logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
12m 20s

Brightest-Ever Space Explosion Reveals P...

QUANTA MAGAZINE
About this episode
A recent gamma-ray burst known as the BOAT — “brightest of all time” — appears to have produced a high-energy particle that shouldn’t exist. For some, dark matter provides the explanation. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. 
Up next
Oct 27
Malaria Parasite Caught in the Act of Breaking and Entering
To invade red blood cells, malaria parasites create a temporary molecular portal that lets them slip into the cell — and then the door disappears behind it, gone in 60 seconds. Researchers have finally detailed the proteins that let it break in without tripping the alarms.On this ... Show More
25m 11s
Oct 22
Audio Edition: The Quietest Mathematician Has Always Been Worth Listening To
John Pardon sees connections between different areas of math that others don’t. For that vision, he’s now been awarded a Fields Medal.The article The Quietest Mathematician Has Always Been Worth Listening To first appeared on Quanta Magazine. 
25m 3s
Oct 20
'Ghostly' Galaxies and the Mystery of Dark Matter
In 2018, using the Keck Observatory in Hawaiʻi, astronomers discovered the first known dark matter-deficient galaxy, DF2. It’s about the same size as the Milky Way, but way dimmer, with 200 times fewer stars. Since then, two more phantom galaxies (DF4 and DF9) have been spotted. ... Show More
25m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2019
What is the brightest thing in the universe?
tail spinning
37m 56s
Oct 2022
The most powerful explosion ever recorded
It’s been an unusual week for astronomers, with telescopes swivelled off course to observe GRB221009A, the brightest gamma ray burst ever recorded. Gamma ray bursts aren’t unusual, the by-product of some supernovae are recorded weekly. Whilst the afterglow of these bursts usually ... Show More
53m 38s
Jan 2022
42 - The Signal That Could Be the Dark Matter
<p>Dan shares one of the biggest stories of his career - his discovery of an excess of gamma rays at the center of the Milky Way. Is this a sign of dark matter, or is it something less mysterious?</p><p><a rel="payment" href="https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse">Support the show< ... Show More
37m 21s
Nov 2025
Huge eruption on a distant star confirmed at last
00:45 A coronal mass ejection from a distant starResearchers have detected what they say is the strongest evidence yet of a coronal mass ejection (CME) coming from a star other than our Sun. CMEs are massive bursts of fast-moving plasma that can be detected thanks to the characte ... Show More
33m 51s
Sep 2019
Flares from Infinity: Sagittarius A* Part 1
A super massive black hole broods at the center of our galaxy. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss just what that means -- and doesn’t mean -- for humanity, our solar system and our future.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc ... Show More
54m 9s
Jan 2022
Could our galaxy have a dark matter center?
Daniel and Jorge explore the idea that the center of the galaxy might hold a huge blob of dark matter rather than a black hole. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
47m 50s
Dec 2024
91 - What Neutrinos Reveal About the Milky Way
A discovery last year reveals our galaxy in a whole new light - except it&apos;s not light, it&apos;s neutrinos! Learn what this discovery can teach us about the Milky Way and beyond.For exclusive ask-us-anything episodes, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.c ... Show More
30m 57s
Apr 2023
Science Has New Ideas about 'Oumuamua's Weirdness
Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
6m 10s