#683 - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Episode of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von · September 16, 2026 · 2 h 20 min

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joins Theo Von in New York to discuss his book Lost in Space, aliens, space debris, the billionaire space race and human tribalism.

Summary

Neil deGrasse Tyson returned to This Past Weekend, recorded in New York City, to promote his National Geographic and StarTalk book "Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe." He illustrated its "StarTalkified" approach to facts, argued that the human brain is more complex than the universe itself, and discussed the multiverse. Drawing on evolutionary biology, Tyson argued that survival urges such as attraction to providers and tribal loyalty have been hijacked by celebrity culture, advertisers and social media, and expressed pessimism that tribalism combined with powerful weapons would end well.

The pair discussed SpaceX's planned Starbase launch site in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, which Tyson compared to Huntsville, Alabama's transformation under Wernher von Braun. Tyson dismissed suborbital billionaire space tourism as barely going anywhere, while defending celebrity flights like Katy Perry's as analogous to early aviation publicity. He described the challenges of human physiology in zero gravity, including vomiting, sex and fluid shifts, and lamented that NASA has not built rotating stations for artificial gravity. Other topics included molecular chirality, Olestra, the role of vaccines, antibiotics and sanitation in doubling life expectancy, Columbus's use of a lunar eclipse, the Kelly twins, and chimerism.

Tyson warned about orbital debris and the Kessler effect, noted SpaceX's dominance of satellites, and critiqued the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the Artemis Accords, which he said leave room for commercial resource extraction. On aliens, Tyson said he had wanted to be abducted since age ten out of curiosity, discussed the Betty and Barney Hill case and argued UFO sightings are largely an English-speaking phenomenon; he also promoted his book "Take Me to Your Leader." Von speculated that aliens are future humans and that a final war would pit Black people against aliens.

Closing, Tyson predicted genetic engineering would make human traits "boutique-y," praised abnormality as the source of civilizational advances, and read from Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot," while both men expressed hope that people could treat one another better.

Chapters

0:00
Introduction and the Bronx
Von introduces Tyson in New York and they reminisce about summers in the Bronx and open fire hydrants.
2:31
Lost in Space and the complexity of the brain
Tyson describes his new 5,000-fact book and argues the brain is more complex than the universe, raising the multiverse.
8:49
Evolution, tribalism and manipulation
Tyson explains evolutionary roots of behavior and argues celebrity, advertisers and social media exploit primal tribal urges.
20:23
Meeting aliens
Tyson offers first-contact advice and argues the evil alien trope mirrors human behavior, while Von suggests aliens are future humans.
28:13
Starbase Louisiana and the billionaire space race
They discuss SpaceX's planned Louisiana launch site, suborbital tourism, the Kármán line and celebrity spaceflights.
36:58
The human body in zero gravity
Tyson explains sex, vomiting and smell in space and the chemistry of molecular configuration and Olestra.
48:37
Chemistry, medicine and life expectancy
Tyson credits vaccines, antibiotics and sanitation with doubling lifespans and recounts Columbus using a lunar eclipse to trick locals.
1:07:48
Relativity, twins and chimeras
They cover space physiology, artificial gravity, time dilation, the Kelly twins, fingerprints and genetic chimeras.
1:15:08
Space debris and space law
Tyson explains orbital debris, the Kessler effect, the Outer Space Treaty, the Artemis Accords and Elon Musk's reusable rockets.
1:36:44
Halloween, geeks and tech creators
Tyson describes being a literal-minded kid and high school wrestler, and they discuss whether tech built by people on the spectrum lacks human sensitivity.
1:45:40
Abductions, UFO maps and alien science
Tyson discusses the Betty and Barney Hill case, UFO sighting maps, his book Take Me to Your Leader, wormholes and the periodic table.
2:08:40
The future of science and celebrating difference
Tyson predicts genetic engineering, praises abnormality and reads from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot before closing.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson argues the human brain is more complex than the universe itself.
“the universe inside your head is surely more complex than the universe itself”
Listen from 5:05 · Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson argues that growing weapon power combined with persistent tribal feelings will likely not end well for humanity.
“as our weapons, the power of our weapons grow and we still have tribal feelings, it's gonna, I don't think it'll end well”
Listen from 15:31 · Evolutionary psychology and tribalism
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson says what he values about America's 250 years is not uninterrupted democracy but the absence of a king.
“So I proudly say as an American, 250 years without a king”
Listen from 18:31
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson describes social media as an outrage engine that feeds tribal urges.
“And plus social media is an outrage engine. You go anywhere and it's like, hey, what are they doing? I hate that”
Listen from 18:57 · Evolutionary psychology and tribalism
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson argues the evil alien trope projects humanity's own history of conquest onto aliens.
“I think the evil alien concept is our own fears placed upon them in our storytelling. It's a mirror to how we know we would behave in that situation”
Listen from 22:00 · Extraterrestrial life
Linked moment · 22:58Skip to 22:58 using a listen link in the info box.
Theo Von
Von speculates that aliens are future humans whose bodies have changed through disuse and technology.
“And then I believe that we just become the alien. So all we're seeing, the aliens are just us”
Listen from 22:58 · Extraterrestrial life
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson predicts the SpaceX launch site would transform southern Louisiana's economy, as rocketry did for Huntsville.
“So that would completely change the economy of southern Louisiana”
Listen from 31:27 · SpaceX Starbase Louisiana
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson defends celebrity spaceflights by comparing them to early aviation, which first carried famous and rich passengers.
“When planes were invented, the first people to go were famous and rich people”
Listen from 35:16 · Space tourism
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson credits vaccines, antibiotics and sanitation with doubling human life expectancy within decades.
“there are three things, vaccines, antibiotics, and sanitation. Those three things doubled our life expectancy within decades”
Listen from 51:58 · Life expectancy
Theo Von
Von says the lack of accountability for the opioid epidemic contributed to public skepticism of science and medicine.
“whenever they had the opioid epidemic and those people didn't get held liable, that was like a big thing”
Listen from 53:16
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson says he is disappointed NASA has not built rotating stations for artificial gravity.
“So NASA still hasn't gone there, even though all of science fiction has. So I'm very disappointed”
Listen from 1:08:03 · Human physiology in spaceflight
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson states that SpaceX has launched about 80 percent of satellites orbiting Earth.
“80% of all satellites orbiting the Earth were launched by SpaceX”
Listen from 1:15:52 · Space debris and the Kessler syndrome
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson warns orbital debris will worsen toward the Kessler effect threshold.
“So usually you don't hit any of it, but if this gets worse, which it will, there's something called a Kessler effect”
Listen from 1:18:26 · Space debris and the Kessler syndrome
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson is skeptical that a treaty can produce peace in space when nations fail to achieve it on Earth.
“If you can go into space with all these countries and be peaceful and kind to one another, then go ahead and do that on Earth!”
Listen from 1:22:05 · Outer Space Treaty
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson notes that Russia, China, North Korea and Venezuela have not signed the Artemis Accords.
“You know who hasn't signed it? Russia, China, North Korea, and Venezuela”
Listen from 1:24:44 · Artemis Accords
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson credits Elon Musk with reducing the cost of access to space, chiefly by reusing rockets.
“What he has done through his efforts is reduce the cost of access to space”
Listen from 1:31:41 · SpaceX Starbase Louisiana
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson estimates, based on his colleagues, that one in five or six scientists is on the autism spectrum.
“I would say one in six, one in five is on the spectrum in some way”
Listen from 1:40:59
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson argues UFO sighting reports are concentrated in English-speaking countries, making it largely an American phenomenon.
“I'm just saying this UFO thing is such an American phenomenon”
Listen from 1:53:30 · Extraterrestrial life
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson predicts genetic engineering will make human traits customizable, which he hopes does not happen.
“who we are and what we look like might become boutique-y”
Listen from 2:09:08 · Human genetic engineering
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson argues that civilizational advances come from people who are not normal.
“every interesting thing that's ever happened in civilization was created or imagined or assembled by people who are not normal”
Listen from 2:09:40

People

In the conversation

Theo VonAmerican stand-up comedian and host of the podcast This Past Weekend
Neil deGrasse TysonAmerican astrophysicist cited by Colbert as an ideal talk-show guest

Discussed

Elon MuskEntrepreneur behind X, xAI and SpaceX, discussed in AI competition
Jeff BezosFounder of Amazon
Richard BransonVirgin Galactic founder cited in the billionaire space race
Katy PerryAmerican pop singer
Wernher von BraunGerman-American rocket engineer whose work transformed Huntsville, Alabama
Felix BaumgartnerAustrian skydiver known for the Red Bull stratospheric jump
Christopher ColumbusGenoese navigator whose voyages opened Spanish colonization of the Americas
Scott KellyAmerican astronaut announced as a future Morbid guest
Mark KellyArizona senator cited as affected by gun violence
Betty and Barney HillAmerican couple who claimed a 1961 alien abduction
James Earl JonesActor who played Barney Hill in The UFO Incident
Carl SaganAstronomer whose Pale Blue Dot passage Tyson read
Duncan TrussellAmerican stand-up comedian, voice actor and host of The Duncan Trussell Family Hour
Marie CuriePolish-French physicist and chemist who co-discovered radium

Topics

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From the publisher

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author and host. His latest book “Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts For Navigating the Universe” is out now. Neil returns to talk about where he’d travel to in a wormhole, his thoughts on the billionaire space race, and what he’s asking aliens if they visit Earth. Neil deGrasse Tyson: https://www.instagram.com/neildegrassetyson/ ------------------------------------------------- Tour Dates! https://theovon.com/tour New Merch: https://www.theovonstore.com ------------------------------------------------- Sponsored By: Celsius: Go to the Celsius Amazon store to check out all of their flavors. #CELSIUSBrandPartner @CelsiusOfficial https://amzn.to/3HbAtPJ Prize Picks: Go to ⁠https://link.prizepicks.com/LME0/TPW⁠ and use code: TPW Mountain Dew: Look for Mountain Dew in stores near you at http://mountaindew.com. Manscaped: Thanks to MANSCAPED® for sponsoring today’s episode! Get The Lawn Mower® Ultra Gen 6 for 15% OFF + Free Shipping with code THEO at http://Manscaped.com! Blue Chew: Discover your options at http://BlueChew.com! Buy two months and get the third for FREE with promo code THEO. Chime: Join the millions who are already banking for free and sign up now at http://Chime.com/THEO Perplexity AI: Ask anything at https://pplx.ai/theo ------------------------------------------------- Music: “Shine” by Bishop Gunn Bishop Gunn - Shine ------------------------------------------------ Submit your funny videos, TikToks, questions and topics you'd like to hear on the podcast to: tpwproducer@gmail.com Hit the Hotline: 985-664-9503 Video Hotline for Theo Upload here: https://www.theovon.com/fan-upload Mail stuff to: ATTN: TPW PO BOX 40137 Nashville TN 37204 ------------------------------------------------ Find Theo: Website: https://theovon.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/theovon Facebook: https://facebook.com/theovon Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thispastweekend X: https://twitter.com/theovon YouTube: https://youtube…

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 10, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Astronomy·Comedy Interviews·Science