Grits and Eggs Podcast – Episode 106

Guest: Dr. StarKid Dakotah Tyler
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Deante’ Kyle (aka Big Ice Cub Cat)
Theme: Black Excellence in STEM, Identity, Society & Curiosity

Overview

This episode features a free-flowing, in-depth conversation between host Deante’ Kyle (Big Ice Cub Cat) and guest Dr. StarKid Dakotah Tyler, a Black astrophysicist, STEM educator, and former D1 football player. The two dig into Dakotah’s unique career path, Black representation in STEM, the transferability of skills between athletics and academia, impacts of societal systems and technology, and philosophical questions about existence, curiosity, and human connection. The tone is raw, unfiltered, honest, and at times humorous—blending scientific curiosity with social and cultural commentary.

Main Topics & Discussion Flow

1. Introduction & Representation in STEM

• Timestamps: [00:05]–[07:00]
• The show opens with banter, reflections on social media noise, and perspectives on fact vs. opinion online.
• Deante’ introduces Dr. Tyler with admiration for his representation of Black men in “big brain” spaces, stating:
  • “It’s like, we don’t see ourselves represented in that space a lot.” [10:28]
• They bond over shared love for science and creative arts, with a detour into fungal facts and regional roots (North Carolina, Georgia, DC, Atlanta).

2. Dakotah’s Journey: D1 Athlete to Astrophysicist

• Timestamps: [07:17]–[16:31]
• Transition from D1 football to astrophysics after a career-ending injury
  • Sparked by watching Cosmos (Neil deGrasse Tyson) while recovering
  • Describes sense of lost identity and depression, then discovering a new passion
  • “It was like, my whole universe was collapsing in on me… But then I realized there are countless other planets, other possibilities.” [13:10]
• Parallels between sports and science:
  • Discipline, practice, and skill-building are transferable
  • Outworking others and the importance of networking in academia
  • Navigating predominantly white STEM fields:
    • “You don’t know the Unwritten rules… it’s like very gatekeeping. One way to penetrate that barrier… is come in curious and outgoing, and maintain control over what you can.” [24:17]

3. Black Identity, Systems, and Community

• Timestamps: [16:31]–[26:37]
• Upbringing, family background, and the role of community in shaping ambition
• Importance of Black professional communities in cities like DC and Atlanta
• Dr. Tyler recalls sage advice from his father:
  • “When I’m 80, 90 years old, on my deathbed, I'm not going to care that I started making a little more money a little sooner, but I will care if I lived 60 years fulfilling my purpose.” [28:35]
• Discussion of systemic barriers, “school to prison pipeline,” dangers of identity solely around athletics, and struggles with neuroplasticity as we age
  • “That is dangerous—when you’ve solidified your identity around something and that is removed.” [22:24]

4. Curiosity Theory & Content Creation

• Timestamps: [36:40]–[40:00]
• About the Curiosity Theory Podcast—creating spaces for science outside traditional institutions, reaching overlooked communities, and leveraging platforms like TikTok
  • “Now, the most well-known scientists are the ones who talk about it online.” [39:19]
  • Deante’ praises the freshness of seeing a Black scientist online with “grill in your mouth, talking about the moon and stars.” [10:20]
• TikTok and the democratization/misuse of information
  • “It’s my favorite thing about TikTok… seeing someone reflective of me, speaking as an expert… That’s so interesting.” [40:02]

5. Fact, Opinion & Misinformation

• Timestamps: [43:30]–[44:32]
• Frustration with online debates, “anti-intellectualism,” and the inability to articulate disagreements
• Misinformation, the challenges of AI-generated content, and the need for federal regulation/disclaimers
  • “At some point, we need to push for some sort of federal law… this is AI.” [44:03]

6. Intersecting Social Issues: Politics, Race, and Power

• Timestamps: [44:32]–[55:05]
• The current state of American politics under the Trump administration
• The lasting damages of corruption and wealth consolidation; power structures propped up by marginalized labor
• Discussion on civic action, strikes, and the untapped power of minorities
  • “If all minorities went on a general strike, everything would tank… we prop up this society.” [51:27]
• Comparison to historical revolutions, role of the police as pawns, and generational consequences

7. Education, Mentorship, & Purpose

• Timestamps: [57:44]–[67:37]
• Giving back: funding, mutual aid, speaking to at-risk youth, and the impact of storytelling
• Deante’ describes talking to kids about:
  • “I give myself permission to make mistakes… but they're only mistakes if you're on a new endeavor.” [58:24]
• The importance of showing alternative paths outside sports, and building the confidence to resist negative peer pressures
• Social adaptation and “systems thinking”
  • “Trying to inspire and change a system, you have to expend a lot of energy… but you’re upsetting a system that’s reliant on funneling people into prison or poverty.” [68:41]

8. Maladaptive Society, Food, Capitalism & Connection

• Timestamps: [73:02]–[80:11]
• Deante’s theory: modern society is “maladaptive”—our intelligence has outstripped our evolved context
• The loss of communal eating, importance of breaking bread, and impact of capitalism and tech (e.g., DoorDash)
  • “Breaking bread is the conversation… scarfing down food for the clock isn’t the same.” [73:25]

9. Zoo Analogies, Systemic Depression & Surveillance

• Timestamps: [76:03]–[82:28]
• Animal behavior in zoos as a metaphor for humans in modern systems
• Hyper-consumption, lack of fulfillment, and the survivor’s guilt of outthinking but not escaping systems
• Surveillance capitalism, data profiling, and AI’s role in guiding human behavior
  • “That’s the most valuable data set ever—people’s chats with GPT… it builds a profile on you.” [82:18]

10. Education System, Class, and Generational Shifts

• Timestamps: [83:28]–[87:14]
• Comparison of schools, jails, warehouses—bell systems and time chunking
• Each generation’s diminishing opportunity and increased struggle due to structural changes
• Blunt reality:
  • “The people making your life miserable will kill to keep the system… and you’re not willing to kill them. They’ll win every time.” [86:34]

11. AI, Language Models, and Social Influence

• Timestamps: [87:59]–[90:25]
• LLMs (Language Learning Models) like GPT controlled by individuals who can “turn the knobs”
• How algorithmic manipulation may shape mass behavior, worldviews, and political opinions

12. The Trouble With Modern Tech: Streaming, TikTok & Brain Rot

• Timestamps: [91:01]–[96:20]
• Deante’s concern with livestream culture:
  • “You’re participating in a human zoo activity… watching another person live.” [91:25]
• TikTok gadgets that make doom-scrolling even easier
• Inability to retain vast amounts of shallow information

13. Red Pill Pipeline, Youth, and Gambling

• Timestamps: [96:33]–[101:21]
• The spread of toxic masculinity narratives online— disproven with basic logic
• Dangers of addictive behaviors like sports gambling, targeting youth, and planned exploitation
  • “15 years from now, all our youth addicted to gambling—and the same companies opening the rehab centers.” [101:21]

14. Donald Trump’s Cynical Genius, Whiteness & Historical Superiority Myths

• Timestamps: [101:46]–[107:41]
• Deante’ and Dakotah riff on Trump’s manipulations and “knowing” of poor white America
• Dissect racist origins of science and white supremacist ideologies
  • “One of the first goals of Western experimental science was to prove Black people were an inferior species. To this day, people still believe that.” [103:27]
• Colonizers as disease carriers—rewriting the myths about “superior” conquerors

15. Connectedness, Spirituality & Science

• Timestamps: [124:04]–[138:22]
• Astrophysics vs. astrology debate:
  • Tyler: “I can calculate the effect that Jupiter has on you—and it’s smaller than your phone across the room. Science has never shown astrologers’ predictions to be accurate.” [124:17]
  • However, both agree on a real, literal physical connection to the universe: “We are made up of stuff that went through a life cycle billions of years ago.” [126:06]
• Both share nuanced agnostic/spiritual perspectives
  • “I do feel like a sense of connectedness to something greater than me… and a duty to impact humanity.” [133:06]
• Criticism of “proud atheists” dismissing the human need for connection

16. Aliens, Science Speculation, and The Limits of Knowledge

• Timestamps: [110:14]–[119:54]
• Oumuamua comet and misconceptions about interstellar visitors
• Dr. Tyler: It’s likely there’s alien life, probably simple, somewhere, but “no strong evidence” they’re here or flying crafts we’ve seen
• If highly advanced aliens came, humans would be powerless
• “If another intelligent lifeform can travel here, we’re cooked… If they made it here, they’re more advanced.” [113:33]

17. Existential Wrap-up: Purpose, Humanity & Final Reflections

• Timestamps: [132:49]–[144:22]
• Final rapid-fire on science, spirituality, and the value of curiosity and conversation
• Key takeaway:
  • “The power you have is that window when your eyes open to when they close… what you can do with what you were given, in that window, is critical.” [141:01]

Notable Quotes

• On curiosity and identity:
  • “An intellectual is more than anything else about being able to take in a flux of all this information and think for yourself.” — Dr. Tyler [42:24]
• On oppressive systems:
  • “If all minorities went on strike, everything would tank. But people are more afraid of what they’d lose than what they’d gain.” — Deante’ [51:27]
• On representation:
  • “Talking about the moon and stars with a grill in your mouth—I was like, this the truth.” — Deante’ [10:20]
• On science & human connection:
  • “We are literally just little boxes of the universe that can walk around and make decisions.” — Dr. Tyler [126:06]
• On change and systems:
  • “How do you uproot an entire system… without killing hundreds of thousands of people?” — Deante’ [81:28]

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Topic | Timestamps | | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | | Dakotah’s Journey (Athlete to Physicist) | 07:17–16:31 | | Advice From Parents & Purpose | 28:35–30:03 | | Social Media, TikTok & Scientist Visibility | 36:40–40:02 | | Fact vs. Opinion, Anti-Intellectualism | 43:30–44:32 | | School, Prison & Systemic Control | 83:28–87:14 | | Astrophysics vs. Astrology Debunked | 124:04–129:47 | | Black Identity & White Mythology in History | 101:46–107:41 | | Speculating on Aliens & Interstellar Visitors | 110:14–119:54 | | Spirituality, Science, and Human Purpose | 132:49–138:22 | | Final Reflections/Invitations/Goodbyes | 143:36–144:27 |

Episode Highlights & Memorable Moments

• Dakotah’s dad encouraging him to follow his curiosity about space after football injuries—shaping a “life purpose” worldview. [28:35]
• Astrophysics “nerd-out”: Explaining why Jupiter might “rain diamonds,” and what makes a planet a planet. [30:36–36:13]
• Realness about Black excellence, survivor’s guilt, and “systems thinking” as a way to visualize change. [56:24–68:41]
• Fascinating analogies: Zoo animals as a metaphor for humans in cages of modern society—pacing, depression, lack of fulfillment. [76:03–78:11]
• Debunking astrology but affirming a literal cosmic connection: “We are the stuff of stars.” [126:06]
• Humor: “Let’s end it there. White people are a disease.” [107:51]
• Final message: The window of existence is finite—maximize your unique potential. [141:01]

Closing

Dr. Tyler plugs Curiosity Theory Podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple), his handle (@Dr.StarKid), and ongoing outreach. Deante’ invites him back for more conversations and possible collaborations in Tulsa or LA.

Summary

This episode is a masterclass in blending Black cultural realities with scientific insight, breaking the mold for how curiosity, identity, and purpose can be communicated. Dr. Tyler’s journey showcases the importance of representation in “big brain spaces,” and both he and Deante’ encourage listeners to pursue curiosity, question systems, and find meaning in community, mentorship, and mutual aid. The tone throughout is energetic, sometimes irreverent, always honest, and deeply rooted in the lived experiences and aspirations of two Black men breaking (and redefining) boundaries.