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An irreverent and informative tour of the latest, greatest, and most interesting discoveries in astronomy.
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Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop. Every episode is a dialogue, a journey into the depths ...
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Hot Takes on Water on Earth and Black Hole Singularities
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42:40
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The astroquarks discover hot takes and explore the nature of ice, the origin of Earth's water, and the trouble with the singularities at the hearts of black holes. Plus, we have a stumper, astronomical trivia, and much more.By Josh Colwell, Addie Dove, Jim Cooney, Audrey Martin
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Human Flourishing: A Natural Law Approach to Ethics & Politics with Dr. Melissa Moschella
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55:30
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In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Melissa Moschella discuss her book Ethics, Politics, and Natural Law: Principles for Human Flourishing. Together they explore the concept of natural law as a guide for human flourishing, the role of common sense morality, and the integral nature of flourishing that encompasses both individual and com…
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Forming Humanity: Redeeming the German Bildung Tradition with Dr. Jennifer Herdt
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54:18
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In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Jennifer Herdt discuss her book 'Forming Humanity' and explore the concept of Bildung within the context of Christian ethics and modernity. The discussion highlights the interplay between human agency and divine influence, particularly in the works of thinkers like Herder. In this conversation, PJ an…
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Weird Convection on Venus and a Wrinkle in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model
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43:37
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Venus's extra-thick crust may be extra chewy, allowing convection to occur and helping power volcanoes into the current era. New observations of the distant universe, meanwhile, show that dark energy may not have behaved as expected in the standard cosmological model. We'll break it all down for you together with space news and trivia with your fri…
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Narrative Identity and the Ethics of Choosing Disability with Dr. Joseph Stramondo
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55:46
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In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Joseph Stramondo discuss his work on the ethics of choosing disability, emphasizing the complexity of the topic and the importance of narrative identity. They also explore how societal structures and perceptions shape the experiences of individuals with disabilities, and the implications of these fac…
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A survey of nearby stars establishes the rate of supernovas in our general neighborhood. Evidence indicates we had nearby stellar explosions at the times of two mass extinctions. Those supernovas may have decimated the ozone layer and contributed to extinctions and climate changes. Plus, we recorded on April 1 and take a look at silly April 1 scien…
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Pan-Asianism and the Legacy of the Chinese Revolution with Dr. Viren Murthy
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57:14
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In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Viren Murthy discuss Pan-Asianism, exploring its historical roots, ideological implications, and the roles of various Asian nations, particularly China and India. He delves into the geographical, cultural, and ideological aspects of Pan-Asianism, critiques its historical interpretations, and examines…
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Life on Hycean Worlds, Interstellar Debris, and Dark Matter Survey
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43:38
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If there are Hycean worlds and if they have a certain kind of microbial life and if there is enough of it, JWST might be able to see the chemical products of that in the planet's atmosphere. We take a look at that, debris from neighboring stars entering our solar system, and the first results from the Euclid space telescope. Join us for all this pl…
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There are exciting new observations from recent lunar missions, a possible chunk of the Moon keeping us company, and an intriguing observation supporting the theory that the entire universe is inside a black hole! Get inside the event horizon with the astroquarks for all the space updates, trivia, and more.…
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Oort Cloud Spiral, the Color of Mars, and a New Dwarf Galaxy
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We take a look at the formation and structure of the Oort cloud of comets which is spherical at large distances but has a spiral structure in its inner regions. And, after all this time, there's a surprising twist on the nature of the iron mineral that gives Mars its reddish hue. Also hiding in plain sight is a dwarf galaxy in the neighborhood of t…
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Lunar exploration continues to accelerate, and there's a new longest "structure" in the universe. Quipu is a quasi-alignment of clusters of galaxies stretching over 1 billion light years. Structure is in cynical quotation marks because these objects are not bound or connected to each other in any way, but their arrangement is a natural consequence …
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Hubble Tension Won't Go Away But Some Exoplanets Do
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The more measurements we make of the expansion of the universe, the more it seems as though Hubble Tension is not a problem with our data but a problem with our understanding of the expansion of the universe. We'll talk about that, and some cool new observations closer to home, including a disintegrating exoplanet that is giving us a unique peak in…
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New things coming for the Chasing Leviathan podcast
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3:21
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PJ shares a brief update on the channel and what's next for the show. Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words insp…
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Honesty: The Philosophy & Psychology of a Neglected Virtue with Dr. Christian Miller
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50:25
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Christian Miller discuss his book on honesty, exploring its neglect in philosophical discourse. Dr. Miller emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of honesty, its metaphysical nature, and the empirical evidence surrounding human behavior. The discussion also touches on the degrees of virtue, t…
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Exocomets, Io, and the Great Dimming of T Tauri
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44:21
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Juno reveals a surprise about the interior of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, and the OG young variable star T Tauri is getting ready to fade from view thanks to its dusty neighbors to the south. Speaking of dust, that's what gets kicked up when comets collide, and a new survey examines the cometary belts around dozens of star systems, providing a deta…
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The Question of Unworthy Life: Eugenics & Germany’s 20th Century with Dr. Dagmar Herzog
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56:42
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Dagmar Herzog discuss her book 'The Question of Unworthy Life: Eugenics and Germany's Twentieth Century', exploring the historical context of eugenics in Germany, the appeal of eugenics despite its shaky scientific basis, and the importance of memory politics in addressing past atrocities. Herzog emp…
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The discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope keep coming. After showing that galaxies formed far earlier than we thought, we now have a better understanding of what was going on in the early universe. Those little red dots spied by JWST are actually the glow of heated dust and gas from supermassive black holes, and not the glow from billions…
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How Mexican Philosophy Can Guide us Toward the Good Life with Dr. Carlos Sánchez
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54:47
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Carlos Sánchez discuss his book 'Blooming in the Ruins: How Mexican Philosophy Can Guide Us toward the Good Life.' Sánchez shares his personal journey from studying advertising to philosophy, highlighting the key themes of embodiment, colonialism, and self-knowledge in Mexican thought. He also emphas…
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Kiss and Capture for Pluto and Charon and Dark Energy Remains Dark
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46:03
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Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, orbit each other with gazes lovingly fixed on each other, held in place by a romantic tidal attraction. But Charon's large size has always been difficult to explain. New simulations show that their love affair may have started at the beginning with a "Kiss and Capture" collision, much gentler than the devasting i…
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The Genesis of Close Reading Poetry with Dr. Adam Walker
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Adam Walker discuss the purpose behind his YouTube Channel, Close Reading Poetry. They explore the role of community in literature, the importance of oral tradition in poetry, and the various critical lenses used in literary analysis. The conversation highlights the significance of language and sound…
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Quasi Particles, Pluto's Moons, and Cosmic Rays
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45:25
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We kick off 2025 with oddities from quasi particles, to cosmic rays, to the moons of Pluto. What has mass when it moves in one direction and doesn't when it moves in another direction? How do thunderstorms on Earth interact with cosmic rays? What is up with Pluto's moons? Join us as we tackle these questions as well as the stumper and special top q…
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The Power of Black Excellence: HBCUs & the Fight for American Democracy with Dr. Deondra Rose
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52:11
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Deondra Rose discuss her book, 'The Power of Black Excellence: HBCUs and the Fight for American Democracy,' which explores the historical significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in promoting education, political engagement, and civil rights for Black Americans. Dr. Rose e…
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We know about extinct comets and active asteroids, but now we've got something in between: dark comets, whose orbits indicate cometary activity, but we can't see it! We'll get the scoop on these interesting objects, a flare from a supermassive black hole, and a twist on the question of the age of Saturn's rings. Plus, we have our end-of-the-year ro…
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Media Technologies and Practices of Hope with Dr. Jeff Bilbro
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51:40
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On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Jeff Bilbro discuss his book 'Words for Conviviality: Media Technologies and Practices of Hope,' which examines how historical media technologies can inform our understanding of contemporary digital media. The discussion delves into the importance of literature in shaping communication, the non-neutr…
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