Our Invisible Universe

Listen now  Download file 
Embed player
Original Air Date: 
August 18, 2018

From our narrow vantage point on Earth, how can we see what's out there, beyond our skies? We look to how scientists and scholars have searched for neutrinos, dark matter, deep-space transmissions from intelligent life and more, all in the hopes of painting a clearer picture of a vast and invisible universe.

How To Catch A Neutrino

Articles

Francis Halzen, the lead scientist of the IceCube Neutrino Detector, explains how light sensors buried deep in the ice at the South Pole detected a neutrino that traveled four billion light-years.

Length: 
11:40

How Do We Investigate The Invisible Parts of the Universe?

The first image of a black hole.
Articles

Steve spoke with Yale astrophysicist Priya Natarajan about the search for invisible parts of the universe, dark matter, and the mind-boggling nature of black holes.

Length: 
10:35

Search For Life In All The Wrong Places

Searching the stars
Audio

For more than 30 years, the scientists at the SETI Institute have been looking and listening for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. And recently, some of them decided to get a bit more proactive. To find out how, Doug Gordon tracked down SETI’s senior astronomer, Seth Shostak.  

Length: 
10:05

What Can You Hear In Space?

Interactive

Physicist Don Gurnett has recorded what you might hear from inside a spacecraft, and it isn't just the sound of desolate silence.

Length: 
4:30

The Universe Is Under No Obligation To Make Sense To Us

Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Audio

Neil deGrasse Tyson makes the case for why constantly searching for answers doesn't have to dispel our sense of awe and wonder faced with the seemingly unknowable universe.

Length: 
12:57
Extras

Show Details 📻
Airdates
August 18, 2018
August 03, 2019
April 04, 2020
July 31, 2021
Guests: 
Francis Halzen, professor of physics and academic program director of the UW IceCube Project, is pictured on April 1, 2013. (Photo by Bryce Richter / UW-Madison)

Francis Halzen

Lead Scientist, IceCube Neutrino Observatory
wipac.wisc.edu
Priya

Priya Natarajan

Theoretical Astrophysicist
campuspress.yale.edu
physics.yale.edu

Seth Shostak

Astronomer and Podcast Host
seti.org
bigpicturescience.org

Don Gurnett

Plasma Physicist
physics.uiowa.edu
now.uiowa.edu
Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist
neildegrassetyson.com
Categories: 
Science
Last modified: 
April 01, 2024