Interested in space talk? Well, yes me too. Luckily, Joe Rogan has brought some incredible guests onto the JRE podcast to talk about space, aliens, the universe, black holes, simulation theory, the big bang theory, and more.
In this article, I have highlighted the best episodes/guests so you can easily find them on Spotify (simple search), or YouTube. These guests are extremely brilliant and come from a variety of science backgrounds, including astrophysics, engineering, astrology, theoretical physics, artificial intelligence, and rocket science.
Although Rogan’s podcast covers a broad range of topics, it is the nerdy space discussions that are the most fascinating. These episodes will blow your mind. Hope you enjoy.
10) Duncan Trussell – JRE #1313
Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian and the only person on this list not have a deep background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). However, Trussell and Rogan have been in some epic conversations on the JRE podcast talking about the universe and consciousness. These discussions are both humorous and deep, so much so that they belong at #10 on this list.
Trussell is a JRE recurring guest, good friend of Rogan, and has been on the podcast over 30 times.
One of the most famous conversations they had is available to watch on YouTube, titled What If The Universe Is Conscious? Part of the reason this episode went viral is because of the costumes that Rogan and Trussell were wearing.
Also see: The Top 15 Athletes to Appear on the Joe Rogan Experience
9) Elon Musk – JRE #1169
In the context of space talk, Musk’s first guest appearance on JRE was by far the best one. Although, much of this episode talked about Tesla’s innovations with electric cars, Musk and Rogan did talk quite a bit about rocket science and SpaceX’s breakthroughs.
Another topic of discussion, and perhaps the most interesting, was Musk’s comments about simulation theory. When talking about technology and whether we are living in a simulation, Musk commented:
“The argument for the simulation is quite strong…if you assume any rate of improvement at all, then games will be indistinguishable from reality…therefore we are most likely in a simulation.”
-Elon Musk #1169
In another episode, #1609 w/ Elon Musk, he talked about the plausibility of colonizing the galaxy around us (Milky Way). The purpose behind getting humans to become a multi-planetary species is to create a Plan B, in case something were to go wrong with planet Earth.
Elon Musk’s New Biography on Amazon: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
8) Roger Penrose – JRE #1216
Penrose is a highly decorated scientist, mathematician, and physicist. He worked closely with Stephen Hawking to create the Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems, which won the 1988 Wolf Prize in Physics. In 2020, Penrose was awarded one-half a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on black holes.
Penrose’s guest appearance on JRE went deep on black holes, multi-verses, alien life, and the big bang theory. One video with over 1 million views, was Penrose’s discussion with Rogan about mathematically trying to measure consciousness (YouTube).
Although episode #1216 has it all and is a must-watch for space talk, the only reason Penrose is not ranked higher on this list is because he was nearly 90 years old when he appeared on Rogan’s podcast.
Penrose’s Best Book on Amazon: The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
7) Garrett Reisman – JRE #1425
Reisman is a former NASA astronaut, engineer, and crew member at the International Space Station. He is one of the most famous astronauts alive and was once the featured guest on The Colbert Report.
Episode #1425 is a fascinating one with Reisman talking about space being our destiny, “space junk”, and micrometeorites. He talked about his experience spending 2 weeks in the bottom of the ocean exploring sea life and he spent much of this episode answering Rogan’s questions, leaving him fascinated.
Post NASA career, Reisman was hired by Elon Musk to work at SpaceX and quickly worked his way up to director of crew operations, but now just works as a consultant for them.
6) Lawrence Krauss – JRE #938
Krauss, a former Yale professor, is a theoretical-physicist and cosmologist who appeared on Rogan’s podcast in episode #938.
Krauss, an atheist, has spent some of his work trying to remove the barriers that religion presents to science. He thinks that religion in particular has made a methodical approach to limit science and our understanding of the universe.
Perhaps, I have never seen someone blow Rogan’s mind the way that Krauss did when talking about the universe. Listen to it here in what Rogan called the “mindblower of mindblowers.” (YouTube)
Krauss wrote a book that Rogan read and recommended while doing podcast #1003 with Sean Carroll:
Krauss’s book on Amazon: The Greatest Story Ever Told – So Far: Why Are We Here?
Also see: The 25 Smartest Guests on Joe Rogan’s Podcast
5) Avi Loeb – JRE #1596
Loeb got a lot of publicity for suggesting that the ‘Oumuamua was of alien origin. If you don’t know what that is, the ‘Oumuamua was a strange rod-shaped object that bypassed our solar system a few years ago. Many astronomers first believed it to be a comet or rock, but Loeb made some interesting, factual counter-arguments, like he explained to Rogan on JRE #1596.
One of the things so fascinating about ‘Oumuamua, as Loeb noted, is that it the first interstellar object that humans have discovered, meaning that it came from another solar system/sun.
Nevertheless, Loeb is quite distinguished and knows what he is talking about. He is a professor at Harvard University and is a theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and cosmologist.
Avi Loeb’s new book on Amazon: Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
4) Brian Greene – JRE #1428
Greene graduated from Harvard and, at the age of 27, became a professor of quantum physics, relativity, and thermal dynamics. A quick thinker, he knows his stuff when it comes to space, and it is beautiful to watch Greene explain these subjects to Rogan.
On episode #1428, Greene discussed with Rogan these subjects:
- What happened before the Big Bang (YouTube)
- Consciousness and psychedelics
- His theory why aliens have not visited us (YouTube)
- His take on religion and science
- How everything in the universe will die someday
He said that human life is so young on the cosmic time scale and that it is very plausible that other aliens don’t find us very interesting.
Greene’s best-selling book on Amazon: Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
3) Neil deGrasse Tyson – JRE #1159
The people’s astrophysicist, Tyson serves not only as one of the top scientists in the world, but also the voice of the cosmos. One of Tyson’s idols was the legendary astrophysicist Carl Sagan, and he took after him by hosting the TV Show Cosmos, taking audiences on a journey through understanding the universe.
“I’m delighted to be a servant of that curiosity.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson on helping people understand the cosmos (JRE #1159)
For space talk, Tyson’s best two guest appearances on JRE are #1159 and #919, where he talked about aliens, black holes, and the dangers of asteroids. In episode #1658 he talks about his skepticisms with all the new UFO citings, and in #1904 he talks about the breakthroughs of the Webb telescope and the Big Bang theory.
One of Tyson’s rare qualities is his ability to communicate in a way that ordinary people can understand. He breaks complex subjects down, so that normal IQ people like myself can say, “oh I get it now.”
In fact, he wrote a fantastic book that I read called Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. It makes a wonderful toilet read that you can consume in small chunks at a time.
Tyson’s book on Amazon: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
2) Sean Carroll – JRE #1003
Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist and professor, who specializes in quantum mechanics and cosmology. He graduated with a PhD from Harvard University and did post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Carroll has been on the JRE podcast multiple times (#1003, #1151, #1352), and are all fantastic episodes. I found his first appearance to be the most mind-blowing, and contained a little bit of everything in terms of space talk.
Subjects Carroll talked about on JRE:
- Parallel Universes
- Problems with the singularity theory
- Quantum mechanics/computing
- Alien Life
- Potential of asteroid hitting Earth
- Uploading consciousness to a computer
In fact, in episode #1003, Rogan’s mind was blown so bad that he was more confused than when they started. Carroll replied, “by not understanding you actually know more.”
Carroll’s book on Amazon: Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
1) Brian Cox – JRE #1233
In my opinion, Brian Cox’s appearance on JRE is still the most interesting episode of all time. It basically covers everything in the astrophysics world (aliens, black holes, big bang, simulation theory, etc.). And Cox is superb at breaking ideas and theories down in an easily understandable way.
Cox is a distinguished physicist who works on the Atlas project (the particle accelerator/collider experiment in Switzerland). The Wonders of The Universe documentary was hosted by Brian Cox, and he is considered a natural successor to David Attenborough for BBC’s scientific programming.
He also carries two extremely high accolades, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS).
Subjects Cox talks about on JRE #1233:
- Dark Energy and dark matter
- Wormholes and time machines
- Aliens
- Black Holes
- The Big Bang
- Simulation Theory
- God and Infinity
Cox wrote a book called The Planets, described as a groundbreaking exploration of our Solar System as it has never been seen before.
Cox’s book on Amazon: The Planets
Honorable Mention:
- #2008 Stephen C. Meyer (Webb telescope, Big Bang theory)
- #1945 Eric Weinstein (long distance space travel, the universe)
- #1609 Elon Musk (colonizing mars and the galaxy)
- #1658 Neil deGrasse Tyson (skepticism on UFOs)
- #1904 Neil deGrasse Tyson (Big Bang, Webb telescope)
*****
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