StarTalk Radio
Episode: Cosmic Queries – Your God Is Too Small
Host: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Co-host: Chuck Nice
Air Date: February 17, 2026
Episode Overview
In this “Cosmic Queries – Your God Is Too Small” episode of StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice tackle a wide-ranging listener "grab bag" of cosmic questions. The episode threads together inquisitive questions about optics, cosmic mysteries, relativity, black holes, the meaning of humanity's place in the universe, and speculative futures—always with Tyson's scientific rigor and Chuck's incisive humor. A highlight is the exploration of philosophical and scientific ramifications for concepts like the universe’s expansion and the possibility of other intelligent life, all culminating in a poignant reflection on human significance, humility, and hope.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. How Light Moves Through Materials (Speed of Light & Optics)
- Question: How do photons interact with matter during phenomena like total internal reflection and evanescent waves? Are photons always “real”? [02:28]
- Neil deGrasse Tyson:
- Light travels at the speed of light in a vacuum but slows down in a medium because it’s constantly being absorbed and re-emitted by molecules, causing delays ("bumping into tourists on a New York sidewalk" analogy).
- The index of refraction explains how much light slows; e.g., in diamond, light moves at 40% of vacuum speed.
- Not every surface is transparent: visible light can’t make it through a brick wall, but other wavelengths (like microwaves) can. Some walls act as Faraday cages, blocking electromagnetic waves (e.g., metal lathes in old plaster walls).
- Notable Moment: Tyson and Nice riff on New Yorkers’ ability to anticipate movement, likening it to how photons “navigate” a medium. [08:02]
Quote:
“The combination of getting through the molecule plus the speed of light between molecules, on average, slows down propagation of light through the medium. This is called the index of refraction, and it’s a beautiful mathematical construct.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson [10:26]
2. Unresolved Cosmic Mysteries
- Question: What big cosmic mysteries do you wish would be solved in your lifetime—ones possibly just out of reach? [17:38]
- Chuck Nice: Wonders about the cause of the universe’s accelerating expansion; speculates it's due to "pressure from outside the universe bleeding through."
- Neil deGrasse Tyson:
- Unsure if we’ll discover intelligent life elsewhere in his lifetime, though evidence for simple life in the solar system (e.g., Europa) might appear soon.
- Philosophically explores the implications if Earth proves to be the only life.
Quote:
“How profound it would be if we discovered intelligent life in the universe, but how more profound it would be if we discovered that we’re alone.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson [20:10]
3. Your God Is Too Small: The Giordano Bruno Story
- Discussion: Tyson recounts the story of 16th-century monk Giordano Bruno, who was executed for proposing that stars are like our sun, with their own planets and possibly their own life—thus, the universe is not centered on humans.
- Memorable Last Words:
- "Your God is too small."
- Philosophical Reflection: Chuck Nice rejects religious exclusivity: “A God that needs me to fight this battle for him is not a God I want to serve...” [26:58]
Quote:
“He says he had a few good last words. My favorite among them was, ‘Your God is too small.’”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson [25:17]
“Way to go out, man. Your God is too small.”
– Chuck Nice [25:28]
4. Time Capsules and Communicating with the Future
- Question: What would you put in a time capsule for future generations? [39:47]
- Tyson: Argues that time capsules are generally ignored by future generations—they quickly become obsolete and uninteresting.
- Chuck Nice: Jokes about putting transcripts of presidential speeches so future people will be bewildered.
Quote:
“There’s nothing less interesting to a subsequent generation than an earlier generation's time capsule. The evidence of this is nobody remembers where any of the time capsules were buried.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson [40:17]
5. Detecting Gravitational Waves (LIGO)
- Question: How can LIGO detect gravitational waves if gravitational waves stretch space (and measuring rods) equally? [28:09]
- Tyson:
- LIGO uses two lasers at right angles—when a wave passes, it stretches one arm differently from the other, allowing a measurable differential.
- Notes Einstein predicted gravitational waves and provided groundwork for the laser; both converged a century later in LIGO’s discovery.
Quote:
“We got smart people designing this.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson [30:30]
6. Quantum Entanglement & Black Holes
- Question: Could you transmit data from inside a black hole using quantum-entangled probes? [33:45]
- Tyson:
- Theoretically enticing, but quantum entanglement can't transmit information faster than light; you can't manipulate one system to send new information after entanglement.
- The practicality of using entanglement for communication is still unproven and likely less effective than hoped.
7. Relativistic Reference Frames
- Question: Two spacecraft approaching each other in a void—can they determine their "real" velocities? [36:20]
- Tyson:
- All motion is relative. Each craft feels stationary and observes the other as moving; both see time dilation in the other, but there’s no absolute reference.
- Historical Anecdote: Early physicists joked at Einstein: "When does Grand Central Station arrive at the next train?" [37:39]
8. Speculative Future: Post-Human Earth
- Question: What species might inherit Earth if humans go extinct? [47:24]
- Tyson:
- Refers to the book After Man, which imagines rodents, highly adaptable, growing enormous in the absence of humans.
- Reflects on humanity’s fragility; rodents and bacteria are more evolutionarily robust.
- Notes ecological movements should be about "saving yourself," not the Earth—nature will survive in some form.
Quote:
“There’s all this stuff, this green movement: Save Earth. No, Earth’s gonna be fine. Save your ass. That’s what you need to do.”
– Chuck Nice [52:28]
9. Hope and Human Spirit
- Final Reflection: Tyson shares his favorite song “Amazing Grace,” played on bagpipes, as a source of hope and humility, nodding to Scotland (the home of their last listener).
- Final Note: "We’re all wretches and we need saving. From each other." [53:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps
-
On Index of Refraction:
“This is called the index of refraction, and it’s a beautiful mathematical construct.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson [10:26] -
On Cosmic Loneliness:
“How more profound it would be if we discovered that we're alone.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson [20:10] -
On Bruno’s Martyrdom:
“Your God is too small.”
— Giordano Bruno (via Neil deGrasse Tyson) [25:17] -
On Black Holes and Entanglement:
"There's still some jury that's out on how we will fully exploit quantum entanglement as a communication mechanism. It’s less favorable than you want to believe."
— Neil deGrasse Tyson [35:12] -
On Time Capsules:
“There’s nothing less interesting to a subsequent generation than an earlier generation's time capsule.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson [40:17] -
On Human Environmentalism:
“No, Earth’s gonna be fine. Save your ass. That’s what you need to do.”
— Chuck Nice [52:28] -
On Hope (bagpipes & Amazing Grace):
“We should hear a chorus of bagpipes performing Amazing Grace… because we’re all wretches and we need saving.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson [53:46]
Timestamp Index for Key Segments
- Speed of light & optics – [02:28]–[15:22]
- Cosmic mysteries & intelligent life – [17:38]–[20:51]
- The "Your God Is Too Small" story / Giordano Bruno – [23:11]–[27:12]
- Time capsules & generational relevance – [39:47]–[43:02]
- LIGO and measuring space/time – [28:09]–[32:03]
- Quantum entanglement and black holes – [33:45]–[35:20]
- Relativity in isolated reference frames – [36:20]–[37:39]
- Who inherits Earth post-humanity? – [47:24]–[52:45]
- Final hopeful remarks & signoff – [52:45]–[54:04]
Tone & Style
The episode is conversational, humorous (often self-deprecating), and intellectually stimulating. Tyson provides approachable analogies, historical anecdotes, and scientific clarity, while Chuck Nice grounds the conversation with humor and accessible logic, often voicing the audience’s confusions and frustrations. The episode oscillates between serious philosophical insight and breezy banter, creating an engaging and memorable listening experience.
Summary prepared for those who want to contemplate the universe, humanity’s place in it, and what mysteries remain—without the ads and fluff. As always: Keep looking up.