logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
14m 30s

Life Lessons From Supernovae

NPR
About this episode
For many scientists, science isn't something they check in and out of — it permeates their whole lives. That's true for Sarafina El-Badry Nance, an astrophysicist and science communicator. In her new memoir, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark, Sarafina brings the stars down to Earth, rooting her personal journey in the lessons of the stars. This episode, Regina and Sarafina chat supernovae, cancer and what supernovae reveal to us about life.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Meet the Third Ever (!!) Interstellar Comet
A rare visitor from another star system has been spotted: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS! It was detected July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. Most known comets orbit the Sun and are bound by the gravity of the solar system ... but t ... Show More
8m 43s
Jul 9
Evolution Went On Trial 100 Years Ago. Where Are We Now?
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" — where a teacher was charged with the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. At the time, it was illegal in Tennessee to "teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creatio ... Show More
12m 37s
Jul 8
Itchy? Air Pollution May Be Making It Worse
Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its prevalence is increasing. Despite its ubiquity, a lot about this skin condition rema ... Show More
13m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Seeking supernovas
In this episode, we are delving into the science of supernovas. The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the clearest ever view of the stunning Cassiopeia A supernova, complete with a weird feature called 'the green monster'. Professor Dan Milisavljevic, an astronomer at Purdu ... Show More
31m 21s
Mar 2003
The Life of Stars
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life cycle of stars. In his poem Bright Star John Keats wrote, "Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art". For Keats the stars were symbols of eternity- they were beautiful and ordered and unchanging - but modern astronomy tells a very d ... Show More
28m 19s
Jun 2023
Starstruck with Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance joins Planetary Radio to discuss her new book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark. We share a beautiful poem about exploration that will soon be on its way to Europa and let you know how you can put your name on the upcoming ... Show More
54m 45s
Mar 2021
Cosmic Queries – Life on Exoplanets with Sara Seager
Is there life on other planets? On this episode of StarTalk, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen dig into the search for extraterrestrial life with exoplanet expert and author of the memoir, “Smallest Lights in the Universe,” astrophysicist Sara Seager. NOTE: StarTalk+ P ... Show More
50m 9s
Dec 2023
Navigating planets, plays and prejudice — a conversation with Aomawa Shields
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, astronomer Aomawa Shields discusses her memoir Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe.The book tracks her career path as a scientist and a classically-trained actor, explores her experiences as an Africa ... Show More
35m 4s
Sep 2020
What If There Is Life on Venus? - with Sara Seager
Sign up for the Great Courses Plus today and enjoy the first month for free: https://bit.ly/podcast-great-courses-plus The world was rocked recently by the announcement that signs of life might have been discovered on Venus? Unbelievable. Is the hottest planet in the Solar System ... Show More
40m 38s
Nov 2023
Life beyond Earth
Under the mighty radio Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, Victoria Gill brings together some of the UK’s leading experts who were visiting the recent ‘bluedot’ science and music festival. They discussed the ongoing hunt for extraterrestrial life. We hear from Karen Olsson-Francis, ... Show More
38m 53s
May 2023
Quasars - The Brightest Stars
On today’s episode: It’s happening… Scientists are starting to be able to read our minds! We might owe the existence of life to quasars. All that and more today on All Around Science... LINKS: Reading The Mind with fMRI and AI | Neurologica Blog QUASAR SOURCES https://en.wikipedi ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2023
Southern Skies
Brian Cox and Robin Ince start a new series from Sydney, Australia. They are joined by astrophysicists Kirsten Banks and Devika Kamath and comedian Ross Noble as they discuss how different the night sky looks from the southern hemisphere. They hear stories of how different cultur ... Show More
42m 35s