Justin Trottier - Podcast Details

Shows

Men Are Talking / Good Will Toward MenJustin Trottier: Building, Organizing, Educating, Advocating, Serving... FundingJustin Trottier has a long history in the pursuit of social justice, a pursuit that brought him inevitably to the social injustices visited upon men and boys — though at first they were unspoken among his cohort — the proverbial elephant in the room. Justin is the co-founder and now the National Executive Director of CAFE, the Canadian Association for Equality. Blessed with Justin's executive skills and talents, CAFE has grown to provide a range of direct and policy/advocacy/public education services around the social issues of men and boys. Justin is a model for the leadership the men's movement needs to g...2021-12-0258 min $Questions d\'actualité (Balado)$ Questions d'actualité (Balado)Dom Jacques Bolduc - 04/06/21 - Portrait de saint Justin de NaplouseJean-Philippe Trottier reçoit Dom Jacques Bolduc. Portrait de saint Justin de Naplouse, dit le philosophe.2021-06-0615 min

The Star SpotCOVID-19 Meets the NASA Space Apps Challenge, with James SlifierzFeature Guest: James Slifierz The NASA Space Apps Challenge is a feverish annual hackathon engaging teams of coders, scientists and storytellers around the world. Each year thousands of participants in over 75 countries compete to solve real-world problems in Earth and in space. As the Challenge celebrates its 10 year anniversary it faces one of the most demanding challenges of our generation: COVID-19. To discuss how NASA is turning the global pandemic from a challenge into an opportunity, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by James Slifierz, Co-founder and CEO of Skywatch and a 2014 NASA Space App...2020-05-2538 min

The Star SpotPlanet Nine or Black Hole One, with Jakub ScholtzFeature Guest: Jakub Scholtz We’ve long believed that membership in the solar system’s planetary family was limited to those eight planets we learned about in grade school. But then astronomers began to raise the possibility of a new super-Earth-sized planet, five to ten times the mass of Earth, orbiting far off in the outer solar system. Now if you thought the concept of Planet Nine was astonishing, consider if the mysterious body wasn’t a planet at all - but a black hole. That’s right, Planet Nine might be Black Hole One, our own solar sy...2020-05-1140 min

The Star SpotReports of Betelgeuse’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated, with Emily LevesqueFeature Guest: Emily Levesque In December 2019, amateur and professional astronomers held their breath as the red supergiant Betelgeuse started dimming beyond anything on record, a sign the behemoth might be preparing to go supernova. But over the ensuing few months, things seemed to be returning to normal for this fascinating star. To solve the mystery, a team set out to investigate this bizarre behaviour and to shed light on the fate of Betelgeuse. Today we’re joined here at the Star Spot by Emily Levesque to discuss their findings. Current in Space A sup...2020-04-2741 min

The Star SpotWormholes through Space and Time, with John CramerFeature Guest: John G. Cramer They are the stuff of science fiction, but wormholes are also the subject of intense scientific debate. Can wormholes provide a mechanism for faster than light travel through space and, even more intriguing, do they open the door to travel through time? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by one of the world’s foremost authorities on wormholes, Professor John G. Cramer, to share results from his thought experiments on wormholes and his laboratory experiments aimed at changing the past. Current in Space Jeff starts us off wi...2020-04-0651 min

The Star SpotDreams of Floating Cities, with Geoffrey LandisFeature Guest: Geoffrey A. Landis When we think of terraforming, we probably envision turning the Red Planet blue. But Mars isn’t the only world in our solar system that ambitious scientists have considered transforming. Imagine a network of floating cities in the clouds of Venus, or sailing ships plying the oceans of a newly thawed moon in the outer solar system. Today we’re going to dream here at The Star Spot with NASA scientist and award-winning science fiction author, Geoffrey Landis. Current in Space After NASA's InSight lander touched down on Mars...2020-03-0228 min

The Star SpotSibling Rivalry at the Centre of the Galaxy, with Smadar NaozFeature Guest: Smadar Naoz We’ve long known that most galaxies contain at their core a supermassive black hole that can be millions of times the mass of the sun. But now researchers are discovering galaxies with more than one supermassive black hole at their centre. To understand the implications of this discovery and what it could mean about the history of the Milky Way, should our own galaxy be among this collection, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by astrophysicist Smadar Naoz. Current in Space Stars like the Sun are...2020-02-0342 min

The Star SpotThe Case of the Missing Dark Matter, with Guo ChiFeature Guest: Guo Qi Dark matter vastly overshadows ordinary matter in our universe. Wherever astronomers turn their telescopes they find galaxies dominated by dark matter. But all that changed recently with the first discoveries of dwarf galaxies suspiciously deficient in dark matter. To make sense of this baffling finding and how it relates to our Milky Way’s own local dwarf galaxies, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by study lead Professor Guo Qi from the Chinese Academy of Science. Current in Space NASA's newest planet hunter has made its most...2020-01-2033 min

The Star SpotSecond Genesis, with Jay MeloshFeature Guest: Jay Melosh If we should find creatures crawling around Titan or swimming under the ice sheets of Europa or Enceladus, they will almost certainly turn out to be the result of a second genesis, those creatures truly alien in the most profound sense. That startling conclusion follows from a series of groundbreaking simulation that found it exceedingly unlikely that life can be successfully transferred between the worlds of our solar system. To unpack the significance of this conclusion, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by geophysicist Jay Melosh, who caused an uproar wh...2020-01-0643 min

The Star SpotThe Truth is Out There (at the University of Manitoba)Feature Guest: Shelley Sweeney The University of Manitoba has just acquired the largest collection of UFO related material. Prominent Canadian ufologist Christ Rutkowski has made a donation of over 30,000 documents, photos, artifacts and government reports, including files relating to the famous 1967 Falcon Lake Incident, involving a purported physical contact with a mysterious craft. Whether you’re intrigued by the phenomenon of belief or you believe in the phenomenon, the extraordinary human effort to address the UFO question is worth our attention, argues Shelley Sweeney, Head of Archives & Special Collections at the University of Manitoba, who joins us he...2019-12-2341 min

The Star SpotFuzzy Dark Matter, with Lachlan LancasterFeature Guest: Lachlan Lancaster Quantum mechanics is strange. Until recently we could comfort ourselves with the belief that its odd properties were safely confined to the world of the microscopic. But what if quantum mechanical effects were suddenly magnified to cosmological scales. Imagine the quantum mechanical interference pattern spread across clusters of galaxies. That’s a possibility, according to a new theory of dark matter known as fuzzy dark matter, which imagines dark matter particles as being incredibly minuscule but with astrologically large wavelengths. How can we prove whether this fascinating new theory is correct? Do these ul...2019-11-2533 min

The Star SpotDiscovering an Ancient Oasis, with William RapinFeature Guest: William Rapin Welcome to Sutton Island, here in the middle of a beautiful and rugged landscape consisting of shallow lakes filled with salts and minerals. It’s a common vista on this world, and while the world in question is not our home, ancient Mars may well have been someone’s home. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by William Rapin, with reports from the latest discoveries of the Mars Curiosity rover and why one of the Principal Investigators of NASA’s Viking mission is now convinced we found life on Mars back in...2019-11-1143 min

The Star SpotThe Hubble Not-So ConstantFeature Guest: Sherry Suyu The Hubble constant, which measures the expansion rate of the cosmos, may not be a constant after all, and if that’s true it means we’re missing something big in our understanding of the universe. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Sherry Suyu, who leads the aptly named H0LiCOW project which uses the phenomenon of gravitationally lensed quasars to measure the expansion rate of the universe. Current in Space Tony reports on a fascinating yet circumstantial finding that suggests a world literally on fire i...2019-09-1634 min

The Star SpotPloonets: When Moons Go Rogue, with Jorge ZuluagaFeature Guest: Jorge Zuluaga Astronomers have yet to confirm a single detection of an exomoon, that is a moon orbiting a planet outside our solar system. Now it turns out at least part of the explanation is that we may have been looking in the wrong place all this time. Introducing ploonets. No, I did not just mispronounce the word planet. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Jorge Zuluaga, whose team coined the name to describe a moon that has gone rogue, and while it may sound exotic, a speculative theory posits that pl...2019-09-0241 min

The Star SpotThe Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts, with Vikram RaviFeature Guest: Vikram Ravi They come to us from deep space. They last a tiny fraction of a second. They contain as much energy as the sun’s total output in 80 years. Yet we still haven’t figured out what causes these so-called Fast Radio Bursts or FRBs. I don’t want to say it’s aliens, but... no, it’s probably not aliens. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Professor Vikram Ravi whose team is quickly zeroing in on the origin of these bizarre FRBs. Current in Space Amelia and T...2019-08-1942 min

The Star SpotScience at the Limits (Part 2)Feature Guest: Dan Falk Scientists are finding themselves increasingly squeezed between academics sounding the limits of science and a public increasingly taken in by pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Today we conclude our review of science under attack with science writer Dan Falk. Current in Space NASA is looking to make space exploration a little greener, and Joseph and Tony report on their latest invention: an environmentally-friendly spacecraft fuel that may eventually replace hydrazine, the toxic industry standard for decades. Then Simon terrifies us with the fact that mere days ago, an asteroid nearly h...2019-08-0546 min

The Star SpotCelebrating Apollo + Science at the Limits (Part 1)Feature Guest: Dan Falk Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by science writer Dan Falk. We’ll start today’s interview with a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the landing of humans on the moon and the internationalism of that critical moment. But then, 50 years after this triumph of science, we’re going to confront head on a set of old and new challenges to the scientific enterprise itself. All the fascinating research and discoveries we share at The Star Spot rests on basic assumptions about the primacy, scope and univ...2019-07-2238 min

The Star SpotCurrent in Space + The Best of The Star Spot: Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt Feature Guest: Brian Schmidt Today we offer a best of from our vault here at The Star Spot. We dug back to a fan favourite, our December 2014 interview with Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt, who won the biggest prize in science for discovering the accelerating universe. The 1929 discovery of the expanding universe by Edwin Hubble forever changed our picture of the cosmos and our understanding of our place in the universe. In 1998 we learned that wasn’t the only surprise. That’s when two teams of astronomers announced that the expansion of our universe isn’t slowing...2019-07-0831 min

The Star SpotNanodiamonds are Forever, with Jane GreavesFeature Guest: Jane Greaves Remember that nursery rhyme, “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky?” Well they were on to something, because it turns out diamonds - albeit nanodiamonds - are ubiquitous across the Milky Way galaxy. So-called diamond dust is even here in our own solar system. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Professor Jane Greaves, whose team made the discovery that unexpectedly solved a long standing astronomical mystery. Current in Space Simon explains a tantalizing find: 30 binary stars that have somehow been ejected from t...2019-06-1028 min

The Star SpotLanding on Europa, with Cynthia PhillipsFeature Guest: Cynthia Phillips In the 1970s, the Viking landers performed historic experiments aimed at detecting life in the Martian soil. The results were disappointing although to this day still not entirely conclusive. Now over 40 years later a new lander with a next generation set of life detection equipment is under assessment by NASA. This time the target is not the Red Planet, but the ocean moon Europa, which has emerged as a prime candidate in the search for life in the solar system. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Cynthia Phillips, Deputy Pr...2019-05-2752 min

The Star SpotJupiter's Ancient Odyssey, with Simona PiraniFeature Guest: Simona Pirani The planet Jupiter occupies a position today that is far from its home 4.5 billion years ago, a destination resulting from a primeval migration that started way out around the current location of Uranus. Like the god for which it was named, Jupiter enjoys the company of thousands of followers, the so-called trojan asteroids, which have remained by its side all these years, and they now offer a window into the murky origins of the gas giant. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Simona Pirani, lead author of a new st...2019-04-2933 min

The Star SpotThe Ring Worlds of Saturn, with Bonnie BurattiFeature Guest: Bonnie Buratti The spacecraft Cassini went out in spectacular fashion, travelling through Saturn’s rings for a final death dive into the gas giant. Even in its final heroic moments, Cassini was relaying back data shedding light on the bizarre worlds known as the ring moons of Saturn. The origin of these small bodies, which manage to maintain orbits within the turbulent environment of Saturn’s rings, pose a a puzzle for scientists. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Bonnie Buratti of JPL with updates from her recently published study into this y...2019-04-1540 min

The Star SpotThe End is Nowhere Near Nigh, with Fred Adams Feature Guest: Fred Adams If you thought the far distant future of our universe was going to be bleak, dreary and dark, well, you’d be right. But remember, the universe is still just a baby and it has many new experiences ahead of it. Over the many trillions of years of its unimaginably long life, new processes will take over, new forms of galactic structure will emerge and types of stars that have never existed will come to populate the galaxy. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Fred Adams, not to mour...2019-03-1836 min

The Star SpotThe Boom Time of the Universe, with Rosemary WyseFeature Guest: Rosemary Wyse The universe is past its prime, by about 8 to 10 billion years. Sorry if you missed it. From the rate of star formation to the frequency of galactic mergers, the cosmos just isn’t what it used to be. Yet remarkably all is not lost, for there’s an astronomical archeology available to us. It turns out stars retain a memory of their ancient origins and galaxies hold clues to their own violent histories. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Professor Rosemary Wise for the second in our three part s...2019-03-0432 min

The Star SpotBoom to Bust Part 1: Before the Beginning, with Katrin HeitmannFeature Guest: Katrin Heitmann The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our univ...2019-02-1832 min

The Star SpotLiving on the Edge: Are We On the Boundary of an Expanding Universe?, with Ulf DanielssonFeature Guest: Ulf Danielsson Our universe is big. But what if all of this was just one of an unimaginably large number of bubble universes. That’s the proposal by a group of scientists who recently introduced a new model for the universe which for the first time links string theory with dark energy and higher dimensions. But how does it compare to rival multiverse theories? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by physicist Ulf Danielsson to explain how his model, uniquely, provides for universes that far from being isolated might actually come into cont...2019-01-2140 min

The Star SpotTelling Space Stories, with Rayna SlobodianFeature Guest: Rayna Slobodian As we dream of space, we must remain anchored to humanity. Space exploration is a human story, and music may be the perfect medium to capture the emotive drama of discovery, risk and the mystery of the unknown. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by singer-songwriter, space ethicist, homelessness researcher and all around geek, Rayna Slobodian, for a far-ranging discussion that, while focused on space music, is ultimately about bringing space exploration down to Earth. About Our Guest Rayna Slobodian is a singer-songwriter whose music co...2019-01-0727 min

The Star SpotHow We Discovered Blazars Cause Mysterious Cosmic RaysFeature Guest: Darren Grant A one hundred year old astronomical mystery may finally have been solved. Scientists have long wondered just what caused high energy particles called cosmic rays, which arrive on Earth from the far unknown reaches of the universe. But now we have a discovery by the South Pole Neutrino Observatory, appropriately named IceCube, which points the finger at a peculiar phenomena known as blazars. The IceCube Collaboration’s Professor Darren Grant joins us today here at The Star Spot. Current in Space Dave reports on the arrival of the Osiris-Rex mi...2018-12-2450 min

The Star SpotThe Do-It-Yourself SpacesuitFeatured Guest: Cameron Smith One of the challenges in building a future where humans are able to explore other worlds are the massive, clumsy and expensive spacesuits currently in use. Now enter into the picture Pacific Spaceflight. They’re a grassroots team with a do-it-yourself attitude and they’re busy perfecting the next generation space suit technology. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by their leader, Professor Cameron Smith, an anthropologist and archeologist who’s research on humanity’s deep past now fuels his determination to take us into the future. Current in Space 2018-11-3049 min

The Star SpotArtificial Photosynthesis: Taking the Sun on the Road, with Katharina BrinkertFeatured Guest: Katharina Brinkert On Earth, we can thank the sun for making life possible. Now what if we could harness the power of the sun to make life possible on long duration space missions. Introducing the concept of artificial photosynthesis. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by chemist Katharina Brinkert, whose pioneering experiments on the International Space Station turning sunlight into fuel and breathable air might just pave the way for human exploration of the solar system. Current in Space Water World. No, not the awful movie, but according to...2018-11-1237 min

The Star SpotThe Vatican Observatory: Astronomy and Faith in the Modern World, with Cosette GilmourFeatured Guest: Cosette Gilmour The proper relationship between science and faith is a core question for the modern age. At the centre of this debate has often been the Vatican observatory. The fascinating history of the Vatican Observatory stretches from the 18th century up to today, controversially combining scientific scholarship and religious tradition. In the last few decades the Observatory hosted a conference exploring the search for alien life and another aimed at a scientific understanding of divine action. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Cosette Gilmour, an alumni of the Va...2018-10-2921 min

The Star SpotA Reality Check on Terraforming Mars, with Bruce JakoskyFeatured Guest: Bruce Jakosky Don’t shoot the messenger. The terraforming of Mars has been the dream for many of us who long for a future where humanity has colonized the Red Planet. But is it time to rethink those plans? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Bruce Jakosky, Principal Investigator of the Martian MAVEN Mission, and he’s got some bad news. Current in Space Dave spotlights the first confirmed detection of an extrasolar moon, and its a whopper. Then Tony shares new research suggesting that a key compon...2018-10-1533 min

The Star SpotAlien Viruses, with Ken StedmanFeatured Guest: Ken Stedman They aren’t pleasant, but viruses are the most common form life on our planet. So why aren’t the world’s space agencies taking viruses seriously in their search for alien life. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by astrobiologist and astrovirologist Ken Stedman who has a plan to change and that and put viruses front and centre as we explore our solar system and beyond. Current in Space We’re roving around our first asteroid, reports Simon. And if its heading into oblivion, just why is matt...2018-10-0134 min

The Star SpotNew Moons of Jupiter, with Scott SheppardFeatured Guest: Scott Sheppard On the hunt for the solar system’s elusive Planet X, a team of astronomers accidentally stumbled upon the discovery of 12 new moons of Jupiter. Oops. But it gets even better, because one of these things is not like the others and the way that moon just doesn’t belong might just solve the mystery of lunar origins. To help us understand how one very happy accident is shedding light on the formation of our solar system, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the discovery team leader Scott Sheppard....2018-09-1732 min

The Star SpotAt the Birth of Our First Newborn Planet, with Andre MullerFeatured Guest: André Müller Astronomers have taken their first image of an infant planet still developing around a newly formed star. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by André Müller, whose team is busy studying this baby world and has already discovered evidence of an atmosphere and possibly even moons, astounding knowledge of such a tiny speck 370 light years from Earth. On a personal note, I want to dedicate this special 150th episode of The Star Spot to my amazing wife Denise and to our own newborn wonder, Lara Fong Trotti...2018-09-0335 min

The Star SpotThe Question of Life on Mars, with David HamiltonFeatured Guest: David Hamilton The recent discovery of a lake of liquid water beneath the Martian south pole culminates a series of stunning discoveries that are forcing us to rethink the question of habitability on the Red Planet. Now two space missions are underway aimed at sites on Mars that may be the best candidates yet for life and boasting the most advanced bio detection instruments ever sent into space. To help us prepare, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by space physicist David Hamilton. Join us at Solar System Social this Thursday, Au...2018-08-2044 min

The Star SpotDoes Canada Have a Vision for Space Exploration?, with Chuck BlackFeatured Guest: Chuck Black The Canadian Space Advisory Board was tasked with developing a plan to rejuvenate Canada’s declining world standing in space exploration. In 2017 the Board made a bold proposal that Canada designate space a national strategic asset and increase funding necessary for the “revitalization of Canada’s space capacity.” But when in March 2018 the federal government released its annual budget, these calls were entirely ignored. The chair of the Canadian Space Advisory Board was so disappointed that she took the unusual move of publicly critiquing a government which seemed to be neglecting Canada’s...2018-08-0640 min

The Star SpotPostcards From HomeToday we turn our telescopes back around to study ourself. Our own solar system is undergoing a conceptual revolution. From its chaotic birth to its fiery end, our solar system is no longer seen as static and isolated. It is now understood to change and evolve, to offer great environmental diversity across its many worlds, and it now seems our solar system even interacts with the rest of the galaxy. In this special interregnum here at The Star Spot, today our news team of Tony, Maya and Dave take us on a journey across the history and the destiny...2018-07-2312 min

The Star SpotSupernovae and the Evolution of Life on Earth, with Brian ThomasFeature Guest: Brian Thomas We have this impression of our planet as isolated from the rest of the universe, our lives cut off from the drama unfolding elsewhere in our galaxy. But what if the course of life’s evolution on Earth was intimately connected to events well beyond our solar system. It now seems likely that supernovae hundreds of light-years away have profoundly affected our history and may even account for climatic changes just as our species was emerging. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by astrophysicist Brian Thomas to explore this fascinating disc...2018-05-2828 min

The Star SpotCan Sibling Rivalry Explain This Supernova?, with Stuart RyderFeature Guest: Stuart Ryder When a massive star explodes in a supernova, it tends to gobble up all the attention. But what happens when that star has a binary companion with its own story to tell? That’s exactly what happened last month when the Hubble Telescope captured the first image of the surviving stellar companion to a supernova, and it turned out to be more than just a passive observer. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by the discovery team leader Stuart Ryder to tell us how sibling rivalry might account for the origin of o...2018-05-1735 min

The Star SpotA Rough Upbringing: The Discovery of Stars in the Galaxy’s Core, with Farhad Yusef-ZadehFeature Guest: Farhad Yusef-ZadehThe gravity, radiation and tidal forces at the very core of the Milky Way is kind of intense. That’s why astronomers have long doubted the possibility of star formation in such a hostile environment. And then everything changed with the discovery last fall of 11 sun-like stars living closer to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy then the distance between our sun and its closest neighbour. What does this breakthrough mean for our understanding of star formation and the possibility of life in what we once imagined were impossibly ex...2018-04-0235 min

The Star SpotPlanet Hunting Goes Extragalactic, with Xinyu DaiFeature Guest: Xinyu Dai Last month astronomers announced the first ever discovery of extrasolar planets… in another galaxy! We’ve already confirmed almost 4000 planets beyond our solar system, but these have all been in a single galaxy, the Milky Way. But then last month a serendipitous discovery opened the door to a galaxy 3.8 billion light years away and it turns out it’s home to thousands upon thousands of planets. Today we're joined here at The Star Spot by co-discoverer Xinyu Dai to describe the unplanned discovery and whether this is the beginning of a new era in ext...2018-03-1934 min

Unbelievable?Live in Canada. Andy Bannister & Justin Trottier debate the foundation of human rightsJustin hosts a public dialogue between Christian Andy Bannister and atheist humanist Justin Trottier, live on stage at the Apologetics Canada conference in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In front of an audience of 1,400 they debate whether Christianity or naturalism provides a better foundation for the concept of universal human rights, followed by questions from the floor. For Apologetics Canada https://www.apologeticscanada.com/ For Andy Bannister: https://www.solas-cpc.org/what-are-human-rights-based-on-andy-bannister/ For Justin Trottier: https://equalitycanada.com/ For Unbelievable? the Conference 2018: http://www.premier.org.uk/justask Get signed...2018-03-162h 02

Unbelievable?Live in Canada. Andy Bannister & Justin Trottier debate the foundation of human rightsJustin hosts a public dialogue between Christian Andy Bannister and atheist humanist Justin Trottier, live on stage at the Apologetics Canada conference in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In front of an audience of 1,400 they debate whether Christianity or naturalism provides a better foundation for the concept of universal human rights, followed by questions from the floor. For Apologetics Canada https://www.apologeticscanada.com/ For Andy Bannister: https://www.solas-cpc.org/what-are-human-rights-based-on-andy-bannister For Justin Trottier: https://equalitycanada.com/ For Unbelievable? the Conference 2018: http://www.premier.org.uk/justask Get signe...2018-03-162h 02

The Star SpotJupiter Transformed, with Scott BoltonFeature Guest: Scott Bolton It’s our cosmic backyard, and yet our own solar system is still full of surprises. Now it turns out we were “totally wrong” when it comes to just about everything we thought we knew about Jupiter. That’s not me speaking, it’s Scott Bolton, principal investigator for the NASA Juno mission to Jupiter. From its magnetic field and atmosphere down to its very core, Jupiter is being rediscovered and transformed. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Dr. Bolton to discuss the rewriting of our textbook on the solar system...2018-02-1939 min

The Star SpotThe Mysterious Origin of Superpowerful Radio Blasts, with Jason HesselsFeature Guest: Jason Hessels The one thing we thought we knew about fast radio blasts was that these mysterious one-off phenomena must be associated with some of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. Then everything changed with last month’s announcement of the first ever detection of a source of repeating fast radio bursts. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by co-discover Jason Hessels to rule on an important question: are scientists back to the drawing board or did they just achieve a breakthrough in our efforts to unlock this puzzle. Current in S...2018-02-0533 min

The Star SpotHow Humans Are Healing the Ozone Hole… and Might Just Solve Other Environmental Problems, with Susan StrahanFeature Guest: Susan Strahan While human activity is what created the ozone hole, scientists just announced direct evidence that human activity is now responsible for healing that damage. That makes the Montreal Protocol, which banned the emission of chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, along with other ozone depleting substances, the most successful international environmental agreement to date. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Dr. Susan Strahan, who lead a team that studied the reduction of CFCs, to discuss the fall and rise of the ozone layer and what this means for future efforts to achieve international co...2018-01-2233 min

The Star SpotCan Alien Life Hitch a Ride on Space Dust?, with Arjun BereraFeature Guest: Arjun Berera Many of you are familiar with the idea of panspermia, the theory that life spreads itself throughout the galaxy by travelling from one world to another. We often think of big objects like asteroids, comets or spacecraft. But a new idea has emerged, and it’s must smaller: dust. Astronomer Arjun Berera joins me here at The Star Spot to discuss his new study, which considers whether alien life can hitchhike between planets on streams of space dust and if life on Earth might have just such an origin. Current in Sp...2018-01-0829 min

The Star SpotMaking Contact, with Jill TarterFeature Guest: Jill Tarter Alien hunting pioneer Jill Tarter often says the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is a way for us to hold a mirror to ourselves. Now in a recently released biography, that statement takes on personal significance and reveals the intimate connection between SETI and the life of its most famous icon. Today we’re honoured to have Jill Tarter return to The Star Spot to discuss her life; the tragedies and triumphs of youth, the moment when the alien question became a science question, her pioneering role as a woman in sci...2017-12-1153 min

The Star SpotAn Alien Asteroid in Our Solar System, with Alan SternFeature Guest: Alan Stern There’s an intruder in our solar system. This fall we were invaded by the first interstellar space traveller, an elongated, cigar shaped alien asteroid. The mysterious object was ejected from its distant and unknown home, travelling for millions or billions of years before coming to pass between the Earth and the sun. On today’s episode of The Star Spot we’re joined by Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons mission to Pluto, to explain how the detection of an interstellar asteroid named Oumuamua is likely the first of many s...2017-11-2726 min

The Star SpotSo You Want to Become an Astronaut?, with Cordell GrantFeature Guest: Cordell Grant On June 17, 2016, the Canadian Space Agency launched the nation’s fourth astronaut recruitment campaign. 3,772 applications were received. One year later only two were chosen. Candidates have described the grueling selection process as the greatest challenge of their lives. To understand how we identify the best of the best, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Cordell Grant, who neared the finish line and was among the top 72 candidates to become Canada’s next space explorer. Current in Space We like to think we know our solar system well...2017-11-1244 min

The Star SpotStudying Cosmic Alchemy with Gravitational Waves, with Michael LandryFeature Guest: Michael Landry The alchemists never did succeed in turning elements into gold and silver, and now we know why. It takes the merger of two neutron stars to produce these and other precious metals. That was the headline just two weeks ago when astronomers reported the first ever detection of gravitational waves from this so-called kilonova event. With this discovery we enter a new era. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Dr. Michael Landry, head of the LIGO observatory at Hanford where this landmark discovery was made, to discuss the dawn of...2017-10-3043 min

The Star SpotSearching for Aliens All-Sky All-the-Time, with Bill DiamondFeature Guest: Bill Diamond The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, is undergoing a revolution. There was once a time when the search for alien signals involved an exhausting and painstaking point by point search of each and every possible location in the sky, one at a time. Now with a new project called Laser SETI we have the first-ever all-sky all-the-time search. And today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by SETI Institute President Bill Diamond to discuss the promise and challenge of SETI’s paradigm-shifting new effort to make contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. 2017-10-0249 min

The Star SpotDiscovering an Asteroid Family Unchanged Since the Birth of the Solar System, with Marco DelboFeature Guest: Marco Delbo The main belt asteroids are among the most ancient of all bodies in the solar system. This summer astronomers announced the discovery of what’s being called a primordial asteroid family. These asteroids are so old that their formation predates the migration of Jupiter, which may have passed through the asteroid belt while travelling to its current location in the solar system. Today the discovery team leader Marco Delbo joins us here at The Star Spot to explain how we can learn about the biggest objects in the solar system by studying some of...2017-09-1845 min

The Star SpotDoes Titan Harbour the Building Blocks of Life?, with Ravi DesaiFeature Guest: Ravi Desai It was recently reported that Saturn’s moon Titan harbours complex chemistry the likes of which we’ve never before seen in our solar system. On today’s episode of The Star Spot, the leader of the discovery Ravi Desai explains the implication of discovering these building blocks of life on a world that many are now calling the most habitable location beyond Earth. Current in Space Good news from Tony. The ocean worlds of Europa and Enceladus will be prime targets for the James Webb Space Telescope. Then Dave t...2017-09-0334 min

The Star SpotEpisode 131: Heavy Metal Explosion: The Rockstars of the Supernova World, with Matt NichollFeature Guest: Matt Nicholl If you thought a supernova was powerful, time to meet its bigger brother, the superluminous supernova. They’ve been described as the rockstars of the supernova world and if one were to go off in our galaxy it would outshine the full moon. Yes, you heard that right. Now until recently we thought such stupendous events were confined to fantastically distant dwarf galaxies, far off and unusual parts of our universe. But now a remarkable new discovery has changed everything, bringing superluminous supernovae much much closer to home. On today’s episo...2017-08-2130 min

The Star SpotThere Are How Many More Comets!?, with James BauerFeature Guest: James Bauer A team of astronomers studying long-period comets has just reached a startling conclusion. The solar system is home to seven times more of these large icy bodies than we previously thought. This according to team lead James Bauer, who joins us here at The Star Spot. How does this discovery affect our understanding of solar system formation? Were there once supermassive ancient comets which broke apart? And did we just massively increase the chance of a cometary collision with Earth. Current in Space Let Tony introduce you to the...2017-08-0732 min

The Star SpotEpisode 129: Building on Gravitational Wave Astronomy, with Danny SteeghsFeature Guest: Danny Steeghs Gravitational wave astronomy was born less than 2 years ago when scientists made the first ever detection of gravitational waves coming from the merger of two distant massive black holes. To build on the emergence of this revolutionary new science, a new project has just come online. Meet the Gravitational Wave Optical Transient Observer, or GOTO. This array of intelligent autonomous telescopes is now standing by and at the first sign of gravitational waves they are ready to spring into action, to zero in on some of the most cataclysmic events in o...2017-07-2436 min

The Star SpotEpisode 128: A Shocking Theory About the Multiverse, with Dan FalkFeature Guest: Dan Falk What if everything we see in our universe is not all that there is. The concept of the multiverse has captured the imagination of both physicists and cosmologists, but for very different reasons. According to the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, every quantum event triggers the creation of new parallel universes. Meanwhile many cosmologists studying the beginning of the universe have come to believe that inflation is an eternal process forever creating new universes. The quantum mechanical wave-function and cosmological inflation seem worlds apart. But what if these two dramatically...2017-07-1046 min

The Star SpotEpisode 127: When Day Becomes Night, with Dan FalkFeature Guest: Dan Falk They once portended the collapse of civilization. Well the solar eclipse visiting North America this summer probably won’t spell the end of days. But as our guest Dan Falk will explain astronomers and lay people alike are in for an unforgettable experience on August 21st, when day literally turns to night. Current in Space Data dump? Oh yes just another 200 or so alien worlds discovered by Kepler. About Our Guest Dan Falk is an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He’s been published very b...2017-06-2645 min

The Star SpotEpisode 126: SpaceX: A New Paradigm for Space Exploration, with Chris ProphetFeature Guest: Chris Prophet SpaceX has blasted into the aerospace world, seemingly overnight, bringing with it a new low cost model for accessing space. But this paradigm shifting company has set its sights much higher, with a promise to send humans to Mars, to live, colonize and even terraform the red planet. And behind it all stands Elon Musk. The visionary futurist claims he will not stop until he’s broken through the government inertia and overwhelming technological challenge in his bid to revolutionize space exploration as we know it. Now a new book is pro...2017-06-1242 min

The Star SpotEpisode 124: The Best Candidate for Life, with Jason DittmannFeature Guest: Jason Dittmann Just last month, April 2017, astronomers announced the discovery of an extrasolar planet that has the best shot at harbouring life outside our solar system. To find out what makes LHS 1140b so special and what steps are planned to learn more about this potential alien home, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by the discovery team’s leader Dr. Jason Dittmann. Current in Space The famous nearby star Epsilon Eridani harbours a solar system eerily similar to ours, explains Dave. Then Tony shares what we're learning from the c...2017-05-1529 min

The Star SpotEpisode 123: Dark Matter Bridging the Galaxies, with Michael HudsonFeature Guest: Michael Hudson If you’re like most people you probably think of galaxies as islands of stars, separate and isolated cities of our universe. But it turns out these cities are connected through a vast web of highways known as dark matter bridges. To help us understand the origin and role of this cosmic scaffolding today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Professor Michael Hudson. Current in Space Astronomers have discovered a pulsar that’s coming back from near death, explains Dave. And could the technology for astronaut hiberna...2017-05-0131 min

The Star SpotEpisode 122: What if the Sun had a Sibling?, with Quinn KonopackyFeature Guest: Quinn Konopacky The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was “What Ifs: Is the Impossible, Possible?”! In this special three episode series, we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the event’s keynote speakers as we explore three provocative questions at the cutting edge of astronomy. How would things be different if our sun wasn’t an only child? This isn’t a simple exercise in acad...2017-04-1730 min

The Star SpotEpisode 121: Scary Resolutions to the Fermi Paradox, with David KippingFeature Guest: David Kipping The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was “What Ifs: Is the Impossible, Possible?”! And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the event’s keynote speakers as we explore three provocative questions at the cutting edge of astronomy. We are either the first civilization in the galaxy or we’re about to meet our doom...2017-03-2024 min

The Star SpotEpisode 120: When Galaxies Collide, with Gurtina BeslaFeature Guest: Gurtina Besla The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was “What Ifs: Is the Impossible, Possible?”! And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the event’s keynote speakers as we explore three provocative questions at the cutting edge of astronomy. First up, on today’s episode Dr. Gurtina Besla asks, what if humans are around to witn...2017-03-0629 min

The Star SpotEpisode 119: From Knots to Donuts: Exotic Possibilities for the Shape of Our Universe, with Paul SutterFeature Guest: Paul Sutter Imagine travelling a very long way in space only to return just where you started, but upside down. Or consider living in an exotic donut-shaped universe, or one with far more than our usual three dimensions. The amazing thing is that we very well may. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Paul Sutter who will explain the crazy possibilities for the shape of our universe. Current in Space Imagine the view from an Earth-size object that spun on its axis once every minute? According to Dave, that...2017-02-2044 min

The Star SpotEpisode 118: The Sun: Our Local Mystery, with Terry KuceraFeature Guest: Terry Kucera We see it there in the sky every day of our lives. And yet our own local star, the sun, is still in many ways a mystery. What causes the solar cycle? How does the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, reach a staggering temperature of over 1 million degrees. And could a really big solar storm turn back the clock on our technology and civilization? You’ll never look at the sun the same way again after we’re joined here The Star Spot by NASA astrophysicist Dr. Terry Kucera Current in Spa...2017-02-0633 min

The Star SpotEpisode 117: The Universe is Going Green, with Matt MalkanFeature Guest: Matt Malkan Was the early universe green? That’s the startling discovery by a team of UCLA astronomers studying the youngest galaxies in our universe. Why green? That’s what I’ll try to find out when Professor Matt Malkan joins us here at The Star Spot. Current in Space As 2017 gets underway, Anuj teases us with a trailer for space missions we can look forward to this year. In case that puts us in too ecstatic a mood, Dave quickly reminds us that nothing lives forever, and that includes exocomets which...2017-01-2336 min

The Star SpotEpisode 116: The Transit of Mercury, with Suzanna NagyFeature Guest: Suzanna Nagy Suzanna Nagy is President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Vancouver Centre. In May 2016 she took advantage of a rare and unusual aerial phenomena - a clear sky in downtown Vancouver - to share the wonders of our solar system with hundreds of people. The event was the transit of planet Mercury in front of the sun. In case you missed it, we’re going to have Suzanna joining us here at The Star Spot to describe her experience and to explain to us how astronomy educators use these naturally occurring marv...2017-01-0917 min

The Star SpotEpisode 115: Searching for Aliens with the World’s Biggest Telescopes, with Dan WerthimerFeature Guest: Dan Werthimer Physicist Enrico Fermi once asked, if aliens exist in the galaxy, then just where is everybody. And for nearly 40 years the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, has sought to answer that very question. Now they’re about to take it to the next level. Meet China’s FAST telescope (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope). Now in the commissioning phase, when the largest single dish radio telescope in the world enters prime time early in 2017 it might give us a new year’s gift of galactic significance. To understand how the FAST Telesc...2016-12-2643 min

The Star SpotEpisode 114: The Milky Way's Dark Matter Twin, with Roberto AbrahamFeature Guest: Roberto Abraham Imagine a galaxy that has a similar mass and volume to our own but where somebody turned off most of the stars. Meet Dragonfly 44, the most famous member of a new category of galaxies known as ultra-diffuse. Are they failed galaxies, bits of other galaxies or something even stranger. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Professor Roberto Abraham whose team was responsible for the discovery of what’s being dubbed the Milky Way’s Dark Matter Twin. Current in Space The killer asteroid that took out the di...2016-12-1242 min

The Star SpotEpisode 113: Astronomical Observatories of Ancient Britain, with Gail HigginbottomFeature Guest: Gail Higginbottom The British gave us the world’s first parliament. And now it turns out the ancient British may have been among the world’s first astronomers. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by archaeoastronomer Gail Higginbottom. Thanks to her and her team we now have proof that megalithic structures build hundreds of years before Stonehenge were in fact ancient astronomical observatories whose purpose is still shrouded in mystery. Current in Space About Our Guest Dr. Gail Higginbottom is an interdisciplinary archaeo-astronomer at home in a vari...2016-11-1444 min

The Star SpotEpisode 112: Geysers on Europa, with William SparksFeature Guest: William Sparks Extraterrestrial life might be erupting into space from the surface of Europa. And a NASA mission to the icy world could fly right through it. Today I’m joined here at The Star Spot by William Sparks, whose team discovered evidence for water vapour geysers on Jupiter’s fascinating moon. Current in Space Europa. Enceladus. Titan. Meet the newest ocean world: Saturn's moon Dione. Then just as we are coming to terms with an accelerating universe, astronomers suddenly announce we may have gotten worked up over nothing. About...2016-10-3138 min

The Star SpotEpisode 111: Can Supernovae Cause Extinctions!?, with Shawn BishopFeature Guest: Shawn Bishop We’ve long known we’re made of star stuff, but now it turns out that life on Earth might be even more intimately connected to events in deep space than we imagined. Scientists recently reported the first ever discovery of supernova ash - atoms forged in the catastrophic explosion of dead stars - found buried in fossils created by bacteria right here on Earth. And most surprising of all these findings hint at a possible role for supernovae in bringing about mass extinctions, events which have changed the course of life on Eart...2016-10-1753 min

The Star SpotEpisode 110: Peering Into the Void, with Nico HamausFeature Guest: Nico Hamaus Astronomers are no longer avoiding the void. Between the overdense zones of our universe, where most galaxies live, there exist vast regions of near emptiness that can stretch for hundreds of millions of light years. But these voids are not nearly as inconsequential as you might imagine and now they are finally getting the attention they deserve. Astronomers are peering into the void in the hopes of solving a variety of cosmic mysteries, from gleaning critical insights into dark matter to studying unique galaxies found in the voids. Today we’re joined at Th...2016-10-0328 min

The Star SpotEpisode 109: Rethinking Ancient Mayan Astronomy, with Gerardo AldanaFeature Guest: Gerardo Aldana No the ancient Maya did not predict the end of the world. But they were among the world’s most advanced astronomers. Now some anthropologists believe they’ve found evidence that the Maya achieved a remarkable innovation in mathematics and science. To share with us his revolutionary view of the famous Mayan Dresden Codex, the oldest book ever written in the Americas, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Gerardo Aldana. Current in Space About Gerardo Aldana Gerardo Aldana is a Professor at the University of Cali...2016-09-1942 min

The Star SpotEpisode 108: The Closest Exoplanet Could Be Habitable, with Guillem Anglada-EscudéFeature Guest: Guillem Anglada-Escudé Recently headlines buzzed with news of the discovery of the nearest exoplanet that we will ever find. And it looks like it could very well be habitable. Proxima b, at just over 4 light years from Earth, is quickly fuelling the imagination, with one foundation already planning a spacecraft mission to the world within a single generation. Today we’re excited to be joined at The Star Spot by Guillem Anglada-Escudé, head of the team responsible for this amazing discovery. Current in Space About Our Guest Dr. Guillem Angl...2016-09-0539 min

The Star SpotEpisode 107: Surveying the Cosmos, with Ludovic Van WaerbekeFeature Guest: Ludovic Van Waerbeke Large scale surveys of the universe are quickly becoming key to making new discoveries at the cutting edge of astronomy. Case in point is the Cosmic Evolution Survey (or COSMOS), which incorporates data from 446,000 galaxies. Today we're joined at The Star Spot by Ludovic Van Waerbeke whose survey-based research has helped us expand our understanding of the expanding - and accelerating - universe, confirming the existence of an unknown source of energy, or dark energy, and providing a map of the large scale dark matter distribution of the cosmos. 2016-08-2224 min

The Star SpotEpisode 106: Is Our Solar System Unique? The Complex Process of Planetary Formation, with Aaron BoleyFeature Guest: Aaron Boley Is our solar system unique? That's becoming a major question for researchers. It turns out solar system formation is a far more complex process than anyone imagined. Gas giants migrate in and out. Planets swap places with each other. And bodies of all shapes and sizes appear at every conceivable distance from their star. To make sense of what might literally be a chaotic system today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Aaron Boley, Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy. Current in Space About Our Guest 2016-08-0836 min

The Star SpotThe Star Spot Episode 105: Ad Astra?, with Zachary FejesFeature Guest: Zachary Fejes Imagine a starship that could take us out into the galaxy. Meet Icarus Interstellar, a nonprofit foundation working to achieve interstellar travel by the year 2100. Is this science fiction? That’s what I’ll ask Zachary Fejes. His team is tasked with preparing a map that will take us to the stars, and he joins Justin Trottier here at The Star Spot. Current in Space We know supernova are among the most destructive and violent events our universe is capable of producing. Now Tony tells us why they may have...2016-07-2536 min

The Star SpotThe Star Spot Episode 104: The Great Terraforming Mars Debate: The Dream, with Chuck BlackFeature Guest: Chuck Black Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. The great terraforming Mars debate. We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds. We approached the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now over the course of 4 episodes I’m being joined at The Star Spot by each of our...2016-07-1139 min

The Star SpotThe Star Spot Episode 103: The Great Terraforming Mars Debate: The Ethics, with John RummelFeature Guest: John Rummel Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. The great terraforming Mars debate. We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds. We approached the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now over the course of 4 episodes I’m being joined at The Star Spot by each of our guests fro...2016-06-2737 min

The Star SpotEpisode 102: The Great Terraforming Mars Debate - Part 2: The Biology, with Olathe MacIntyreFeature Guest: Olathe MacIntyre Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. Can we terraform Mars to make it habitable? And if we can, should we? We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds in order to approach the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now over the course of 4 episodes we...2016-05-3035 min

The Star SpotEpisode 101: The Great Terraforming Mars Debate - Part 1: The Science, with Paul DelaneyFeature Guest: Paul Delaney Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. Can we terraform Mars to make it habitable? And if we can, should we? We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds in order to approach the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now, over the next 4...2016-05-1639 min

The Star SpotEpisode 100: The Monster at the Centre of our Galaxy, with Feryal ÖzelCelebrating 100 Episodes with you at The Star Spot! Thank you for joining here at The Star Spot for our special 100th episode. I want to take a moment to thank the 100 absolutely stellar guests that have joined us on the show over the last 4 years. You have educated and inspired people of all ages with your insight and enthusiasm. Thank you to our listeners for helping us grow our production and for your thoughtful suggestions and terrific online discussion. And of course, a very special thank you to the amazing team of volunteers who make our project...2016-05-0237 min

The Star SpotEpisode 99 Pulsars and the Detection of Gravitational Waves, with Ingrid StairsFeature Guest: Ingrid Stairs In February scientists announced the first ever discovery of gravitational waves, tiny distortions in the fabric of space-time predicted by Einstein exactly 100 years ago. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, made the historic detection by studying two colliding black holes, but singularities aren’t the only source of gravitational waves. Here to tell us how pulsars, the lighthouses of the galaxy, can be used to study gravitational waves and help us understand the forces of our universe, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by pulsar authority Ingrid Stairs 2016-04-1836 min

The Star SpotEpisode 98: What Our Beliefs About Aliens Say About Us!, With Brian TrentFeature Guest: Brian TrentHere’s the ultimate challenge for science fiction. How do you describe the appearance and behaviour of an intelligent alien species when we have no example to go on but us? How can we ever know our portrayal is truly alien and not a projection of our own expectations, hopes and fears? Or has the job of science fiction all along been to hold up a mirror to ourselves? Today we're joined at The Star Spot by Brian Trent, an award-winning science fiction author who manages to blend shockingly unfamiliar alien beings within st...2016-04-0449 min

The Star SpotEpisode 97: Making Life in the Lab and Its Implications for Alien Hunting, with Lynn RothschildFeature Guest: Lynn Rothschild Are we alone in the universe? Think about it. Whatever the answer, it is one of the most profound and enduring questions humans have ever asked. The fact that we are on the cusp of being able to answer it is incredible. But the challenge is still immense, for we’re not even sure exactly how to define life. And yet there’s no one better equipped to tackle this mystery then an astrobiologist who is presenting working to recreate life in the lab. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot b...2016-03-2137 min

The Star SpotEpisode 96: Did Universe's First Moments Set the Stage for Life?, with Fred AdamsFeature Guest: Fred AdamsCould the very first moments of our universe hold the secret to the eventual emergence of life billions of years later? And can life exist in the unimaginably far future, or does the life of the universe effectively die? From the deep past to the infinite future, today we're joined at The Star Spot by Professor Fred Adams to discuss the intersection of cosmology and life. The Star Spot Hits the Airwaves!Coming soon, your favourite astronomy program will be travelling through space… well through the airwaves at least. Th...2016-03-0732 min

The Star SpotEpisode 91: Monster Galaxies of the Early Universe, with Henry Joy McCrackenFeature Guest: Henry Joy McCrackenLast month scientists announced the shocking discovery of 574 monster galaxies from the ancient universe. There are surprisingly many such giant galaxies, and they seem to appear more suddenly and earlier than astronomers predicted. How might this finding upend our understanding of galaxy and structure formation in the universe? To help us answer that question we’re joined by the discovery’s co-investigator Henry Joy McCracken. This episode is dedicated to my wife Denise Fong, on our 6 month anniversary. Denise and I met at the 10th episode celebration of The Star Spot...2015-12-1438 min

Apostasy Now Podcast – Apostasy NowApostasy Now Ep 48: Justin Trottier – Equality Without The Flim FlamJustin Trottier joins Smashloc and MrDragonbeard this week to discuss the work he’s involved in to help men and their families with an array of needs generally still ignored. He is the committee chair for the Canadian Centre for Men and Families in Toronto Canada and executive director for the Canadian Association For Equality (CAFE). Justin strives to build bridges and grow community, particularly where there is social neglect. These are issues of human rights and compassion. Download Ep 48 http://archive.org/download/ANPEp48JustinTrottierEqualityWithoutTheFlimFlam/ANP%20Ep%2048%20-%20Justin%20Trottier%20-%20Equality%20Without%20The%20Fl...2015-09-1200 min

Apostasy NowApostasy Now Ep 48: Justin Trottier – Equality Without The Flim FlamJustin Trottier joins Smashloc and MrDragonbeard this week to discuss the work he’s involved in to help men and their families with an array of needs generally still ignored. He is the committee chair for the Canadian Centre for Men and Families in Toronto Canada and executive director for the Canadian Association For Equality (CAFE). Justin strives to build bridges and grow community, particularly where there is social neglect. These are issues of human rights and compassion. Download Ep 48 http://archive.org/download/ANPEp48JustinTrottierEqualityWithoutTheFlimFlam/ANP%20Ep%2048%20-%20Justin%20Trottier%20-%20Equality%20Without%20The%20Fl...2015-09-1200 min

Point of InquiryJustin Trottier - The Fight for Science and Reason on the CampusesJustin Trottier is Executive Director of the Centre for Inquiry in Ontario, the first venue dedicated to secular humanists and freethinkers in Canada, and helps oversees CFI Communities in Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. A former freethought campus activist, Justin co-hosts the student oriented Course of Reason podcast and supports over 30 campus groups across Canada. He has had appeared on numerous television networks, including CBC, CTS, OMNI, CH and CityTV, as well as dozens of radio appearances and coverage in campus, city and national newspapers. He is also a regular panelist for the Globe and Mail and the Michael Coren Show and...2008-09-2022 min