Set in the year 1156, our upcoming feature film, The Wizard and The Scholar (or, a Rapscallion Runs Amok in Rye) now has a planned release date! AND it will be in theaters! This story is led by two amazing women - Elara, a wizard without power, and Adelaide, a nomadic scholar on the search for truth in all things. Faced with a brutal murder in the city, the disparate pair must unite with the most famous thief of all time — Robin Hood — to solve the crime and save the city from an even more...

Today on The Cosmic Companion, we're diving deep into the wild world of intelligence - from curious creatures beneath the waves to the endless expanse of space. Later in the show, we will be talking with octopus whisperer Sy Montgomery.  [OCTOPUS: What? What? Speak up! Stop whispering!] Now, you probably think I'm about to start talking about animals. Well, yes. But. No. Not yet. First, let's explore the vast network of fungi and their surprising sentience! MUSHROOMS! This is a public...

Welcome back to The Cosmic Companion. I’m James G. Maynard — science show host, terrible actor, worse puppeteer, and proud resident of this planet Earth.  For our Earth Day 2024 episode, we’ll be exploring how fiction and storytelling have inspired environmental movements throughout history. Later in the show, we will be joined by Ann E. Burg, talking about her new book, Force of Nature, a free-verse novel inspired by Rachel Carson.  Let’s begin by traveling back in time! [beep beep beep]...

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...

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...

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...

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. 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

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...

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

Hello Everyone! This week on The Cosmic Companion, we are Seeing the Invisible. We’ll be discussing how astronomers study objects in space which are invisible to the human eye.  Later on, we will be talking with Anand Varma, creator of a new book, Invisible Wonders: Photographs of the Hidden World, from National Geographic. Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe

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...

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...

This week on The Cosmic Companion, we look at Designing Dinosaurs. How do we know details about dinosaurs that are not readily apparent from the fossil record? How can we tell what we can tell about the colors, sounds, and behaviors of these magnificent little beasties? Later in the show, we are going to talk with Stephanie Warren Drimmer from National Geographic about her new book, Jurassic Smarts. Fossils, including those of dinosaurs, have been known about since ancient times. These...

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

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

This week on The Cosmic Companion, we take on a weighty subject — gravity. Later in the show, we are going to talk with Joe Swiggum from the NanoGrav Collaboration. Gravity is one of those things that we all know about, but when you really stop to think about it, it’s pretty mind-boggling. I mean, there’s this invisible force that keeps us all stuck to the ground and makes things fall when we drop them. How wild is that? Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at...

This week on The Cosmic Companion, we talk about the mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Later in the show, we will be joined by René Laureijs, Euclid Project Scientist, from The European Space Agency. If one were to look at all the matter and energy in the Universe, about 68% is dark energy, 27% is dark matter, and just five percent is everything we see around us. 95% of everything out there — is totally unknown.  [That’s chicken feed. What IS most of the Universe?] Good question! ...

We are back from summer break with an amazing guest, Richard Dinan, founder of Pulsar Fusion (Yeah. The guy from Made in Chelsea!).Kicking off the second half of our seventh season, we offer you a look at how the human race might take our first steps to becoming an interplanetary species. Later in the show, we will be talking with Richard Dinan, founder and CEO of Pulsar Fusion, about spacecraft powered by nuclear fusion. Neat-O, Wally! Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James...

We explore the greatest mysteries of the Universe, from the Big Bang, to black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and more, talking with famed cosmologist and author Lawrence Krauss... Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe

Planting the Seeds of STEAM w/ Ariane Szu-Tu, Nat Geo Kids Exploring STEAM education and learning, with Ariane Szu-Tu, senior editor, National Geographic Kids Books. This week on The Cosmic Companion, we're going to take a wild ride through the exciting and innovative universe of STEAM education. Later in the show, we talk with Ariane Szu-Tu, senior editor at National Geographic Kids Books, about their new release, Almanac 2024! Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at...

Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Cosmic Companion. I’m James Maynard! This week, we look at the one thing every space traveler will have in common — they will all be Living with a Body in Space. Later in the show, we will be joined by Christina Sauer, Associate Editor for National Geographic Kids, talking about their new release, Why? The Human Body. Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe

How do we create computer models of the Universe, and how will artificial intelligence revolutionize astronomy? Talking with Andrew Pontzen, author of The Universe in a Box --- This week on The Cosmic Companion, we explore the fascinating world of computer models of the universe! From humble beginnings to mind-boggling simulations, this is the history of how we unravel mysteries of the Cosmos using the power of computers. Astronomers and cosmologists seek to understand what happened billions...

Hello everyone! This week on The Cosmic Companion, we will explore The Water Worlds of the Solar System, talking with Olivier Witasse from the European Space Agency, Project Scientist for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, now on its way to the Jovian system. Join me, your trusty celestial tour guide, as we don our intellectual swim trunks and dive into the water worlds of our solar system.  Water, essential for all life on Earth, was once thought to be rare in the solar system. Large...

What would happen if the asteroid that ended the Age of Dinosaurs struck today? We are talking with Steve Brusatte, paleontologist with National Geographic and Jurassic World Dominion! Get full access to The Cosmic Companion w/ James Maynard at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe