June 22, 2017 8:30 pm

Tomorrow’s Extended Classic is now overflowing with more Cosmic Queries about the Science of Love

For Valentines Day in 2016, Neil deGrasse Tyson sat down with biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher and comic co-host Chuck Nice to answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries on the biology and physiology of love. It’s a great episode, jam-packed with topics ranging from romantic love to animal love and everything in-between.

We’re revisiting that episode this week, and we’ve added a new segment of Cosmic Queries recorded during a recent Facebook Live session exploring the International Transgender Day of Visibility. To answer these new questions asked by our fans, Neil and Chuck were joined by anthropologist and StarTalk All-Stars host Natalia Reagan.

Ben Ratner's photo of Neil deGrasse Tyson, Natalia Reagan, and Chuck Nice in the StarTalk Radio studio.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Natalia Reagan, and Chuck Nice in the StarTalk Radio studio. Credit: Ben Ratner.

Join us as we explore some of the history behind the International Transgender Day of Visibility, including how modern social media has helped it gain momentum even though it’s been an annual occurrence for eight years.

You’ll also hear about gender-fluidity, the spectrum of sexuality, and what we learn from studying other primates’ sexual preferences. There’s also a good amount of discussion on the brain’s role in shaping a person’s gender and sexuality. With all that we know about the brain, there’s still so much mystery!

I enjoyed Natalia discussing the “spectrum” of sexuality. It almost seems strange now to look back at a time when gender was thought of as a binary choice.

Switching gears, I also thought it was interesting to hear about bonobos and how they use sex to diffuse tension. As Chuck says in the episode… they might be geniuses.

Wanna talk about love? Please join us tomorrow night for Extended Classic: Cosmic Queries – The Science of Love at 7pm EDT right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And if you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen

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