Go to https://ground.news/startalk to stay fully informed on the latest Space and Science news. Save 40% off through our link for unlimited access to the Vantage plan this month. Could spacetime curve in the opposite direction and produce a repulsive field instead of gravity? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice tackle fan questions about photons, heat death, gravitational waves, neutron stars and more with astrophysicist Michelle Thaller. The episode opens with an urgent conversation about NASA funding cuts and the exodus of top scientists and engineers leaving for overseas programs. We get into fan questions: what actually happens to a photon when it's absorbed and reemitted? Does it restart its journey through spacetime with a new identity? What is the heat death of the universe, and will matter eventually run out? Why does temperature increase as you move away from the sun's surface? We answer these and also get into what the Parker Solar Probe is teaching us about the sun. We explore gravitation and whether it can be inverted. Michelle uses the question to walk through how LIGO detected gravitational waves from two black holes colliding 1.4 billion light years away, capturing the most energetic event in the universe. We explore neutron stars, fast radio bursts, and the first generation of stars the James Webb Space Telescope is hunting for. Learn how the mysterious "little red dots" may rewrite our understanding of how the earliest stars formed. Michelle closes with a message for young girls considering science: you don't need a special kind of genius, you just need to be unable to get it out of your head. Keep Looking Up! Thanks to our Patrons Richard Asante, Zan Barrage, Nekoda, Charles O'Neal, Fred FredericM, Douglas Torrance, Barbara Ziola, Nightangelj91, Leslie Woodward, Bryan Jones, Lori Tchen, Walter Lockhart, Paul Walker, Brian Kemp, ismael valdés, Pasquale Perrotta, Xavier LaVigne, nova 🧚🏼‍♀️, Everett Corniel, Ron Herman, Ox, Emile Rougeau, Tony Scaringi, Ceedubya, Michael Bohonek, RS, Jeong Lee, YourCousinRicky, Jesse Wassner, Brett, Agustin Cabanas, James Pack, Dave Baxter, Clarence wirley, Sketchy McDoodles, Chris W, clayton clarkson, David Furth, charles price, Robbie Wells, Gilbert Garcia, Pitbull6098, Ashtyn2022, Kate eftink, Charles Sterner, Liz Dub, Rin Dragon, Liviu N. Spiroiu, Elle Belle, John DiNonno, Researcher Siks, Socal, James Adamson, B Mikhail, Dom Tedeschi, Estella Linthicum, Zionic God, Aye Koe, and Robert Galan for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Michelle Thaller 02:30 - NASA Science Cuts 07:50 - The American Brain Drain 15:16 - Is an Absorbed and Reemmited Photon the Same One That Went In? 24:47 - Will the Universe Run Out of Matter? 29:55 - Why Does it Get Hotter Off of the Surface of the Sun? 34:15 - What Exactly LIGO Detected 42:10 - Could Intersecting Waves Create a Repulsive Field? 46:06 - What's Up with Low Energy Frequencies Around Neutron Stars? 52:13 - What Unlikely Possibilities Do You Hope Are True? 56:32 - Advice for Budding Scientists Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the latest StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson