Cool Worlds

Cool Worlds

Space, astronomy, exoplanets, astroengineering and the search for extraterrestrial life & intelligence.The Cool Worlds Lab (http://coolworldslab.com), based at the Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, is a team of astronomers seeking to discover and understand alien worlds, particularly those where temperatures are cool enough for life, led by Professor David Kipping.Links:Subscribe!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHZpIpAWJQ-Jy_CeCdXhMA?sub_confirmation=1

  1. 20m ago

    The Strangest Idea in Science: Quantum Immortality

    Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.One of the leading interpretations of quantum theory is that every probabilistic event leads to a branching of reality, where all possibilities occur. This "many worlds" interpretation has been growing in prominence, but it implies a bizarre consequence. It might mean that you can never die, and will continue to survive not only life threatening events but even old age. Join us today as we explore the extraordinary idea of quantum immortality.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron & G. Thomsen.REFERENCESTegmark, Max (1998), "The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Many Worlds or Many Words?", Fortsch. Phys. 46, 855-862: http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/quant-ph/9709032MUSICLicensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.0:00 Hill - A Flickering Start2:48 Joachim Heinrich - Stjärna5:48 Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Five9:24 Chris Zabriskie - World of Wonder10:51 Stephen Keech - Selha13:25 Hill - A Sad Scene from a Sad Film16:54 Hill - The Persecuted19:39 Falls - Life in Binary22:10 Hill - Mourning Wakes25:35 Hill - The Now is Only a Thin Slice of Who I Am28:46 Kyle Preston - An Ocean of Quiet Confession31:29 Kyle Preston - Up The Oregon Coast33:43 Joachim Heinrich - YCHAPTERS0:00 Introduction5:48 The Wavefunction Never Collapses9:26 Incogni10:55 Quantum Russian Roulette14:41 Generalized Immortality16:57 Anthropic Reasoning19:28 Corrected Intensity Rule22:10 Non-Quantum Analogies28:45 What is Self?31:26 Final Thoughts35:43 Outro & Credits#CoolWorlds #QuantumImmortality #ManyWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Strangest Idea in Science: Quantum Immortality
  2. 2h ago

    Shocking Result from DESI Stuns Cosmology

    Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: https://storyblocks.com/CoolWorldsThe Standard Model of Cosmology has reigned supreme for decades, confirmed over and over again. But chinks in the armour have been developing, such as the Hubble Tension. Now, however, a new result threatens to completely upend our view of the Universe - we no longer even know how it will end.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron & G. Thomsen.REFERENCESThe DESI papers are available here: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/public-libraries/XCj7bW-vSMaNZVV0C0QyGA#CoolWorlds #DarkEnergy #DESI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Shocking Result from DESI Stuns Cosmology
  3. 5h ago

    The K2-18b Video You've Been Waiting For

    Thanks to Opera for sponsoring this video. Click here to upgrade your browser for FREE! - https://opr.as/Opera-browser-coolworldslabSo the whole world seems to have become very excited about the claim of a biosignature discovered in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b. And no sooner did those headlines hit the airwaves, astronomers came out in droves expressing skepticism and concerns. It feels a bit confusing to have two sides so certain of their position, and often the truth is more nuanced than either side will concede. So today, we're going to take a deep dive into K2-18b. You'll get the chance to hear both arguments and make up your own mind.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Special thanks to Nikku Madhusudhan and Ryan Macdonald for joining this episode.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron, G. Thomsen, S. Shardool, B. Kingston, A. Phan Le, N. Voyton, N. Offor, A. Huch, J. Morrison & C. Fitzsimmons.REFERENCES► Madhusudhan et al. 2025, "New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI", ApJL, accepted: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12267► Madhusudhan et al. 2023, "Carbon-bearing Molecules in a Possible Hycean Atmosphere", ApJ, 956, 13: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.05566► Schmidt et al. 2023, "A Comprehensive Reanalysis of K2-18 b's JWST NIRISS+NIRSpec Transmission Spectrum", AAS Journals, submitted: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.18477► Madhusudhan et al. 2021, "Habitability and Biosignatures of Hycean Worlds", ApJ, 918, 1: https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.10888► Wogan et al. 2024, "JWST observations of K2-18b can be explained by a gas-rich mini-Neptune with no habitable surface", ApJ, 963, 7: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.11082► Cooke & Madhusudhan 2024 , "Considerations for Photochemical Modeling of Possible Hycean Worlds", ApJ, 977, 209: https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.07313#CoolWorlds #K218b #Biosignature Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The K2-18b Video You've Been Waiting For
  4. 6h ago

    Could Quark Stars be the Engines of Self-Replicating Strange Matter?

    Check out https://NordVPN.com/coolworlds for 4 months for free when you sign up today, thanks to Nord for sponsoring us!Could there be a bizarre exotic type of star out there made of quarks? What would these things be like and how could they form? Join us as we explore quark stars, and the terrifying implications they have for forging strange matter within their cores...Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas. Special thanks to Dr Sam Gregson (www.youtube.com/@BadBoyofScience) for fact checking our script.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to D. Smith, M. Sloan, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, A. Jones, S. Brownlee, N. Kildal, Z. Star, E. West, T. Zajonc, C. Wolfred, L. Skov, G. Benson, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, M. Forbes, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, T. Donkin, K. Myers, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Black, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, K. Weber, S. Marks, L. Robinson, S. Roulier, B. Smith, J. Cassese, J. Kruger, S. Way, P. Finch, S. Applegate, L. Watson, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, E. Dessoi, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, C. Hays, W. Evans, D. Bansal, J. Curtin, J. Sturm, RAND Corp., M. Donovan, N. Corwin, M. Mangione, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, G. Genova, R. Provost, B. Sigurjonsson, G. Fullwood, B. Walford, J. Boyd, N. De Haan, J. Gillmer, R. Williams, E. Garland, A. Leishman, A. Phan Le, R. Lovely, M. Spoto, A. Steele, M. Varenka, K. Yarbrough, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, B. Pearson, S. Thayer, T. Edris, A. Harrison, B. Seeley, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, P. Muzyka, E. Loomans, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, J. Smallbon, B. Reese, J. Yoder, O. Shabtay & X. Yao.REFERENCES► Drake et al 2002, Is RX J185635-375 a Quark Star?, ApJ 572, 996: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0204159► Truemper et al 2003, The Puzzles of RX J1856.5-3754: Neutron Star or Quark Star?, Nuc Phys B Proc S 132, 560: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0312600► Kareet et al 2006, Evidence for 1122 Hz X-Ray Burst Oscillations from the Neutron-Star X-Ray Transient XTE J1739-285, ApJ 657, L97: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611716► Chakrabarty 2008, The Spin Distribution of Millisecond X-ray Pulsars, In "A Decade if Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars", AIP Conf Proc 1068, 67: https://arxiv.org/abs/0809.4031► Annala et al 2020, Evidence for quark-matter cores in massive neutron stars, Nat Phys 16, 907: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.09121► Cherman et al 2009, Bound on the speed of sound from holography, Phys Rev D 80, 066003: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.066003► Ouyed et al 2002, Quark Nova, A&A 390, 39: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0105109► Gell-Mann 1964, A schematic model of baryons and mesons, Phys Lett 8, 214: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031916364920013► Zweig 1964, An SU3 model for strong interaction symmetry and its breaking, Developments in the Quark Theory of Hadrons, 22: https://cds.cern.ch/record/570209► Rochester & Butler 1947, Evidence for the Existence of New Unstable Elementary Particles, Nat 160, 855: https://www.nature.com/articles/160855a0► Bodmer 1971, Collapsed Nuclei, Phys Rev D 4, 1601: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.4.1601► Witten 1984, Cosmic separation of phases, Phys Rev D 30, 272: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.30.272► Farhi & Jaffe 1984, Strange matter, Phys Rev D 30, 2379: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.30.2379► Caldwell & Friedman 1991, Evidence against a strange ground state for baryons, Phys Lett B 264, 143: https://ui.adsabs.harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Could Quark Stars be the Engines of Self-Replicating Strange Matter?
  5. 7h ago

    The Most Mysterious Star | Prof Jason Wright

    Prof Jason Wright from Penn State explains why Tabby's Star has become known as the most mysterious star in the galaxy and how you can help him and Tabby Boyajian solve this mystery. To contribute to their Kickstarter campaign, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/608159144/the-most-mysterious-star-in-the-galaxy right now!::More about this Video::► Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/608159144/the-most-mysterious-star-in-the-galaxy► Boyajian et al. (2016), "Planet Hunters X. KIC 8462852 - Where's the Flux?": http://arxiv.org/abs/1509.03622► Wright et al. (2016), "The Ĝ Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations with Large Energy Supplies. IV. The Signatures and Information Content of Transiting Megastructures": http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.04606► Prof Wright's blog, AstroWright: http://sites.psu.edu/astrowright/► Dr Tabetha Boyajian's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tabetha_boyajian_the_most_mysterious_star_in_the_universe► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsGuestsQ&A Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsQAScience of TV/Film ► http://bit.ly/ScienceMovies::Follow us::SUBSCRIBE to the channel http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsSubscribeCool Worlds Lab http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.eduTwitter https://twitter.com/david_kippingInstagram https://www.instagram.com/cool.worldsTHANKS FOR WATCHING!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Most Mysterious Star | Prof Jason Wright
  6. 8h ago

    Why I Don’t Buy The Dark Forest Hypothesis

    Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off. Many of you wanted me to talk about the Dark Forest Hypothesis - an idea popularised (bit not limited to) the the sci-fi novel and Netflix series, "The Three Body Problem" by Liu Cixin. So in this video I'll explain what dark forest says and why I don't buy it. (Note - this is *not* an analysis of Cixin’s story beats set in his fictional universe, but rather the concept of dark forest in our real one! Although, I will refer to the aliens as Trisolarans purely as a placeholder example civilization).Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron, G. Thomsen, S. Shardool, B. Kingston, A. Phan Le, N. Voyton, N. Offor, A. Huch, J. Morrison & C. Fitzsimmons.REFERENCES► Project Nash 2020, "https://www.projectnash.com/aliens-the-fermi-paradox-and-the-dark-forest-theory/" https://www.projectnash.com/aliens-the-fermi-paradox-and-the-dark-forest-theory/► Siraj & Loeb 2021, "The Copernican Principle Rules Out BLC1 as a Technological Radio Signal from the Alpha Centauri System": https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.04118► Carroll-Nellenback et al. 2012, "The Fermi Paradox and the Aurora Effect: Exo-civilization Settlement, Expansion and Steady States", The Astronomical Journal, 158, 117: https://arxiv.org/abs/1902.04450► Hart 1975, "Explanation for the Absence of Extraterrestrials on Earth", Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 16, 128MUSICLicensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.0:00 Hill - A Slowly Lifting Fog2:24 Kyle Preston - Dark Tension5:51 Kyle Preston - Up the Oregon Coast9:41 Hill - The Planet of Lost Souls12:28 Falls - Ripley16:10 Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Seven20:24 Joachim Heinrich - Y22:44 Indive - Trace CorrectionCHAPTERS0:00 Dark Forest4:20 Incogni5:51 Game Theory9:13 Game Theory Nuance15:01 Berserker is Better20:32 Closing Thoughts22:44 Outro & Credits#DarkForest #ThreeBodyProblem #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Why I Don’t Buy The Dark Forest Hypothesis

About

Space, astronomy, exoplanets, astroengineering and the search for extraterrestrial life & intelligence.The Cool Worlds Lab (http://coolworldslab.com), based at the Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, is a team of astronomers seeking to discover and understand alien worlds, particularly those where temperatures are cool enough for life, led by Professor David Kipping.Links:Subscribe!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHZpIpAWJQ-Jy_CeCdXhMA?sub_confirmation=1