Isaac Arthur

The Big Bang is the reigning explanation for our universe’s origin—but what if it’s wrong? This episode dives into cosmic controversies and the theories that challenge everything we thought we knew.



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Credits:

What If the Big Bang Never Happened?

Episode 730.1; July 6, 2025

Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images

Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator





What If the Big Bang Never Happened?

This episode explores how spaceports will evolve in design, technology, and purpose—shifting from fuel-thirsty towers to seamless transport hubs for Earth, Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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Credits:
Spaceport Innovations - Designing the Next Generation of Launch Sites
July 10, 2025; Episode 731
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Anthrofuturism
Atlantis Project
Jarred Eagley
Katie Byrne
Fishy Tree
Phil Swan
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Billions and Billions"

Spaceport Innovations: Designing the Next Generation of Launch Sites

Join us as we journey beyond the birth of the universe to unravel the mysteries of what might have preceded the Big Bang—and whether time itself had a beginning.

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Credits:
Before the Big Bang - What Came Before Time?
Episode 738; July 20, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
0:00 Intro Asking the Impossible
2:08 The Limits of Time and Spacetime
7:45 Beyond the Big Bang: Alternate Beginnings
14:38 Other Realities: Higher Dimensions and Shadow Universes
18:28 Emergent Time
22:38 Bubble Collisions and Multiverse Scars
24:44 Conclusion: What Came Before Time?

Before the Big Bang - What Came Before Time? (Narration Only)

From carbon nanotubes to multi-layered graphene, we explore the revolutionary materials that could turn space elevators from sci-fi dreams into real-world infrastructure. Discover how these supermaterials might let us weave ribbons to the stars.

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Credits:
Materials For Space Elevators - From Carbon Nanotubes To Graphene And Beyond...
Episode 741; July 24, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Edited by:
Adrian Nixon
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Chris Zabriskie, "Unfoldment, Revealment", "A New Day in a New Sector"
Aerium, "Deijocht"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Billions and Billions"

Materials For Space Elevators - From Carbon Nanotubes To Graphene And Beyond... (Narration Only)

From metal scrolls buried under alien skies to frozen vaults holding minds or monarchs for millennia, we examine how advanced civilizations might safeguard their legacy against the slow grinding of eternity.

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Credits:
Vaults of Eternity - Planetary Archives & Stasis Fields - Extended Edition
Episode 741; July 27, 2025
Written, Narrated & Produced by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Jeremy Jozwik
Sergio Botero
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

Vaults of Eternity - Planetary Archives & Stasis (Narration Only)

Aliens don’t always attack with lasers—sometimes, the smartest invasions begin with a gift, a whisper, or a smile. Join us as we count down ten invasion strategies that actually make sense.

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Credits:
The 10 Best Alien Invasion Strategies
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

0:00 Intro
1:20 10. The Infiltration Gambit: Invasion Without a War
3:58 9. False Prophets – The Alien Messiah Strategy
5:55 8. Weaponized Belief – Memes, Myths, and Messiahs
7:53 7. The Hybrid Convert Strategy
8:59 6. Shock and Awe: The Killing Star Approach
12:39 5. Divide and Conquer: Turning Humanity Into Its Own Worst Enemy
14:10 4. Trojan Tech: When the Upgrade Is the Invasion
17:40 3. Overwhelming Force and Organization
18:52 2. Preemptive Invasion & Interdiction for Conformity – The Galactic Empire Problem
20:32 Beyond Scorched Earth

The 10 Best Alien Invasion Strategies (Narration Only)

Explore the entire life story of the cosmos, from quantum flickers at the Big Bang to the distant eras of black holes and dark energy, and discover what kinds of civilizations might endure across these unimaginable spans of time.

Watch my exclusive video Mass Drivers on the Moon: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-mass-drivers-on-the-moon-enabling-a-lunar-economy
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Credits:
Spaceport Innovations - Designing the Next Generation of Launch Sites
July 31, 2025; Episode 744
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Epochs of the Universe - The Cosmic Clock & Civilization (July 31, 2025)
Recorded: June 2025
Written by: Isaac Arthur
Editor: Lukas Konecny
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

Epochs of the Universe - The Cosmic Clock & Civilization (Narration Only)

Epochs of the Universe - The Cosmic Clock & Civilization

Imagine engineering projects so vast they mold galaxies into new shapes. We’ll explore the staggering feats of Kardashev-3 and beyond civilizations, crafting CARD galaxies, Birch Planets, and even rearranging superclusters.

Watch my exclusive video Dark Biospheres: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-dark-biospheres-life-on-worlds-without-sunlight
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Credits:
Spaceport Innovations - Designing the Next Generation of Launch Sites
August 3, 2025; Episode 746
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Galaxy-Scale Megastructures & Kardashev-3 Civilizations
Written by: Isaac Arthur
Editor: Darius Said 
Graphics: Jeremy Jozwik, Ken York, Sergio Botero, Steve Bowers
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Stellardrone, "Endeavour", "Red Giant", &"Billions and Billions"

Galaxy-Scale Megastructures & Kardashev-3 Civilizations (Narration Only)

Rogue planets wander the cosmos without stars, but could we still call them home? This episode dives into how humanity might transform these frozen giants into thriving outposts of civilization.

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Credits:
Colonizing Rogue Planets
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

Colonizing Rogue Planets (Narration Only)

The Orbital Ring is a type of launch-assist system that goes beyond moving small ships and crews into space and allows cheap movement of bulk cargo up to space, into orbit, and beyond.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/LMbI6sk-62E

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Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Jarred Eagley
Katie Byrne
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Orbital Rings (Narration Only)

Use my link http://www.audible.com/isaac and get a free audio book with a 30 day trial!

In the previous episode we saw how civilizations might not simply survive after all the stars in the Universe had died, but might indeed  thrive far better during the Black Hole Era of the Universe. Today, we will go beyond even the Dark Era to examine the concepts or Iron Star Civilizations, Boltzmann Brains, Reversible Computing, and even reversing Entropy itself.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/Pld8wTa16Jk

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Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Katie Byrne
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Civilizations at the End of Time: Iron Stars (Narration Only)

We begin the new Outward Bound series by discussing the Colonization of Mars, and survey all the colonizing and terraforming options from the early settlement days to the far future and a Green Mars. 

We will also look at alternatives to terraforming which might make more sense for Mars, like bioforming the people to the environment, rather than terraforming it to our environment.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/kmFOBoy2MZ8

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Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Katie Byrne
Kris Holland of Mafic Stufios: www.maficstudios.com
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Mark Warburton
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Colonizing Mars (Narration Only)

It is often thought that if we cure aging or find out how to upload a human mind that humans will be immortal. Today we will examine that notion and see how well it holds up against astronomical timelines.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/6icg0tu_5z4

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Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Katie Byrne
Kris Holland of Mafic Stufios: www.maficstudios.com
Misho Yordanov
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero: https://www.artstation.com/sboterod?fref=gc
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Mark Warburton
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Digital Death (Narration Only)

A look at the concept of Self-Replicating Machines, Universal Assemblers, von Neumann Probes, Grey Goo, and Berserkers. While we will discuss the basic concept and some on-Earth applications like Medical Nanotechnology our focus will be on space exploration and colonization aspects.

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Self - Replicating Machine (Narration Only)

A discussion of various theories for the End of the Universe.
How the Universe began and why is a question that's obsessed humanity for at least as long as civilization has existed, at the same time, how it will end has equally fascinated us. Today we are joined by Astrophysicist Paul Sutter for a two-part episode looking at the science and history of how the Universe came to be and may end. 

Watch the video version, part 1: https://youtu.be/rpA-Bd0d6kw
Watch part 2 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTb0V1BGNw

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Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/the-compendium-of-doom
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jeremy Jozwik
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Jeremy Jozwik
Katie Byrne
Kris Holland/Mafic Studios: http://www.maficstudios.com
Luuk Warringa
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Nick Talmers Nieuwoudt
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Keith Blockus
Luca de Rosa
Mark Warburton
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

The Compendium Of Doom (Narration Only)

Isaac Arthur

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