Curiosity Theory
A podcast about sharpening your curiosity through science, stories, and bold questions. With Astrophysicist Dr. Dakotah Tyler & STEM Educator Justin Shaifer.
Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CuriosityTheory
Episodes
65 episodes
Skilled Trades Are Six Figure Careers That the World Needs | Joshua Regis
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, hosts Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Joshua Regis, co-founder and CEO of KritKarr, an AI-powered platform for auto repair, for a conversation about fixing one of the most broken industrie...
The Cosmos Is A Black Aesthetic | Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, hosts Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, astrophysicist, cosmologist, writer, and author of Disordered Cosmos and the new The Edge of Space-Time: Pa...
The Rocket Engines That Don't Burn Fuel | Dr. Naia Butler-Craig
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, hosts Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Dr. Naia Butler-Craig, a newly minted aerospace engineer and NASA electric propulsion researcher, for a conversation about rocket science, how we actu...
What Dark Matter Actually Is | KeShawn Ivory (dark.mattering)
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, hosts Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with KeShawn Ivory, a soon-to-be PhD astrophysicist who studies the large-scale structure of the universe, for a deep conversation about dark matter, cosmo...
Curiosity and Why Old Ideas Have To Die
Dakotah and Justin revisit the original idea behind Curiosity Theory: curiosity as a North Star. That quickly turns into an argument over whether wanting to know what is in someone’s fridge counts as curiosity or just being nosy.The conv...
Stay Curious and Eat Your Grits & Eggs | Deante Kyle
In this collaboration episode of Curiosity Theory and Grits & Eggs Podcast, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Deante Kyle and Big Ice Kup Kat for an unfiltered conversation about AI, capitalism, social media, internet cultu...
Space Is Bigger Than Your Brain Can Handle | Epic Spaceman
Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Toby from Epic Spaceman, the YouTube creator known for using cinematic animations to make the scale of the universe easier to understand.They talk about cosmic scale, visual storytelling...
The Media Literacy Crisis Is Crisis-ing
Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer talk through media literacy, scientific literacy, and why people can watch the same piece of content and walk away with completely different interpretations.They discuss misunderstood clips, fluoride ...
Can We Outgrow Human Nature? | Maynard Okereke (hiphopscienceshow)
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Maynard Okereke, also known as Hip Hop MD, for a deep conversation about the future of humanity, evolution, and the idea of starting a new civilization from...
Rethinking Human Uniqueness | Forrest Valkai
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with biologist Forrest Valkai, also known as the Renegade Science Teacher, to explore evolution, intelligence, and what it really means to be human.They d...
Your Brain Is Making Decisions Without You | Dr. Melise Edwards
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with neuroscientist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Melise Edwards to explore the biology of behavior and the limits of human control.They discuss how gene...
UFOs, Aliens, and What Science Actually Says | From First Principles Pod
In this collaboration episode of Curiosity Theory and From First Principles, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer join Lester Nare and Krishna Chaudry for a wide-ranging conversation about UFOs, science, and the future of knowledge.They ...
Breaking Down Our Ryan Gosling Interview on Project Hail Mary
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer react to their interview with Ryan Gosling about Project Hail Mary and unpack the science, storytelling, and bigger themes behind the film.They discuss wh...
Ryan Gosling on Curiosity, Aliens, and Project Hail Mary
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Ryan Gosling to talk about the highly anticipated sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel.Join our...
The Science Of Having That Dawg In You | Les Alfred
In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Les Alfred, host of the podcast She’s So Lucky, to explore ambition, resilience, and the pursuit of self-actualization.Join our ...
We Sent A Map Into Deep Space Just So THEY Would Know Where To Find Us
Welcome back to Curiosity Theory with Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate).Join our Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheoryIn this episode, we have a deep and personal conversat...
Failure, Death, Ghosts, and Two Trillion Galaxies
Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer start with spirit animals — a praying mantis and a green sea turtle — and from there the conversation goes everywhere it wants to. Prehistoric giant insects, the DART asteroid deflection mission, Edwin Hubbl...
The Black Death and the Myth of Utopia
What if the story of life starts earlier than we thought? We break down LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, what it is, what it is not, and what new genetic clues suggest about life before LUCA. We also connect the origin of life to astro...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...