Explosive Queries with Terry Crews

Summary

StarTalk Radio - Episode: Explosive Queries with Terry Crews
Release Date: November 15, 2024
Host: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Special Guest: Terry Crews

---

Introduction

In this special edition of StarTalk Radio, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson teams up with the charismatic actor and former NFL player Terry Crews. Titled "Explosive Queries with Terry Crews," the episode delves into intriguing scientific questions posed by their dedicated Patreon patrons. Combining humor, pop culture, and deep scientific insights, Tyson and Crews explore topics ranging from planetary magnetic fields to the mysteries of the universe's edge.

---

Science Meets Pop Culture

1. Artificial Magnetic Fields on Mars

Timestamp: 05:00-08:00

The episode kicks off with a fascinating question from Julia Linda: “Is there a possible way to generate an artificial magnetic field on Mars to preserve a thicker atmosphere and protect colonists from radiation? Alternatively, should we focus on building underground colonies?”

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains Earth's magnetic shield and its role in deflecting harmful solar winds, emphasizing that engineering a similar field on Mars, while challenging, isn't insurmountable. “It's not an impossible thing to overcome,” Tyson remarks at [07:55], highlighting human ingenuity in addressing planetary challenges. Terry Crews muses about living "underground like ants" on Mars, sparking a light-hearted yet insightful discussion on the practicality and purpose of colonizing other planets.

Notable Quote:
Terry Crews [02:00]: “I love having my mind blown. Every time I talk to you, you expand my brain.”

---

2. Muscles, Entropy, and Human Evolution

Timestamp: 15:00-19:00

Sandra Pink from Singapore poses a thought-provoking question about the importance of muscles in human survival and why maintaining them requires substantial effort. Tyson delves into evolutionary biology, explaining how muscular prowess once signified survival traits but today often correlates with celebrity status and societal admiration.

He connects this to the concept of entropy, “We put energy into a system to order it so that we can function within it,” at [19:15], illustrating how maintaining muscle mass is a battle against natural disorder.

Notable Quote:
Neil deGrasse Tyson [19:15]: “Entropy is disorder. Generally, we like living in what is ordered.”

---

3. Photons and Gravity

Timestamp: 20:00-24:20

Will Mansell Brown from North Hampshire, UK, asks: “Photons are massless; are they given a mass equivalent based on their energy? Does this mean gamma rays are affected more by the curvature of space than radio waves due to higher mass equivalence?”

Tyson clarifies Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence principle, explaining that all photons, regardless of energy, are equally influenced by gravity. “Because it doesn't matter how much it weighs, it's cool,” he states at [23:56], reinforcing the universality of gravitational effects as per the equivalence principle.

Notable Quote:
Neil deGrasse Tyson [23:56]: “They all show up more. Everything will respond the same.”

---

4. The Edge of the Observable Universe

Timestamp: 37:00-42:00

Riley Ruffin from Illinois inquires about the nature of the universe's edge and the existence of a haze: “What observations have been made about the edge of the observable universe, and can you describe what it looks like?”

Tyson likens the observable universe to sailing towards the horizon at sea, where the true extent remains unknown beyond what we can currently see. “Everyone sees themselves as the center of the universe, which means there is no center,” he asserts at [40:12], dispelling common misconceptions about our place in the cosmos.

Notable Quote:
Neil deGrasse Tyson [38:00]: “It's relative to you. And you are in the center of your own horizon.”

---

Intertwining Personal Experiences

Throughout the episode, Terry Crews shares anecdotes from his diverse career, including hosting America's Got Talent and his memorable experience on the web series Hot Ones. His tales provide a unique bridge between science and entertainment, making complex topics more relatable.

Hot Ones Experience: Crews recounts [33:03-36:27] his harrowing yet humorous ordeal of enduring extreme spicy wings, humorously tying it back to scientific discussions about perception and physical limits.

Notable Quote:
Terry Crews [33:17]: “I spent six years in Texas starting out a complete wimp and leaving where I could eat a jalapeño pepper and not tear.”

---

Deep Reflections and Life Lessons

In the latter part of the episode, Tyson and Crews delve into personal growth and resilience. They discuss Crews's memoir, "Tough," and the significance of choice and overcoming adversity.

Timestamp: 43:10-44:00

Crews emphasizes the power of choice and personal responsibility: “The only thing you can control is you,” [43:27], resonating with listeners facing their own challenges.

Notable Quote:
Terry Crews [43:27]: “Choice. You know, the only thing you can control is you. That's it.”

---

Conclusion and Future Plans

As the episode wraps up, Tyson and Crews express their mutual appreciation and set the stage for future collaborations. They agree to continue their engaging discussions, promising more enlightening and entertaining episodes ahead.

Final Quote:
Terry Crews [42:36]: “I've been doing this forever. All right, we out.”

---

Memorable Highlights

• Passionate Exchanges: The chemistry between Tyson and Crews brings energy and enthusiasm, making scientific discourse enjoyable.

• Humorous Interludes: From Crews's Hot Ones mishaps to playful banter about personal gravity, laughter punctuates the episode.

• Educational Depth: Complex topics are broken down comprehensively, ensuring accessibility for all listeners.

---

Key Takeaways

• Interconnectedness of Science and Daily Life: Understanding celestial phenomena enriches our appreciation of existence.

• Human Resilience: Personal stories underscore the importance of perseverance and making empowering choices.

• Continuous Learning: The dynamic between hosts encourages curiosity and ongoing education.

---

**Stay tuned to StarTalk Radio every Tuesday for more captivating explorations where science, pop culture, and comedy seamlessly collide. Remember, Keep Looking Up!

Transcript

[Carl's Jr. Advertiser]

The kind of burgers you get today tells you a lot about yourself. You're either someone who settles for sad same old, same old burgers or you're Edit Carl's Jr. Obsessed with a tangy OG Western bacon cheeseburger demanding a house made guacamole, loaded guac bacon fired up for the insanely hot El Diablo or craving a classic Charbold famous star. Give in to your flavored cravings. Do your mouth to Carl's Jr Big Burger.

[Terry Crews]

Good burger. It's better over here.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Now at T Mobile get four 5G phones on us and four lines for $25 a line per month when you switch with eligible trade ins, all on America's largest 5G network.

Minimum of 4 lines for $25 per line per month with auto pay discount using debit or bank account. $5 more per line without auto pay plus taxes and fees and $10 device connection charge phones via 24 monthly bill credits for well qualified customers. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on a required finance agreement due bill credits end if you pay off devices early.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Ctmobile.com I gotta do this.

[Terry Crews]

Oh my God.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But here's what happened. Here's what nobody told anybody. Did you fly into New York to do it?

[Terry Crews]

I did.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. Cause I just took the subway, okay. Afterwards, I go home. Two hours later, I had explosive. Welcome to StarTalk, your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. StarTalking begins right now. This is StarTalk. Neil DeGrasse Tyson here, your personal astrophysicist. And today is a special edition of Cosmic Queries coming to you from the hearth of Terry Crews. Terry Crews.

[Terry Crews]

Wait.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Let's get the hearth going. What are you talking about?

[Terry Crews]

Let's get this going. Here we go. There we go.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, now it's real. Hearth.

[Terry Crews]

Okay, now we got a hearth going.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Fireside chat with Terry Crews. So Terry, you're my co host for this episode.

[Terry Crews]

I love this man.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And we go back, so this should be fun.

[Terry Crews]

This is good, man. This makes my pectorals per.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I don't even know how to react.

[Terry Crews]

It's so good watching your. It's so good. I love, love learning about science. I love having my mind blown. And just you, you just always. Every time I talk to you, you expand my brain.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Well, you living in the right part of the country. You like who took up residence in Pasadena?

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Like near Caltech.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

JPL Institute of Technology. Caltech jpl, a branch of NASA. So if there's any. You get it osmotically as it comes.

[Terry Crews]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. I just feel smarter being here.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

No, this is good. And we'll get to the questions in a minute. But I can't channel surf without seeing you on NBC talking about America's Got Talent.

[Terry Crews]

America's Got Talent.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You hosting that?

[Terry Crews]

I'm hosting it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

19 seasons, and every week you got some kind of new flashy suit.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, yeah. Well, that's part of the whole thing. Let me tell you. The suit is its own character. Right now. People are. They would be disappointed if I just came out in a gray suit.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I'm ready for the suit to just walk off of your body and do its own dance.

[Terry Crews]

That's right. That's right. Listen, I love this show. We just wrapped our 19th season.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's crazy.

[Terry Crews]

I've been hosting six of them.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. But I'm looking at it and I say, who are these people? What species are. Are they human?

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The stuff they do. It's amazing.

[Terry Crews]

First of all, last season we had a dog that was the most incredible dog I've ever seen in my life. The dog's name was Rhythm.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's a cool name. I love it.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, it was. But the dog danced on beat without looking at the owner, Ronnie Seal.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Not even prompted.

[Terry Crews]

It was unreal. I was like. I thought it was a man in a suit for a while. I was like, you gotta be. You're lying. It's the best dog act I've ever seen. I always have my brain just blown every time. Cause I think I've seen it all. You know what I mean? You're like.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Until you realize you haven't. You have not seen it all.

[Terry Crews]

There's no limit to human capability.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And then I realized we got 8 billion people in the world. That's a lot of people with a lot of talent.

[Terry Crews]

That's it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Some of which is waiting to be discovered. And I wonder, do I have a talent that could work on agt?

[Terry Crews]

You know, first of all, you can say, no.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I.

[Terry Crews]

No, no, no. First of all, you don't know until you try. Okay. I did not know that I could act until I was 30 years old. Oh, 30. I never attempted acting before I was 30, and I did not know it was my destiny. So you might get on there and try something and go, wait a minute.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So we collected questions.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

We went to our fan base and we said, neil's hanging out with Terry. Do you have questions for them?

[Terry Crews]

When they came, they came in, lots of questions.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You got them.

[Terry Crews]

Which is really? But we picked the best of the best.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Let's come right off the top.

[Terry Crews]

All right, let's start with. Here's Julia Linda. And she didn't list where she's from.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, witness protection.

[Terry Crews]

That's what that is. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

We don't want it.

[Terry Crews]

Okay. Julian.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

From somewhere on Earth, we presume.

[Terry Crews]

Okay, okay, she's come with the questions here. It's hello, Dr. Tyson et al. Is there a possible way to generate an artificial magnetic field on Mars so that it can have a thicker atmosphere and protect colonists on the surface from radiation? It's a two part system.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Wow, this is deep.

[Terry Crews]

Two part question.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

People thinking all about it. Right. So.

[Terry Crews]

And do you want me to. And then she said, is there a technology that we could theoretically develop or would we be better off trying to build underground colonies on Mars?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. So what she knows is that here on Earth we have a magnetic field. Not very strong, but we have one. That's why compasses. Anybody remember what a compass is?

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

Old school.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Old school. Old school. We have a magnetic field and when dangerous charged particles come from the sun. We call it the solar wind. They see Earth's magnetic field and then they channel themselves away and funnel in at the poles. And they collide with our atmosphere and render it a glow, causing the aurora. So when we see the aurora, that's the atmosphere and our magnetic field, shielding us from harmful radiation. Wow. Okay, so if we lose our magnetic field, the radiation just comes straight in wherever it hits Mars. We may have once had a magnetic field. It does not any longer. So if you pitch tent, you're susceptible to this flux of high energy particles. So she was correct to wonder, will we just have underground colonies?

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

All right. And then I'd wonder, well, then what the hell is the point of being on Mars? We'll live underground. You live underground here.

[Terry Crews]

We'll be basically the ants of Mars.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The worms, you know, whatever, you know, like, what's the point of that?

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Just consider that almost anything will protect you from those particles. Like the roof of a house.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. So if you could just. The shielding doesn't have to be elaborate. It just has to have some kind of shielding. And there's a whole branch of NASA. Well, there's a branch that studies the sun and a subdivision of it that specializes in space weather. We call it space weather, which is, when is the solar wind coming? Because it correlates with explosions on the sun. It's not just at any time. So as the sun goes through cycles, it goes through intense Periods and then it acquiescent. It's an 11 year cycle. So as it pumps up, we get more warnings about explosions on the sun. And as it drifts off, there's fewer. And we know when a pulse of these particles is going to hit us because it takes time to get from the sun to Earth or to Mars. So we just have a warning sign. Is that any different from saying Thunderstorms this afternoon, 4:00.

[Terry Crews]

Tornado warning.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Tornado warning. Bring an umbrella. But this would be a special solar wind umbrella.

[Terry Crews]

Right, Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And so I don't see it as an impossible thing to overcome.

[Terry Crews]

That is cool.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And maybe you create some local magnetic field and direct the particles off to the north and south of you. Your little city in a bubble, whatever. I mean, they could be engineers, figure this stuff out.

[Terry Crews]

I love this.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I'm not worried about it.

[Terry Crews]

I mean, you know, that is a wonderful thing to say about the magnetic field. It's protecting us.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's protecting us.

[Terry Crews]

It's so beautiful.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, yeah.

[Terry Crews]

But this is another thing I gotta add on to this question.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I heard that's allowed.

[Terry Crews]

That's a lie. I want to because it's so fascinating. I heard that the magnetic field was actually reversed at one time.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

In the Earth's history. Oh, yeah. Ooh, that's exciting. So north was south.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

South. Okay, now I don't want to blow your mind.

[Terry Crews]

Okay. Hit me.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. Really?

[Terry Crews]

I love this guy.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Sabum. Mine should be blown at least once a day. That's a quote of mine. I'm just saying. Okay, you ready?

[Terry Crews]

Hit me.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. We're about to say I'm a little older than you, but we're approximately the same age. When we were growing up, the north magnetic pole was in northern Canada. It was never where Santa is. Okay. So Earth's magnetic pole is shifted from our rotation poles. I don't know if you didn't know that.

[Terry Crews]

I did notice.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And it's not stationary. It moves.

[Terry Crews]

It's moving.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Hang on, hang on. So when we were growing up, it was kind of meandering in the Canadian, you know that whole northern area of Canada where there just islands and lakes and things? That's where it was. Which meant that if you were up in Canada, you couldn't use a compass to find north because it could be south of you.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, so it's no good way up and way farther down and you get a kind of. Right.

[Terry Crews]

Good.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Boy Scout books would have a correction table depending on where you were in longitude relative. Good Boy Scout. Books. Now watch. You check it. Lately, that North Pole has been moving, and it is now passing the North Pole on its way to Siberia.

[Terry Crews]

What? Wait.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes. Yes. And pretty soon, it'll be Putin's North Pole.

[Terry Crews]

You're kidding. Okay. All right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The boy controls enough in the world.

[Terry Crews]

That's a tilt. Okay, the tilt meter just went.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. I can't believe it's moving. On top of all that, the magnetic field is getting weaker, and we think it's going to get weaker and weaker until it goes away. And then when it comes back again, it'll be in reverse because it flips every time.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, my God.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Now, check this out. You know how magnets work, right? The plus attracts to the minus.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, so opposites attract.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You've heard that. Okay. If you have a compass with a north. You know, with a little needle and one. And there's a north side of the compass, that would point to our north magnetic pole. However, that is a north needle on the compass.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Why should north point to north? It's not supposed to.

[Terry Crews]

I know.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Which means Earth's south magnetic pole is in our north because all north magnets point to it.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's going to point into the opposite.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, my goodness.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So you've always been told. That's where our north magnetic pole is. Our south magnetic pole is in our north. So, okay, so now. So. So we're going to lose the field, and then it will come back in reverse. Then all your compasses will point the other way. We worry that when the magnet field goes away to flip again. But this is called a dynamo effect. When it goes away and flips, that while it's not there, will it put all of us at risk?

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So we go back in the fossil record because it's flipped before. And if you go to the points where it has flipped, there's no periods of mass extinction. So if it wreaked havoc, it was not global catastrophe.

[Terry Crews]

Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So I'm not so worried about it.

[Terry Crews]

That's deep.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

Will our electronics still work?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, because it's not. The magnetic field is not that strong.

[Terry Crews]

So it's no Y2K event.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Not even Was that an event.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. Right. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. I wasn't worried.

[Terry Crews]

So the threat is not good. Okay. Thank you.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

Thank you.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, by the way, everyone thought, like, Y2K, everything would break.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But keep in mind the way we celebrate time, it's midnight in 24 different hours in sequence.

[Terry Crews]

True.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It doesn't all happen at once.

[Terry Crews]

That's right. That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, so it's not like the whole world blows up at once.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Even if that were going to happen, it would blow up time zone by time zone.

[Terry Crews]

It would be one at a time.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So people get confused when they say or the magnetic axis is going to flip. They think it's our rotation axis and then they freak out.

[Terry Crews]

I love this.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So I got to tell them no, chill. It's just a magnetic. It has happened before. It's going to happen again.

[Terry Crews]

Listen, man, Neil, you blew my mind on the first question with the first answer.

[MasterCard Advertiser]

Running a small business takes endurance, determination and the right support to reach your goals. And MasterCard is here to help fuel that journey in a fast paced digital world with innovative tools and resources. We're here to guide businesses every step of the way digitally. Because when small business wins, everyone wins. Let's power up our communities one small business and one step at a time, keeping the community running Strong. Priceless.

[Carl's Jr. Advertiser]

Carl's Jr. S Big Carl fans know nothing beats the layers and layers of flavor of a Big Carl. Nothing beats that charbrilled beef, American cheese and tangy Carl's classic sauce. Nothing except getting a second big carl for just $1. Big carl just one upped itself for just one buck. Then buy one big carl, get one for a buck. Deal only carl's junior big burger good Burger available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax out included. Price may vary. Not valid with any other offer, discount or combo.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's better over here.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

After investing billions to light up our network, T mobile is America's largest 5G network. Plus right now you can switch keep your phone and we'll pay it off up to $800. See how you can save on every plan versus Verizon and AT&T. @t mobile.com KeepAndSwitch up to four lines.

Via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlocked device credit service ported 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I'm Kais from Bangladesh and I support StarTalk on Patreon.

[Terry Crews]

This is StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So, Terry, I don't know if you realize the people who ask us these questions. They're part of our Patreon patrons so they get to ask questions in our cosmic queries. So all of them are patrons.

[Terry Crews]

I love that.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So check it out. What's next?

[Terry Crews]

All right, next is Sandra Pink Sandra here from Singapore.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Singapore. Very nice.

[Terry Crews]

All right, can't Wait to visit.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I was there a couple years ago.

[Terry Crews]

I heard nothing but great things. Thank you for doing what you do. Inspiring and making everyone's lives just a little bit better every day.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Nice question.

[Terry Crews]

Mr. Cruz has so many muscles. Yes, thank you, Sandra. You're the best. Stop. Single.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

In your face.

[Terry Crews]

Okay, I'm sorry. Okay, back to science.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I bet that's illegal in three states.

[Terry Crews]

And muscles are so hard to build and maintain in the cosmic sense. How important are muscles, and why do we need to work so hard for them if they are so important to our survival? Is this entropy? Ooh. Oh, I like it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Well, okay, so there's a lot of speculation about, like, the strong man in the tribe, because what does that person do? Goes out and gets the. The food. Okay. Walk back with an elk.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, exactly.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And they're the one. I'm the man, and I brought back the food. Okay. And there's further speculation that that person has almost mythical significance in the tribe. And everybody wants to mate with that person because if you don't want to mate with that person, then you don't have offspring that could possibly do that in the future, and you'll just die. You'll be a. A dead end and very hungry. That's it. Okay. So people have speculated that this accounts for the fascination we have with famous people because that whatever was that urge to want to make babies with who brought back the food today, you don't need to do that because there's a grocery store down there. So what became of that urge? It's still there within us.

[Terry Crews]

Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And there's the person on the silver screen who's. That's the person who I want to mate with or I want that to be my friend. There's an urge, even though they're a total stranger and they could be a total asshole. Doesn't matter. Yeah. Okay. So muscles have that role, but there are other roles that muscles don't really serve. Okay, So I don't know if everybody had muscles, you know, is that. Does that work? You know, so maybe some people out of a group need the muscles for the tribe, and, you know, others need to be able to climb trees nimbly, maybe to get the fruit. Somebody needs to swim. You surely know how to swim. But if you have less fat, as you surely do, you're less buoyant.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. People who have very sinewed muscles are less buoyant in the water. Now, Olympic swimmers, of course, are very sort of lanky. They don't look like you.

[Terry Crews]

Very different body not at all.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, I've seen that. Yeah, you've seen that. But long distance swimmers typically have a little more fat on their bodies, which gives them buoyancy. So that the energy you're putting into swim is not only to keep you afloat, it's to actually push you forward. Because if you're gonna sink, some of your energy has to go into not sinking.

[Terry Crews]

I love what you're saying because it shows that the muscle is skill oriented to what you need.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes. It doesn't have to be big.

[Terry Crews]

Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Just skills.

[Terry Crews]

It's not about big.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's correct.

[Terry Crews]

Yes. I love that.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And are you quick? Can you catch the rabbit?

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And some big, muscular person is not catching the rabbit.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, listen, first of all, being catching rabbits, I've seen for years guys in the gym who can't do anything.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

They just. They can just lift weights.

[Terry Crews]

They're just big, big. You know what I mean? I have a perfect example. I thought I was strong, and I had a mover one time, little guy. I mean, he just looked like a normal guy. And there was a box I couldn't move. I was literally like, hey, man, you're going to need to bring some other views. And no, I got it. And he picked it up and walked out the door. And I was like, oh, I like.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The fact that you benchmarked other people's abilities to your own ability.

[Terry Crews]

What? This is the thing you said.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I can't do this. He must need help.

[Terry Crews]

I totally told him. I was like, you better get your friend.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

And he was like, no, no, I got it. And he picked it up and walked out the door. And I realized something. I said, this is what he does.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's what he does. All his muscles are configured for that.

[Terry Crews]

Everything is configured for moving.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes.

[Terry Crews]

I'm not. I'm a celebrity.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

I don't move anything.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You're a celebrity body.

[Terry Crews]

I love it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Pop your pecs.

[Terry Crews]

That's it. That's it. That's it. Thank you, son. Oh, this is great.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. So entropy is disorder. And generally we like living in what is ordered. And we put energy into a system to order it so that we can function within it. But we have to get that energy from somewhere else.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Things don't get ordered for free. Okay. So we get our energy from the food, and the food gets its energy. If it's an animal, it ate plants. The plant got its energy from the sun. So ultimately, we are all solar powered.

[Terry Crews]

I love that. That's hot. That is really. That is beautiful, man. It's beautiful. You know, I tend. I tend to lay out in the sun, and I do feel better after I do that.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

Not too crazy, but, you know, but I think that's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Communing with the cosmos. That's it.

[Terry Crews]

It's a way to keep me grounded.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, give me some more.

[Terry Crews]

All right, here we go. We have Will MANSELL Brown. Hello, Dr. Tyson, Mr. Cruz, new patron here.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Nice.

[Terry Crews]

Another patron. My name is Will Mansell Brown and I'm from North Hampshire in the uk.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Northamptonshire.

[Terry Crews]

Northamshire.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

North.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. I gotta say it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

They staple it all together.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, they do. They do. I'm not from there. I'm not from. Let's see, my question is. Photons are massless, however, are given a mass equivalent based on their energy?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes, they do.

[Terry Crews]

Does this mean that gamma rays are affected more by the curvature of space than radio waves due to there being a higher mass equivalence? Many thanks. And I love the show.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Wow. Okay, so there's a lot going on there.

[Terry Crews]

Yes, it is.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So the mass equivalent, you have the energy of the photon. You plug it into E equals MC squared. You plug it in. The E is for energy, you put in the energy. And on the other side is M mass times C squared. That's the speed of light squared. That's just a constant. You look that up, plug it in. So energy and mass are related in this way. So what he's wondering is, if it has no mass, would it still respond to gravity? And if it does respond to gravity, do the higher mass equivalent photons respond more? That's the question. Okay, now that's very Aristotelian and Aristotle got a lot of physics wrong.

[Terry Crews]

Okay.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. You know what Aristotle said? I'm a little bit paraphrasing. He said heavy things fall to Earth faster than lighter things in proportion with their mass. He didn't use the word mass. But in terms of their weight. Yeah, that's not true.

[Terry Crews]

Like a rock and a feather.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Well, a feather's different. Fine. That's true with a feather, because a feather is doing this. But get a heavy rock and a light rock, they fall down at exactly the same rate.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Exactly the same rate. That is way more profound than most people appreciate. Okay. The gravity is pulling more strongly on the heavier object, but it takes more force to accelerate the heavier object at the same rate as the lighter object. So they fall at the same rate because Earth is pulling more strongly on the heavier object. Okay, so let's back up. So I have something light. Everything's on wheels. And something massive and something not massive, put the same force on each thing. On the low mass object, it's going to scoot along real fast. Right. And the heavy one's not going to go very fast. Okay. So if the force of gravity were the same on every object, you're putting the same force, then the lighter things would go faster.

[Terry Crews]

Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The force of gravity is stronger on the heavier object. Because if the heavier object and the light object are both accelerating at the same rate, Something's pushing that harder.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

They all show up more.

[Terry Crews]

Yep.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. So even though gamma ray photons have higher equivalent mass than radio wave photons, because the whole electromagnetic spectrum can be thought of as photon, even though they have more mass, they're each attracted to gravity at exactly the same rate. Wow, wow, wow. By the way, that's called the equivalence principle, advanced by Albert Einstein in 1915. And it's one of the most profound advances in human understanding of the universe that there ever was.

[Terry Crews]

Because everyone thought, something's heavier.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Right.

[Terry Crews]

It would go.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

In fact, the dudes went to the moon, they brought a hammer and a feather. On the moon, there's no air, so the feather is not doing this. Had the hammer, the feather let go. They fell at exactly the same rate.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And it's the moon pulling on them. But it's just how gravity works.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. So everything will respond the same.

[Terry Crews]

I love this.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Because it doesn't matter how much it weighs. It's cool.

[Terry Crews]

This is another thing I want to follow up on. I love this. I heard we all have our own gravity.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes.

[Terry Crews]

Yes. Incredible. That is amazing.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes.

[Terry Crews]

I thought it was just people because people liked me. You know what I mean?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So if I put you out in space and I had like a marble and I gave it just the right speed in just the right direction, then it would go orbit around you.

[Terry Crews]

Whoa.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

No, no. A marble. Probably like a poppy seed.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, yeah. Maybe something like that.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, my goodness. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So we can make at least some of the universe orbit you if your ego needs it.

[Terry Crews]

I don't. I know. Listen. My wife believes I have my own.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

She's like. It's.

[Terry Crews]

It's called narcissism is what it's called.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So the real way to say it is you and the Earth attract each other.

[Terry Crews]

Yes. That's great.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's what's going on.

[Terry Crews]

That's it. That is so beautiful.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Right. So if you jump out off a cliff and you fall to earth, what's actually happening is you And Earth are falling towards each other. Except you're doing most of the moving.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Earth will come up just a little bit.

[Terry Crews]

I love that.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Terry Crews]

Dude. So good.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, keep going.

[Terry Crews]

Here we go. Samuel. Tom. Excuse me. Samuel. Tomka. Hello. Neil and Terry. Samuel here from Slovakia.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Nice.

[Terry Crews]

All right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I'm embarrassed as an American. I just. Geographically ignorant American. I was asking someone from Slovakia, like, what was Slovakia before it was Slovakia? Because growing up. I don't remember hearing that. Right. And she said, oh, it was part of Czechoslovakia.

[Terry Crews]

You know what? Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Well, then I asked another stupid question. I said, well, Sam, what was the rest of Czechoslovakia? Oh, that became the Czech Republic. Okay.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. Makes all the sense in the world.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's like, okay, connect the dots here.

[Terry Crews]

But, yeah, believe me, I would ask the same question. I have a question. If humans settled on a low gravity planet, would skipping leg day have an entirely different meaning? Or would we have to invent new exercises just to keep our legs from shrinking? Keep the fun and education going. Love you guys.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I love it.

[Terry Crews]

People, I've been accused of skipping leg day a lot.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I can give two answers to that.

[Terry Crews]

Okay.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

One of them is if you want to maintain the physique that you would have had on Earth. Yeah. You're gonna have to exercise way more. And you have to use exercises where you can add resistance beyond just lifting things off the ground. You need, like, pulleys and things. And so that's if you wanted to do that. But if you will forever be living on that low gravity planet, you don't need the big muscles anymore.

[Terry Crews]

No, you don't. And I heard you get taller.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes. In fact, you get tallest if. Do you know that astronauts that do spacewalks, which NASA calls extravehicular activities. I'm trying to get them. Dude, just call a spacewalk.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Extra vehicular EVAs, they call them. Okay, so astronauts have space suits, depending how tall they are when they're launched, 2 to 3 inches taller for their spacewalk than they do for when they launch.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, my goodness.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Because in zero G, they grow.

[Terry Crews]

They just grow.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

If you're 6ft, you can grow 2 inches.

[Terry Crews]

That's crazy. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

I want to go to space. I'm gonna look amazing when I come back.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So your vertebrae. Yeah, no, it's not. So it doesn't keep going.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So your vertebrae expand because you don't have gravity compressing them. Yeah. And you get a couple extra inches. So they can't spacewalk in the same suit that they launch in.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, My goodness. Yeah. I bet you zero gravity is good for my skin too.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's good for everything.

[Terry Crews]

Everything.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Everything.

[Terry Crews]

I love this.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. Everything just kind of floats there. Yeah. So like I said, if you don't need your muscles, they will atrophy. If you never need your muscles, should we care that they atrophy?

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I don't know.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But if you ever want to come back to Earth, you better be ready for that. And the astronauts come back to Earth and they got all kinds of machines up there so that they.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Lose their muscle mass.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. Because you can get really hurt and.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You can still lose bone mass. There's still an unsolved problem, the bone part.

[Terry Crews]

But you can be a blob in space. That'll be great.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You'll be blob in space and your heart won't even know the difference because it's not pumping against gravity.

[Terry Crews]

That's good.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. You don't want to clog your arteries, but you can be chubby. But if your arteries were still clear, your heart won't even know.

[Terry Crews]

This is a great question. That was a great question.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

I'm Cyndi Lauper with fellow Cosentyx advocate chef Michelle Bernstein. We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Cosentyx Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis. 150mg dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx before starting. Get checked for tb. Serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema and an increased risk of infections, some fatal have occurred. It may lower your ability to fight infections. So tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or plan to. Or if IBD symptoms develop or worsen. Learn more at 1844cosentyx or cosentyx.com Cindy.

[Carl's Jr. Advertiser]

The kind of burgers you get today tells you a lot about yourself. You're either someone who settles for sad, same old, same old burgers or you're at a Carl's Jr obsessed with a tangy OG Western bacon cheeseburger, demanding a house made guacamole, loaded guac bacon, fired up for the insanely hot El Diablo or craving a classic Charbold Famous Star. Give in to your flavor cravings. Do your mouth the Carl's Jr Good Burger.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's better over here.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

AT&T customers switching to T Mobile has never been easier. We'll pay off your existing phone and give you a new one free. All on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com carrier freedom to switch today. Pay off up to 650 via virtual.

Prepaid MasterCard in 15 days. Free phone to $830 via 24 monthly bill credits plus tax qualifying port and trade in service on go 5G next and credit required. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance and required finance agreement is due.

[Terry Crews]

Daniel Frank. Hey, guys. Love the show. He doesn't say where he's from, but another. Another. Yeah, another. Witness protection. If one was able to stop time, is it true that you wouldn't be able to see anything because the photons would freeze too? Can we make an exception to that?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You know, I don't know if I have a good answer for that, because to the photon, there is no time. You might have heard that the faster you go, the slower time ticks. This is relativity. And in the limit, at the speed of light, time stops. Photons, which exist at the speed of light, when they're emitted at whatever, wherever they came from. My PhD thesis was on the center of the galaxy, which is 30,000 light years away. And when I captured those photons, for me, watching them, they took 30,000 years. But if you're the photon, the instant you left the center of the galaxy, you hit my detector right there in the same instant.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So if there's zero time, I don't know what effect that would have on the photons.

[Terry Crews]

Right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Because they don't ever have time.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, they. They're outside of.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

In a way, they're outside of time in that sense. So I'd have to think more about. I don't have a good answer for that.

[Terry Crews]

I feel like, you know, a fish.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Floating in water doesn't know it's in the water.

[Terry Crews]

What's in the water? So to speak.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

You know what I mean? And that. That's queer. That's really.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. Would a photon know that time had stopped?

[Terry Crews]

Ooh, that's a whole nother question. Oh, we just opened a wormhole. My brain just went tilt. Tilt.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yes. I don't. I don't know.

[Terry Crews]

I love this.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, by the way, that was a very dated comment you made. You said tilt. Tilt.

[Terry Crews]

I did.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, my gosh, Terry.

[Terry Crews]

Pinball wizard. Pinball. Pinball wizard. I know. My kids are like, what if you.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Try to influence the ball. You, like, hit your hips into the machine. If you do that too much, the game craps out on you. And it says tilt.

[Terry Crews]

Well, I tell my kids. I'm like, I'm trying to read. I want to make myself so interesting. I could read the phone book. It'd be wonderful. And they're like, what's a phone book? What are you talking about? People go, oh, man.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You're already not interested. Oh, all right. You should have a few more in there.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah, well, it's more. This was Mickey Pastillo. Mickey from Omaha.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Here, Omaha.

[Terry Crews]

Which flavor on Hot Ones was the hardest for each of you? Thanks.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You were on Hot Ones.

[Terry Crews]

I was on Hot Ones.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So was I. Oh, my gosh. Oh.

[Terry Crews]

I was high on Hot Ones. It made me literally. I've never been on drugs. I never been drunk before in my life.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

Dude, I was hallucinating. Oh. It was so painful.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay.

[Terry Crews]

That I started to see double.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

No. I spent six years in Texas starting out a complete wimp and leaving where I could eat a jalapeno pepper and not tear. So I had some bit of. I don't want to call it training, but life experience. So there were 10 of them. Where did you start crapping out?

[Terry Crews]

Oh, man. I went all the way.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You went all the way.

[Terry Crews]

The last dab hurt so bad. Okay, now you have to understand, too, because I do intermittent fasting. That was my first meal of the day.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Ouch.

[Terry Crews]

That made it Tripoli. I would say.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Wait. Just take a minute.

[Terry Crews]

Everything up.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Take a minute. Tell everybody what Hot Ones is in case they.

[Terry Crews]

Hot Ones is a show that, you know, you basically taste different hot wings at different levels. They're Buffalo wings at different levels of heat. The sauce was from mild all the way to the most intense heat you.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Could ever up to Megadeth.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. Where these ghost peppers, they have all these names for each one of them.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Some of them are not even found in nature.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

They became this contest.

[Terry Crews]

They genetically modified peppers that were like. Oh, my God. Like, nuclear.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Is that what our GMO scientists are coming up with?

[Terry Crews]

Chernobyl level?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. And so I think the premise is you're allowed to talk about your projects to him, but only if you can get through the sequence of heat.

[Terry Crews]

I heard another experiment where it's hard to lie when you're doing something else. So they would make you hold a ball, bounce a balloon in your hand, and then they ask you questions, and you can really tell who's lying and who's interesting.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I never knew that.

[Terry Crews]

And I think that's the premise behind.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Hot Ones, because everyone there is really honest.

[Terry Crews]

You have. It's like, to think through all the. What's going on in your face, and.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You know they're honest because they're people who otherwise have their relationship with a camera, and it goes completely out the window.

[Terry Crews]

I was screaming. I literally had to yell just to keep my brain from just like, okay. Or running out of the room. I knew I wanted to stay in it, but I was like, it's hard.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So I was good up to eight out of the ten, and then nine was pretty severe. I already knew you're not supposed to touch it with your lips, because then your lips get. You can't. You can't feel your lips.

[Terry Crews]

Did they give you a little milk and all that stuff?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, I did ice water, but milk would work, too. But I went to 10, and then I took a double dose because I said, I got to do this.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, my God.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But here's what happened. Here's what nobody told anybody. Did you fly into New York to do it?

[Terry Crews]

I did.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. Because I just took the subway. Afterwards, I go home. Two hours later, I had explosive diarrhea.

[Terry Crews]

Okay.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Two hours later. Now, suppose I was on an airplane. Suppose I was in a taxi. I'm in my own bathroom. Thank you. And it was like. And I was on the floor. If you never got drunk, this never happened to you. In college. In college, you put your cheek on the bathroom tile just to feel the coolness. Cause you just.

[Terry Crews]

Okay. I heard about people doing it. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

This is what it was. And so, yeah, that was my final chapter of my experience.

[Terry Crews]

The sequel. Hot twos. Hot Number Twos. Okay, that's really disgusting. Oh, I have to start a show like that. Okay.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But it was one thing you do once in life, I think.

[Terry Crews]

Right? Yeah. I would never do it again.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, that show got syndicated. I think it's on Hulu.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, it's. And listen, mine. I know yours went viral. Mine went viral. Yeah.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It went viral. Yeah.

[Terry Crews]

People want to see people they know in pain. They do. Oh, look, they're celebrities. They're just like us. They hurt, too. I was in tears. I was crying. It was crazy.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay, so, Terry, we've got time for one more question.

[Terry Crews]

You got it. You got it. Here we go.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And I'm sorry. We had, like, hundreds of questions came in. This is so awesome. We had to, like, pick. Sorry. But we just pick them here. All right.

[Terry Crews]

This is beautiful. The last question is from riley ruffin. Hello, Dr. Tyson and Mr. Cruz. Riley ruffin here from Illinois. All right. I must say, Mr. Cruz, I love your acting. Thank you. Really a big fan. My question is related to the edge of the observable universe. What observations have been made, and can you describe what it looks like? I have heard that there appears to be some type of haze. Is this true, and can you tell us more about it?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's a purple haze.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, man. We writing songs right now. I like it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

So, a couple of things.

[Terry Crews]

Talk to me.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

The age of the universe is in our way.

[Terry Crews]

The age?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah. So there's a horizon beyond which we cannot see because the universe isn't old enough for light from objects beyond that horizon to have reached us yet. That's the horizon. It's not completely different from the horizon at sea, where you're at a ship and you see the horizon. Are you saying to yourself, is that the edge of the universe? No, there's probably ocean beyond that. And if you sort of sail towards it, more ocean comes into view. And you bring your horizon with you. That's kind of. The horizon is not an absolute thing.

[Terry Crews]

That's true.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's relative to you. And you are in the center of your own horizon. The exact center. Okay. Now, it turns out as we look out into the universe, we see the universe younger and younger and younger and younger until we see it just shortly after the Big Bang itself. So technically, that's not quite a horizon. It's a time horizon more than it is a space horizon, because you can't see before the Big Bang. And so if you wait a few billion more years as the universe continues to expand, then there'll be a place, a space horizon, beyond which you cannot see. And if you travel that direction again, you can take your horizon with you. So the real question is, do we really know how big the actual universe is? Do you know how big the actual ocean is? Not really. Unless you keep sailing until you hit land.

[Terry Crews]

That's right.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

But if you're in the middle of the Pacific, that's a lot of sailing.

[Terry Crews]

You have no idea.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

You have no idea. So, generally, when we speak of the universe, it's how big is the observable universe? We got to contain it, because what's beyond that, we don't know. No reason to think it's completely different. No reason to think just beyond your horizon, there's something very different from the water that you're witnessing up until the horizon. No reason to think that. So, too, with the universe beyond an observable horizon, no reason to think the rest of the universe is fundamentally different from what's within our own horizon. And so, by the way, everyone sees themself as the center of the universe.

[Terry Crews]

That's true. That's true.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Which means there is no center of the universe. And one of my most retweeted tweets, I guess it's X now, it was very simple. I said, because the universe has no center, it means you can't be it.

[Terry Crews]

Oh, wait, now I'm disappointed. Now I'm very disappointed. I always thought I was the center of the universe. But you know what? I gotta add one more thing.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

What's that? What's that?

[Terry Crews]

Okay, what's so crazy is looking at how endless it is out there, I often wondered, is it as endless in here? Meaning, is there an end as you go inside, Inside the mind?

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Like, okay, for a while there, people suspected, because they wanted it to be true, that you see the sun and you see planets orbiting the sun.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

When we find. When we.

[Terry Crews]

Are we. An atom.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Exactly. So when we first crack the atom, they say, wait a minute, there are electrons going around the nucleus. So we borrowed the same vocabulary. We don't call them orbits, but we call them orbitals. Okay, same idea, right? It's something. And they said, well, if that's what it is, what happens if we go into the nucleus of the atom? Will it be that again? And then that again? Is it that all the way down? No, it's not. It's just not. There's atoms and then there's us and this universe. And you know, not to get too pop culture on you, but in Men in Black, there was the galaxy on the belt of Orion. I don't know if you remember that Orion was a cat.

[Terry Crews]

Okay.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And he had a neck.

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I remember in there was this sort of transparent ball. Ball. And inside that ball was the entire universe that we are living in. And it's just this little dangly thing on the neck of a cat. It's fun to think that and write stories about it, but it doesn't look like that's the case. Because different laws of physics apply to the large scale universe than the small. And if it was the same thing all the way down, you'd see repeated.

[Terry Crews]

That's true.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I think the rules don't stay the same. They don't stay the same.

[Terry Crews]

Got it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

They're very different. Very, very different. So it's a fun thought.

[Terry Crews]

This is great. I love this, man. I love this. I could do this all day. Okay, so love it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

All right, let's make A deal?

[Terry Crews]

Yes.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Any future time I'm in Pasadena, we'll fire up the hearth and we'll do this again.

[Terry Crews]

Let's do it. Let's do it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Okay. There's a permanent Pasadena date.

[Terry Crews]

Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll meet you at Caltech. No problem.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

I'll walk over there. Just quick. You had a very successful memoir. Because your life was so interesting, you shared some of it with me on a previous time you've been on the podcast just what your struggles had been from pro football and you were not quite homeless, but you were destitute for a while. And how fortunes can change if you keep confidence. And you have to understand what role failure needs to play. People are ready to give up, and I say no. That should be the force that drives you forward.

[Terry Crews]

Listen, the book was called Tough and it was about finding.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It still is. It's on shelves.

[Terry Crews]

It's about finding your true power. And literally, it's really the power of choice. Choice. You know, the only thing you can control is you. That's it.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's so simple that it's deep.

[Terry Crews]

Yeah. And wait, it took me years to find that out because I was a professional victim. I mean, looking at all the circumstances of different things and we all know people like.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

We all.

[Terry Crews]

You did. Your fault.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And how come I didn't? Because you didn't. Professional victim. I like that phrase, dude.

[Terry Crews]

Everything revolved down to my choices and I realized that and that really opened the way it was. Like you said, it's so simple, it's deep. Simple doesn't mean easy.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

No. No, it doesn't. It doesn't.

[Terry Crews]

That's the big thing. A lot of people think simple and easy is the same thing.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It doesn't. And one last thing. I was channel surfing and there's like the animated Everybody Hates Chris. Did I hear your voice still in there? My ear bent.

[Terry Crews]

You did. It just came out. I'm so.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Everybody Hates Chris.

[Terry Crews]

Everybody still Hates Chris because that's the sequel. It's a sequel.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

It's an animated sequel.

[Terry Crews]

And it literally.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

That's audacious.

[Terry Crews]

It picks up where the live action.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Show left and you got all the characters come back.

[Terry Crews]

All the characters were. Well, Tyler James Williams is an adult, so a lot of those kids grew up. So we have new voice actors for the kids. But a lot of the characters who were adults at did come back, yourself included. Me and the dad, Tashina Arnold. Chris Rock, Jack A. Harry.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Yeah, of course.

[Terry Crews]

Chris Thomas. It's amazing.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

And Chris is the narrator because it's his life. Okay, we look forward to that.

[Terry Crews]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Oh, and of course, star host with shiny suits on agt.

[Terry Crews]

Yes. Oh, don't forget killer's game. Killer's brand new. My movie is going to be out on demand. I did a movie with Dave Bautista where we were like assassins. We had our own app where you could. It's like the Uber for assassins. It's a. It's a what? It's an action comedy, by the way. So have a great time.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Dial an assassin comedy. Okay.

[Terry Crews]

You can get. You can get an assassin anytime. Just Uber it. You know, it's kind of like, oh, yeah, look at this. Okay, you rate your assassin.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Give them a friendly face. Give them friendly face, and I'll give them like, don't with me, I'll kill you face.

[Terry Crews]

That's how you do it. I've been doing this forever. All right, we out.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Terry. Love you, man.

[Terry Crews]

Love you. I love you, brother. You're the man.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

This has been another edition of StarTalk Cosmic Queries with special guest co host Terry Crews.

[Terry Crews]

I love you guys.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

All right, until next time, I'm Neil Degrasse Tyson, bidding you to keep looking up.

[Carl's Jr. Advertiser]

Carl's Jr. S. Big Carl fans know nothing beats the layers and layers of flavor of a Big Carl. Nothing beats that char, grilled beef, American cheese and tangy Carl's plastic sauce. Nothing except getting a second big carl for just $1. Big carl, just one ups itself for just one buck. Then buy one Big Carl. Get one for a buck. Deal only at Carl's Jr Big Burger.

[Neil DeGrasse Tyson]

Good Burger.

[Carl's Jr. Advertiser]

Available for limited time at participating restaurants. Tax not included. Price may vary. Not valid with any other offer, discount or combo.

[Terry Crews]

At Amica Insurance, we know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring it out. For the place you've put down roots. Trust Amica Home Insurance. Amica empathy is our best policy.