conversation that moves from the Amazon rainforest to the future of humanity.Maynard shares stories f...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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59:34
The Science That Should Make You Uncomfortable
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore a wide range of scientific questions shaping our future.They discuss new research on the inverse relationship between cancer and Alzhe...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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1:08:05
Do We Blame The Brain Or The System That Shaped It
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore CTE, ADHD, and how society explains behavior in athletes and high-performance environments.Dakotah shares his personal experience with...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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1:06:23
Was 2016 Really Better Or Are You Just Depressed And Exhausted?
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore why so many people feel like life was better in the past and whether nostalgia is telling us the truth.They discuss the psychology of me...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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1:08:30
Physics, Brains, and the Future of Intelligence Collab w/ From First Principles
In this special collaboration episode, Curiosity Theory joins From First Principles for a deep conversation about science, intelligence, and the future of technology.Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer are jo...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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1:03:01
Life Is Way Harder to Kill Than We Thought
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore new findings from NASA clean rooms that reveal microbes capable of surviving extreme sterilization, raising important questions about planetary...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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59:45
Designing a Universe as a Game
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer build a science fiction universe in real time.Justin shares a developing sci-fi concept called The Universe Game, where advanced bein...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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57:24
Strange Universe: A Planet With No Star and a Galaxy That Never Formed
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore recent astronomy discoveries, rogue planets, and what strange cosmic objects can teach us about the universe.They break down gravitation...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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1:13:14
The Future of Work Is Way More Uncomfortable Than People Admit w/ Michael Berhane
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Michael Berhane, CEO and Founder of POC in Tech, to talk about AI, automation, education, and the future of work.T...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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1:04:30
The Biggest Exoplanet Discoveries In 2025
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer talk through some of the most interesting astronomy discoveries and open questions shaping space science today.They explore asteroid collisions,...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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1:06:57
It's Ok to Start Before You Know Exactly What You're Doing
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer unpack what it really means to start something before you feel ready.From building a podcast studio from scratch to sharing stories of first v...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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1:15:54
Questionable Content: Are Humans Built For The World We Created?
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer unpack the AI hype cycle, speculative bubbles, and why humans keep falling for the same narratives every generation.They talk through Project Ge...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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1:08:08
You Can’t Afford to Lose Your Curiosity w/ Hank Green
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Hank Green for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about curiosity, consciousness, credibility, and what it means to be human.
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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1:17:06
Questionable Content: An MIT Fusion Scientist Was Shot & Conspiracies Followed Immediately
On this episode of Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) explore how science, violence, evolution, and culture intersect.The conversation begins with the killing of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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1:02:57
Help... My Best Friend Is An LLM w/ Science and The City
This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer teamed up with Science in the City hosts Ashley Christine and Kalpana Pot for a wild conversation that jumps from sci fi to short form science, flat earthers, and the internet ...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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1:31:32
Questionable Content: Disney Sold Its Soul For Some SlopTok
This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) break down Disney’s massive new partnership with OpenAI’s Sora and what it means for creators, the WGA, IP ownership, a...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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46:00
What If We Could Control Pain w/ Neuroscientist Lindsay Ejoh
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) sit down with neuroscientist Lindsay Ejoh (@neuromelody) for a deep exploration into pain, gene editing, viral...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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1:30:20
Quantum Texting & Hyper-Micro Generations
Are we the problematic generation?In this episode of Curiosity Theory, astrophysicist Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and STEM educator and media producer Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) unpack how fast culture is shifting, why kids see ...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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1:04:55
You've Been Lied To About Social Media Detoxing
This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) break down a new research study showing that taking a break from social media does not reliably improve or worsen mental...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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1:02:05
A Universe Filled with Life & Waves
On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) take you on a tour from ancient Mars to spiral galaxies to the trends moving through your social feeds.We start with ne...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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54:15
Rebuilding the Human Body w/ Suh the Scholar, Ph.D.
This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) sit down with Suh the Scholar (@suhthescholar) — a PhD stem-cell scientist — for a deep, funny, and inspiring conversation ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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1:03:41
Don't Trust the Experts: The War on Science
This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate) unpack the rise of anti-intellectualism and the cultural war on science. From misinformation to AI ethics, they explore why...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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59:34
Immune to the Nonsense w/ Nick the Immunologist
This week on Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Nick Jackson (@nick.immunologist), an immunologist and PhD candidate, to explore the incredible complexity of the immune system and what it reveal...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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1:33:40