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Ethan Siegel
A theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, host of popular podcast “Starts with a Bang!”
Ethan Siegel is a Ph.D. astrophysicist and author of "Starts with a Bang!" He is a science communicator, who professes physics and astronomy at various colleges. He has won numerous awards for science writing since 2008 for his blog, including the award for best science blog by the Institute of Physics. His two books "Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive" and "Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe" are available for purchase at Amazon. Follow him on Twitter @startswithabang.
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The first (double) episode has come and gone, but here’s what I hope for the series. “We are what we are, and we’re doing the best we can. It is not […]
Everything is made of quarks, leptons, photons, and gluons, yet everything comes with a finite, non-zero size. “There’s something about sitting alone in the dark that reminds you how big the […]
If not for the indeterminate nature of matter, the Sun would never be able to shine. “The bedrock nature of space and time and the unification of cosmos and quantum are […]
It isn’t just a theory; it’s the best way we have to make sense of everything that exists. “The physicist is like someone who’s watching people playing chess and, after watching […]
The ELT, at 39 meters in diameter, will dwarf everything that’s ever come before. “There are so many people who are arguing or fighting over issues which don’t have much relevance. […]
Last week, Cassini plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere. Here are the top 6 things we learned from it while it was alive. “Being a scientist and staring immensity and eternity in the […]
While it’s fresh in everyone’s mind, this is the best time to turn awareness into action. “Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing […]
It worked for Iran two years ago, and it can work again with the right negotiations. “We have to understand the ubiquity of energy in everything we do. Energy is […]
If you’ve ever wondered where it gets its blue color from, physics has you covered. “That’s a misconception, Lennie. The sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet.” –Jandy Nelson One […]
Something’s got to be wrong. But is it what we think about the star, the Universe, or something else? “The older you get, the more you realize that the way […]
Just a few simple, common conditions can create the perfect storm. 80% of the time, humans are the trigger. “I’d rather fight 100 structure fires than a wildfire. With a structure […]
It does undergo nuclear fusion, but there are more reactions and more energy released from reactions other than H → He. “The sun is a miasmaOf incandescent plasmaThe sun’s not simply […]
I’m not saying it wasn’t aliens… but… it wasn’t aliens. “Just the fact that you so desperately attempt to dismantle our theory proves that we are on the right track. Otherwise […]
It isn’t just supernovae or neutron star collisions that make the heaviest elements. The physics might surprise you! “Comrades, this man has a nice smile, but he’s got iron teeth.” –Andrei A. […]
How the gravitational Casimir effect might cause our Universe’s accelerated expansion, without any new physics at all. “For although it is certainly true that quantitative measurements are of great importance, it […]
Are we about to make a breakthrough to go beyond black holes? Here’s what it means if we do! “It’s becoming clear that in a sense the cosmos provides the only […]
We may use superlatives all the time, but that’s no substitute for quantifying just how bad, big, or important something is. This article was written by Kimberly Arcand and Megan […]
Science communication is about more than just “stating facts.” A lot more. “Curious that we spend more time congratulating people who have succeeded than encouraging people who have not.” –Neil deGrasse […]
It’s incredibly simple and straightforward, and the science doesn’t lie. (And yes, global warming played a role!) “The hurricane flooded me out of a lot of memorabilia, but it can’t flood […]
Every star dies, but not every would-be star really lives. “The origin and evolution of life are connected in the most intimate way with the origin and evolution of the stars.” […]