Moiya and fellow Multitudian Eric Silver discuss their favorite and least favorite Superhero worlds, plus best practices for building your own. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST  Eric Silver is a writer, podcaster, game designer, and head of development at Multitude Productions. Follow him on X at @El_Silvero MESSAGES Sign up for Moiya's worldbuilding class with Atlas Obscura Listen to Join the Party every Tuesday HOUSEKEEPING Order my...

Moiya and writer Victoria Male talk about best pracices for adapting old stories into new versions and discuss their favorite/least favorite reboots. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST  Victoria Male is an award-winning writer and multimedia producer. Find her on IG at @victoriamale1 and learn more at her website victoriamale.com MESSAGES Listen to Big Game Hunger every Monday HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY...

Moiya and astrobiologist Dr. Seven Rasmussen imagine life on some distant gas giant's moon. What they come up with is cute and curious and exceptionally weird.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Seven Rasmussen is a writer and astrobiologist whose debut science book LIFE IN SEVEN NUMBERS: THE DRAKE EQUATION REVEALED is expected in 2025. Follow her on twitter @toomanyspectra MESSAGES Listen to Pale Blue Pod every Monday HOUSEKEEPING ...

Moiya's here with a little update on her second book, a history of invention written by the Greek Muses. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist MESSAGES Join the multicrew at multicrew.club HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore   FIND US ONLINE patreon: patreon.com/exolorepod...

Moiya and neuroscientist Devon Collins build a homeworld for that species in sci-fi that spread its humanoid DNA around the galaxy. They end up being curious amphibious with grander memory palaces than you can imagine. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Devon Collins is a neuroscientist and science communicator who studied drugs' effects on human brains. He works with Biobus and Genspace, two outreach/education initiatives in NYC. MESSAGES ...

Moiya talks with debut author Christy Healy about UNBOUND, an exciting new twist on Beauty and the Beast. They chat character creation, irish folklore, and whether Happily Ever Afters are really necessary just in time for V Day.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Christy Healy is an English and Rhetoric professor, a teacher of classical languages, and author of the fantasy book UNBOUND. FOllow Chrity on instagram @christyhealywrites MESSAGES ...

Moiya invites musician and writer Roux Bedrosian to gush about a world they love: the video game Bioshock! Long live Sander Cohen, the little sisters, and the big daddies! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Roux Bedrosian is a musician, writer, and a multi-talented creator. Their website is rouxbedrosian.com and you can follow them on social @harleyroux  MESSAGES Listen to Big Game Hunger every Monday Sign up to support The Details of Our...

Moiya invites game streamer Jenna Stoeber to imagine a world and it gets crafty fast! The Great Crafter invited some beetles to their word of yarn and glitter, and the rest is history.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Jenna Stoeber is a podcaster, twitch streamer, and internet personality. Find her on socials @thejenna or at this linktree.  MESSAGES Listen to PALE BLUE POD every Monday   HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY...

Moiya invites food sustainability expert Alice Guillaume to imagine a world without food inequities. What they come up with is bright, colorful, and spectacularly diverse for something so genetically similar.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alice Guillaume manages the Cambridge Food Hub and Cambridge Organic Food Company. She’s passionate about building sustainable food initiatives to create a better world here on earth.  MESSAGES Sign up...

Moiya returns to her conversation about constructing languages. They talk mouth and nose shapes, the relevance of trees, and the brain-melting subject of sentence word order in different languages.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Jessie Sams is a linguist and conlanger who has helped make languages for shows including Motherland: Fort Salem and Vampire Academy.  MESSAGES Listen to TELL ME ABOUT IT every other THursday   HOUSEKEEPING ...

A sociologist, a biologist, and an astrophysicist walk into a zoom room and discuss what it would be like if everyone had three parents. Here's a hint: it gets complicated real fast. We discuss speculative science, the difficulty of large collaborations, mating types, and ~bedroom activity~ HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Tamara van der Does is a computational sociologist who studies how environment shapes beliefs and identity. You can...

What does it take to build a fictional culture from scratch? How can you respectfully draw inspiration from real-world cultures? Two anthropologists join me to share their tips! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Carole McGranahan is an anthropology professor at UC Boulder. You can follow her work on her website. Liam Gleason is a PhD candidate in evolutionary anthropology at ASU. You can follow them on twitter at @anthro_outlier and stay up...

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all? HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a golf course supervisor, a field dominated by men. You can follow Maureen on twitter at @MaureenKahiu. Ferris Jabr is a science writer who has contributed to the...

Moiya is joined by squid scientist Dr. Diana Li to imagine a marine world where everyone gets to find their own meaning of life... and it gives them magic powers! Did you know squid brains are shaped like donuts?!!  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Diana Li is a science communicator and public engagement expert who studied the neurophysiology and biomechanics of squid swimming. Follow her on social at @dianateuthis and check out her website...

Moiya is joined by lung scientist/cancer researcher Em Costa to imagine a world that is annoying, but not dangerous to its inhabitants. They end up creating a crabby species who need to be near each other, but complain about it all the time.   HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Em Costa is a lung scientist who studies genes related to cancer. She's also a trivia host and 1/3 of the Facts Machine Podcast team. Find her on twitter at @_emcosta   ...

Moiya is joined by bestselling author Alyssa Cole, who wanted to imagine a world inhabited by giant gentle rodents.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alyssa Cole is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of romance and thrillers like When No One is Watching, An Extraordinary Union, and A Princess in Theory. SPONSORS Design your own mini statue at heroforge.com Get high-quality puzzles at Ravensburger.us   HOUSEKEEPING Join the...

Moiya is joined by author Alyssa Cole to imagine a peaceful world full of gentle capybaras working with their environment instead of against it. The result is as adorable as you'd imagine HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alyssa Cole is a bestselling author of When No One is Watching and An Extraordinary Union! Follow her on IG at @alyssacolelit and stay updated on her website alyssacole.com. MIDBREAK Design your own custom mini statues at...

Moiya is joined by geneticist Dr. Alex Dainis to imagine a friendly world where life evolved two separate times. They talk DNA, folklore around food, crystals storing information, and wide-orbiting moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Alex is a geneticist and science communicator on all the platforms. Find her on social at @alex.dainis and watch her new PBSDS show Hungry Planet on PBS Terra! MIDBREAK Listen to Tell Me About It every...

Moiya is joined by biochemist Dr. Anicca Harriot to discuss Janelle Monae's multi-media afrofuturistic worldbuilding. They talk about Monae's inspiration and New Dawn nuances, while mostly gushing about how talented Monae is. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Anicca Harriot is a biochemist, molecular biologist, and chief of community development at Vanguard STEM. Follow her at @13adh13. MIDBREAK Join the Multicrew at...

Moiya is joined by neuroscientist Dr. Paula Croxson for a trippy exercise where they imagine the "world" of an animal brain. It doesn't get as weird as you might expect. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Paula Croxson is a neuroscientist, storyteller, and science engagement expert. Learn about her work at paulacroxson.com or @paulacroxson MIDBREAK Listen to Tiny Matters from the American Chemical Society every other WednesdayListen to Queer...

Moiya is joined by fantasy literature scholar Bezi Yohannes to imagine a brand new world where the meanings of light and dark are switched. Together they create magical slippery creatures who do all of their private acts in public. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Bezi Yohannes is a book reviewer, half of the Dreaming in the Dark team, and literal Black fantasy scholar. Find her online at @beingabookwyrm MIDBREAK Listen to SPIRITS, new episodes...

We're revisiting a fan favorite episode this week! Throwback Thursday to that time Moiya learned a process for building coherent and balanced magic systems. This turned out to be the first in a trio of episodes. After this, listen to The World of Touchy Arachnids and then Building Magic Systems part II where Clark comes back to put his process into practice on our homegrown world. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST C.R. Rowenson is a trained chemical...

Moiya is joined by author Brittney Morris to break down the world of Avatar the Last Airbender! They talk about the in-world origin of bending, the real world martial arts that inspired bending moves, and why the live action movie was so terrible. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Brittney Morris is an award winning author of books including Slay and The Jump. Find her on twitter @BrittneyMMorris or on her website...

Moiya is joined by biochemist Isaac Paddy to build a world inspired by his love of musicals and romcoms. They imagine a world full of singing amphibious creatures who live their lives according to the movement of their planet's six different moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Isaac Paddy is a biochemist in a PhD program at Stanford studying enzymes. Follow him on twitter at @isaacapaddy MIDBREAK Join the Multicrew to access fun, exclusive...