Stars Ask Neil To Save The Universe

August 7, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

When Hollywood Stars Ask About the Universe

Steven Spielberg wanted to know about the gap inside an atom. Not the distance between the nucleus and the electron—he understood there was empty space there—but whether that gap could be used to travel faster than light. Neil deGrasse Tyson had to explain that the electron doesn't slam into the nucleus because it's also a wave, and its wavelength determines how much space it needs. The gap is enormous on atomic scales: imagine two popcorn kernels in the middle of a stadium, with the rest of the volume being the space where electrons roam. But that emptiness doesn't give you a shortcut. What Spielberg might have been circling toward was quantum tunneling, where particles cross barriers instantaneously, or quantum entanglement, where paired particles affect each other faster than light. Neither lets you travel through the gap between nucleus and electron. The first physicist to realize how much empty space atoms contain, Ernest Rutherford, was reportedly afraid to step out of bed the next morning, worried he'd fall through the floor.

The Multiverse Comes Free with the Math

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What you'll learn

1 (00:29) **Welcome and Setup: Stars Ask Neil** - Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice introduce the "Celebrities Ask Neil" format, explaining that they collect questions from famous people encountered on movie sets and at events.
2 (04:17) **Steven Spielberg: The Gap in the Atom** - Spielberg asks about the empty space between an atom's nucleus and its electrons, wondering if that gap could be used for faster-than-light travel.
3 (08:38) **Seth MacFarlane: The Lunch That Became a Family Guy Episode** - Neil recounts a lunch meeting with Seth MacFarlane that later inspired an episode of Family Guy.
4 (15:28) **Bill Prady: Is the Multiverse Real?** - Bill Prady, co-creator of *The Big Bang Theory*, asks if the multiverse is real, as the premise of his new show *Stewart Fails to Save the Universe* depends on it.
5 (21:30) **Hassan Minhaj: Why is Pink Himalayan Salt Pink?** - Comedian Hassan Minhaj asks why pink Himalayan salt is pink, leading to a discussion on the origins and impurities of salt.
6 (28:35) **Josh Scherer: Which Plant Needs a Genetic Update?** - Josh Scherer from *Mythical Kitchen* asks what plant most needs a genetic update, sparking a conversation about genetic modification.
7 (37:15) **Ricky Lindholm: The Most Misunderstood Concept in the Universe** - Ricky Lindholm asks what the most misunderstood concept in the universe is, leading Neil to critique common science fiction tropes.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Steven Spielberg Hasan Minhaj

Show Notes

Could there be other universes out there? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly answer science questions from celebrities like Steven Spielberg, Josh Scherer, Emily Blunt, and more.

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Thanks to our Patrons teonie, Dixie Gamoning, Greg Meyer, Mike Bilodeau, Mitchell Keesler, john hutt, Karen Buss, The Merry Widow, Casandra Martin, Swaraj Jaiswal, Hoang Nguyen, Knooble Gooble, Panainte Victor, Peter Jensen, Rajesh Bhaidasna, Victor Pomales, George Mulder, Life Space and the Lot, RandomBrian423, blitzgrub, Travis Bridges, Sreya Kumpatla, Erik Scheirer, Natalie Tabor, SwaZam!, KILOCREAMYY, Lisa Peldiak, Tosin Awofeso, Joe Buzz, daevon pearson, Amie Christy, Simone Adair, Philippe, Logan Davis, Ted Parsons, Macs Ton, Ben, Quentin Ferguson, Ash De Zylva, Evalena Marie, Nancy Bijok, Jacob Garcia, The Preschool Doctor, Amber Shaw, Erin, ilya, Kevin Nguyen, Austin Weets, and Alan G for supporting us this week.

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