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: Particles, Poetry and the Cosmic Dream Boogie, for one of the most wide-ranging conversations the pod has had yet. The discussion moves from how a blog post at Perimeter Institute became the seed of her first book, to what neutrinos actually are, why they are among the strangest particles in the Standard Model, and why they may have played a quiet but essential role in making life on Earth possible. From there they get into Population III stars, how the first heavy elements ever got made, and the surprisingly contested question of what separates a galaxy from a globular cluster. The conversation also dives into the philosophy of science and Dr. Prescod-Weinstein's concept of white empiricism, the idea that white supremacy and patriarchy shape what counts as legitimate knowledge and who gets treated as a credible scientist. She talks about what her new book offers readers who are skeptical that physics is for them, why the cosmos is a Black aesthetic, how hip hop and Big K.R.I.T. ended up in a physics book, and why access to a dark night sky is a social justice issue, not just an astronomy one. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro and meeting Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 00:02:30 How a blog post became Disordered Cosmos 00:04:50 Blue Sky, Threads, and whiteness in online spaces 00:09:00 Being one of few Black women at the frontier of physics 00:11:45 Science communication, community accountability, and the book-before-tenure risk 00:15:27 What are neutrinos? Three flavors and oscillation explained 00:25:00 Why neutrinos may be essential to life on Earth 00:30:00 Population III stars and the origin of every heavy element 00:35:00 What makes a galaxy? Globular clusters, dark matter, and contested definitions 00:44:55 Neanderthal DNA and an unexpected dental tangent 00:49:40 Philosophy of science and the concept of white empiricism 00:52:00 How white supremacy and patriarchy shape what counts as valid science 01:02:30 The Edge of Spacetime: what readers can expect 01:04:48 Poetry, hip hop, and the cosmos as a Black aesthetic 01:08:40 Objectivity, mythology, and storytelling in science 01:14:00 Dark sky access as a social justice issue 01:19:52 Who science is written for and to 01:23:14 On courage, haters, and Kat Williams 01:25:18 Where to find Dr. Chanda and her books Follow us @curiositytheorypod @dr.starkid @mr.fascinate Guests Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Visit our Merch Store https://www.curiositytheorypod.com/merch Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe and share Curiosity Theory with someone who's curious about the universe.
