Do aliens understand the Universe the same way we do? This is the question explored by physicist Daniel Whiteson of UC Irvine and cartoonist Andy Warner in their book, “Do Aliens Speak Physics?” In it, they explore the nature of knowledge itself, asking whether math and physics are truly universal, or if even our most “objective” truths are shaped by our human perspective. Daniel and Andy join this week’s Planetary Radio to talk about the book and how humor and illustration can make those big cosmic ideas feel surprisingly down-to-Earth. Pictured: An illustration from the book. Image credit: Andy Warner.
Looking for U.S. government spending data? Planetary Society Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier has created a new tool that makes it easy to explore how the U.S. government spends money. The data comes from USASpending.gov, the official federal website for tracking government spending, but that site’s tools can be tricky to use. Casey’s new library simplifies the process, helping researchers, journalists, and anyone curious about government budgets quickly find and analyze the information they need.
Join the moon mania! October’s pick for The Planetary Society’s members-only book club was “Moons: The Mysteries and Marvels of our Solar System” by staff member Kate Howells. Kate joined host Mat Kaplan for a virtual Q&A this week, discussing the many fascinating moons she covers in her book. You can watch a recording of the live-streamed event. To join the book club, log in to the online member community. Not yet a member? Join today!
Bill Nye’s StarTalk takeover is now on YouTube. On a special episode of StarTalk, Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye and Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier took over Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast to unpack the budget threat facing NASA Science and what it could mean for the future of exploration. You can watch a video of the conversation here.