Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast.
0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions:
- Hexclad Cookware: https://hexclad.com/lex and use code LEX to get 10% off
- Numerai: https://numer.ai/lex
- House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
1:02 - First elements
8:11 - Milky Way
11:47 - Alien worlds
14:52 - Protogalaxies
20:05 - Black holes
25:03 - Stellar archeology
34:18 - Oldest stars
42:08 - Metal-poor stars
57:41 - Neutron capture
1:02:37 - Neutron stars
1:08:06 - Dwarf galaxies
1:12:46 - Star observation
1:41:03 - James Webb Space Telescope
1:46:53 - Future of space observation
1:50:02 - Age of the universe
2:03:10 - Most beautiful idea in astronomy
2:06:59 - Advice for young people
2:15:53 - Meaning of life

That feeling when works getting you down and suddenly a Lex podcast on the universe pops up.

Anna is the quintessential example of a brain that is extraordinarily curious, loves to be intellectually stimulated and takes great joy and satisfaction in exploring ideas, data collection and analysis. Her enthusiasm in her field of study is contagious. I am convinced she gets high ratings as a teacher.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the accent every time she says the word "milky" when referring to our galaxy.

Lex, I'll give you credit for finding the most interesting people with the mostly positive viewpoints of the world. This was one of the more inspiring podcasts I've listened to, all the way through to the end.

The vibe of this guest is contagious,I love how she’s not getting herself so seriously being a very passionate scientist and she’s kinda admitting that anyway  it’s not understandable how all this is working together ❤

Since I was a kid, I and my brother used to lie down on the ban outside the house and just observe the distant worlds and stars for hours. I just loved astronomy since then.

I didn't know that very heavy elements were not created by supernovae but rather by neutron capture / r-process. I love it that every day there's some new thing I thought I understood but didn't.

You carry a torch for humanity.
It’s one of those episodes, which reminds about the most wonderful aspects of being a human. Lex, you light up the humanity in the most meaningful ways. Really enjoyed this and the environmentalists’ episodes lately. Pure light.

She is amazing at describing scientific concepts and techniques in a popularized form but without dumbing it down! ❤

She laughs after virtually every statement she makes - she clearly loves her craft

Anna is fascinating to listen too because you can hear the sincerity in her love of this field of study.

I have to admit that I fell in love a little bit with this incredibly brilliant, articulate and charming person.  So very enjoyable to experience her enthusiasm for her research and her students.

Lex, you gotta get Anna back on. She's a wonderful soul. Both of you flow so well together.

Nothing like listening to this at 1a.m. after a hard days work. Laying back on a lounge chair in my backyard. It just so happens to be an almost perfectly clear night, here in southeast Michigan. Also the temp is in the mid 50's which is quite fine with me.


I always had a fascination with space. I have been blessed to be born into middle class where we were able to take a family trip to Hawaii when i was a teenager. We did a star Gazing Tour up top of a huge mountain. It was a good decade ago so I don't remember the name of it, but we were driving up through the clouds & sh*t.


The view up there was truly awe-inspiring. Looking through a top of the line telescope (10+ years ago) was even more amazing. I just really wish I had more time.

They were showing us some particular planet & on my very first turn I seen something white quickly shoot across the sky. I was like "whoa, what was that?" I originally just assumed it was a common occurrence, but the tour guide got all excited saying it had to have been a shooting star (something he's never seen once himself, despite giving tours  for the better part of his life.)

Very inspiring! "Discovering things is our human nature..." Some look at the sky and see only clouds, others find every dot and spark fascinating. However, it's a comfort to know that we're all staring at the same stars, visible or not, from the same earth. No doubt that we're all one. It appears that all deep thinkers and scientists are pointing to the similar finding - everything is connected or interconnected. I love this episode a lot. Thank you both so much for your inspiration.

Watching her light up and laugh and smile while talking about these topics is really great to see. Such a fascinating topic!  I’ve been obsessed with astronomy for years, so this was right up my alley!

The energy that Anna radiates through her discussion is awesome. She is also sincere unpretentious and a wonderful human being and scientist. Thank you Anna. And thank you Lex for bringing out the best in her.

I feel like you found your soul mate . One your best guests for sure , love learning with you brother 👌🏽

After watching this I'm convinced we're in humanity's finest hour. 🙏