Down the Wormhole

Space Part 4 (Space Junk in the Orbital Trunk)

Episode 70
The U.S. Space Surveillance Network tracks over 23,000 pieces of debris the size of a soft ball or larger. An additional 500,000 objects larger than a centimeter also orbit Earth, and there are millions of even smaller fragments which we cannot trace. We stand on the edge of a potential technological disaster if our satellites are destroyed by our own garbage, and international space agencies are starting to take notice. Join us as we talk about the technical issues of space junk as well as the moral implications of littering uninhabited spaces. Why do we only seem to care about garbage when it affects living creatures? Do we have a moral responsibility to clean up our messes? Who is going to pay for all this? How can thinking about space junk make us better stewards of our own little corners of the world?
 
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More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Elevating the Discourse with Amanda Glaze-Crampes (Science Education Professor)

In part 8 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr. Amanda Glaze-Crampes. A self described "Facilitator of Magic", she teaches future teachers how to inspire the next generation of scientists. Her research centers on the intersections of science and society, specifically the acceptance and rejection of evolution in the Southeastern United States and the impact of the conflict between religion and evolution on science literacy. It is impossible to listen to her talk without wanting to get up an explore something afterwards. You're in for a real treat! 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Space Part 3 (Living with Tiny Aliens)

Last Spring, Adam published a book called "Living with Tiny Aliens: The Image of God for the Anthropocene", and it's high time we talk about it! It is full of playful curiosity and deep interrogations of our theological frameworks. How can astrobiology help us to not only rethink our place in the cosmos, but our identity as image bearers of God? We'll let Adam explain...
 
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Tiny-Aliens-Anthropocene-Groundworks/dp/0823287718
 
"Astrobiology is changing how we understand meaningful human existence. Living with Tiny Aliens seeks to imagine how an individuals’ meaningful existence persists when we are planetary creatures situated in deep time―not only on a blue planet burgeoning with life, but in a cosmos pregnant with living-possibilities. In doing so, it works to articulate an astrobiological humanities.
Working with a series of specific examples drawn from the study of extraterrestrial life, doctrinal reflection on the imago Dei, and reflections on the Anthropocene, Pryor reframes how human beings meaningfully dwell in the world and belong to it. To take seriously the geological significance of human agency is to understand the Earth as not only a living planet but an artful one. Consequently, Pryor reframes the imago Dei, rendering it a planetary system that opens up new possibilities for the flourishing of all creation by fostering technobiogeochemical cycles not subject to runaway, positive feedback. Such an account ensures the imago Dei is not something any one of us possesses, but that it is a symbol for what we live into together as a species in intra-action with the wider habitable environment."
 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Space Part 2 (Signs of Life)

Episode 67
Did you hear? Scientists found life on Venus! Well... Not quite. But maybe! Also maybe not... It's all a bit uncertain, but we're here to untangle it for you. We're talking biosignatures, poop on the moon, rainbow fingerprints, corned beef space sandwiches, and our future tardigrade overlords. It's a lot of fun! 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Show Notes
Arecibo collapses: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/01/940767001/arecibo-observatory-telescope-collapses-ending-an-era-of-world-class-research
 Poop on the moon: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/22/18236125/apollo-moon-poop-mars-science
 https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a13598/is-there-poop-on-the-moon-17630231/
 Astrobiology intro: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/about/history-of-astrobiology/
 Spectroscopy: https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/spectra1.html
 Big bird in space:  https://www.history.com/news/big-bird-challenger-disaster-nasa-sesame-street
 Corned beef sandwich in space: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/22/corned-beef-sandwich-in-space/
https://www.space.com/39341-john-young-smuggled-corned-beef-space.html
 Adam’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Tiny-Aliens-Anthropocene-Groundworks/dp/0823287718/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607044336&sr=1-1-5e875a02-02b1-4426-9916-8a5c26cd5a14 

Elevating the Discourse with Dr Telli Davoodi (Cognitive Psychologist)

In part 7 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with the Dr. Telli Davoodi. She is a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Princeton University, and her research focuses on religious and scientific cognition and what psychological roles they serve. She has studied childhood development across the world and has some fascinating insights as to how children learn to process religion and science. 
Are religious children more likely to accept unseen entities like germs? Are we messing up our children by teaching them about Santa and Jesus when they're young and expecting they can tell them apart later? How do children in non-Christian countries perceive science and religion? All that and more! 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Space Part 1 (The Next Copernican Revolution?)

Space: the final frontier...
Nothing captivates our imagination like the vast expanse of outer space. For as long as humans have been alive, we've been inspired by the stars, the planets, and what exists beyond our terrestrial shell. In this miniseries, we are going to explore some of the ways that the leading edge of astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology, and other astro-disciplines are pushing us to reexamine and redefine our theologies. We're kicking this project off with a simple question:
 
"What will be the next Copernican Revolution?"
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Elevating the Discourse with Rabbi Jordan Shaner

Episode 64
In part 6 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with the Rabbi Jordan Shaner. He is the assistant rabbi at Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto, Ontario. His rabbinic thesis focused on theologies in the Babylonian Talmud, including on the way the Talmud presents the intersection between physiology, health, religious practice and spirituality. He is a member of the Toronto Board of Rabbis and represents that organization as a board member of Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Greater Toronto, which fosters relationships between a number of faith communities in the Greater Toronto Area. 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Big Emotions Part 6 (Gratitude)

Episode 63
We're wrapping up our miniseries on big emotions with one of the most important ones, gratitude. Over the past 20 years, researchers have shown what we've intrinsically known for hundreds of thousands of years: gratitude is the key to happiness. It binds us together as a society, buoys our own mental health, and draws us closer to the divine. How might you let gratitude work its magic in your life today? 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
 
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis