The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu

Mar 08 2025 54 ep. 36 mins 172
The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu Podcast artwork

A half-hour dose of cosmic conversation with scientists, educators and students about the cosmos, scientific frontiers, scifi, comics, and more. Hosted by Dr. Charles Liu, PhD, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. Support us on Patreon.

  Science  Fiction
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Half-Baked Stars and Handmade Macarons with Dr. Theron Carmichael

Mar 08 2025 37 mins  
What is a transiting brown dwarf, why are they so rare, and how do you find them? Equally important, how do you make a good French macaron? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome astronomer and astrophysicist Dr. Theron Carmichael.

Cold Wars, AI, and Art for Aliens with Rebecca Charbonneau

Feb 22 2025 41 mins  
What can the history of science tell us about the world we live in today and where we might be headed tomorrow? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome historian of science Rebecca Charbonneau, PhD from the American Institute of Physics and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory with expertise in radio astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Megamasers and Magnetic Fields with Dr. Jackie Villadsen

Feb 08 2025 50 mins  
What’s the difference between a maser and a megamaser? How does uncertainty lead science to its newest discoveries? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome back radio astronomer Dr. Jackie Villadsen, a professor at Bucknell University currently researching star/planet magnetic interaction in exoplanet systems.

A Scintillating Cosmic Conversation with Robert Sparks

Jan 25 2025 40 mins  
Have you ever wondered how data from the telescopes that peer into our universe ends up in the hands of the astronomers who interpret it? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome Robert Sparks, currently from the NSF’s NOIRLab, but previously Fermi Lab and the Sloan Sky Survey.

Comets, Eclipses and Auroras: The LIUniverse Looks Back at 2024

Jan 04 2025 60 mins  
What were the coolest science and sci-fi events in the LIUniverse in 2024, and what’s in store for 2025? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome three members of our production team: Leslie Mullen, our Executive Producer making her first on air appearance, Jon Barnes, our Editor, and Stacey Severn, our Social Media - Patreon Community Director, both familiar to

Space Lasers, Solar Panels and Stochastic Parrots with Leah Voytovich

Dec 22 2024 45 mins  
How far can following your passions take you in science? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome the multi-faceted Leah Voytovich, a software development engineer for Project Kuiper who planned on going to med school but instead ended up working on space lasers for Amazon’s satellite internet constellation.

A Double Dose of Physics with Dr. Betty Jensen and Dr. Mary Lou West

Dec 07 2024 39 mins  
What was it like forging a career in physics as a woman in the 1970s? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome the “Dynamic Duo of Physics” – physicist Dr. Betty Jensen and astrophysicist Dr. Mary Lou West.

Into the Unknown with Dr. Kelsey Johnson Part 2

Nov 23 2024 28 mins  
Why should people care about fundamental questions of existence or try to understand the principles of our universe? Because we may be the only sentient beings in existence who can! At least, that’s what returning guest Dr. Kelsey Johnson, past president of the AAS and the ASP, and author of “Into the Unknown – The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the Cosmos, tells Dr. Ch

Into the Unknown with Dr. Kelsey Johnson Part 1

Nov 09 2024 31 mins  
Why is star formation the workhorse of the universe? What is a flocculent galaxy? Which cosmic cataclysm creates new globular star clusters? And why are we currently seeing such amazing aurora in unusual places? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome Dr. Kelsey Johnson, past president of the AAS and the ASP, and author of “Into the Unknown – The Quest to Und

A HaLIUween Special

Oct 26 2024 41 mins  
Happy Halloween! In this special episode of The LIUniverse, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome back archaeology expert Hannah Liu, MEd to bring a scientific eye to the holiday and some of its most familiar denizens: witches, werewolves, zombies, black cats and even the Great Galactic Ghoul!