Podcasts

How did our universe emerge? Did it expand? And where did stars and galaxies come from? What is "cold dark matter” and “dark energy”?

How did galaxies form? What are the shapes of these galaxies? How did the Milky Way emerge?

What are stars? How are they birthed? How do they die? And what is a supernova explosion? How does this explosion give rise to the elements that form life itself?

How did our solar system come about? How did the Moon originate? What is the creative role of plate tectonics? How does geology impact Earth’s biology?

How did the first cells emerge? What characterizes them? How do we explain the patterning found in DNA and in multicellular organisms?

How did the brain evolve over time from single cell organisms to vertebrates? What is consciousness and responsiveness? How can we compare the adaptive brains of humans, chimpanzees, and our many evolutionary ancestors?

Discover the compelling story of Earth’s fossil record. What were the ecosystems of dinosaurs? How did humans co-evolve with other species? What are mass extinctions?

John and Melissa explore the history of early humans in relation to kinship with land and animals. Contemporary Indigenous lifeways are also highlighted, especially the sustaining power of rituals that locate humans within the rhythms of Earth’s transformative systems.

Cynthia describes the “big history” beyond simply human history that includes cosmic, Earth, and human evolution. She highlights eight key threshold moments of evolutionary change from universe emergence and solar systems to life forms, including humans.

Mary Evelyn introduces a collection of creative thinkers who are drawing upon the story of the universe to re-envision and create mutually enhancing human-Earth relations.