This week, we are providing you with a viewing guide to the solar eclipse happening over much of North America on Monday 8th April. Sit back and enjoy. Take notes. There will be a test later. Maybe. naw, it’s only a quiz. Get ready for an incredible celestial event on 8th April — a solar eclipse! As the moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun, parts of North America will experience a spectacular show, and we’re here to help you make the most of it... This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecosmicco ..read more

Welcome back to The Cosmic Companion. I’m James G. Maynard. This week, we take the first of two looks at the upcoming solar eclipse coming on 8 April. Later in the show, we will be talking with noted physicist, mathematician, and developer Stephen Wolfram about his new book, Predicting the Eclipse.  From ancient fears and superstitions to modern-day scientific predictions, the history of eclipse forecasting is a captivating tale of human curiosity and ingenuity. Have you ever looked up at the sky during an eclipse and wondered how people in the past reacted to this awe-inspiring sight? Ad ..read more

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to The Cosmic Companion.  This week, we’re talking about Jaws, Claws, Life and Death, and what they can teach us about staying alive in space! In a little bit, we’re going to be talking with Jennifer Szymanski from Nat Geo Kids about their new book, Deadliest Animals on the Planet.  But first, the boring bit of the show with me in it... This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe ..read more

We get the inside scoop on planets from famed 1940s space reporter James G. Maynard, talking with the planets themselves, together with Sabine Stanley of Johns Hopkins University. Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe ..read more

Hello everyone! This week on The Cosmic Companion, we explore exploration, exploring the human need to… explore. Later in the show, we’ll be talking with Jon Waterman, creator of Atlas of Wild America from National Geographic. From the dawn of time, humans have been driven by a primal urge: the need to explore. This innate curiosity has shaped our history, propelling us from the confines of caves to the vast expanse of our planet, and beyond. Let’s take a detour down memory lane. Somewhere between 75,000 and 50,000 years ago, a group of mobile Homo sapiens decided to take humankind’s first roa ..read more

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! (I mean, BOO!) This week on The Cosmic Companion, for our Halloween Special, we’ll be looking at The Top 10 Ways Space is Trying to Kill You! Later in the show, we’ll be talking with astrophysicist and science educator Ethan Siegel, host of Starts with a Bang! Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe ..read more

Global warming and climate change is happening all around us. We look at the science of climate change, talking with Elizabeth Rusch, author of The 21. --- This week on The Cosmic Companion, we look at Global Warming - It's Not Just Hot Air! We will be talking with Elizabeth Rusch, author of The 21.  Climate change, the ultimate uninvited guest, has been making itself quite comfortable lately. It's like that distant cousin who shows up unannounced, cranks up the heat, and then leaves the door open. The science behind global warming is as fascinating as it is concerning. Since the Ind ..read more

Hello everyone! This week on The Cosmic Companion, we are pondering why Greece is the Word, discussing the birth of science in the ancient world, and what it means for us today. Later on, we'll be talking with Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes, hosts of the Greeking Out podcast, and authors of a new book of the same name, from Nat Geo Kids. Once upon a time, in the sunny lands of Ancient Greece more than 25 centuries ago, a bunch of curious folks decided to ask some big questions. "Why does the sun rise?" "What are stars?" "Why do planets move?". They were tired of attributing everything to the ..read more

This week on The Cosmic Companion, we’re discussing Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Human Race. Later on, we are talking with one of your species more impressive information processing and dissemination units, Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe ..read more

This week on The Cosmic Companion, we’re talking about how It’s a Weird World, After All! Later in the show, we’re going to talk with Kathryn Williams about Weird but True! World 2024, new from National Geographic Kids! Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe ..read more