A new industrial revolution is coming—not on Earth, but above it. This episode delves into how orbital shipyards will produce everything from shuttles to megastructures, changing how we explore and inhabit space.

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Credits:
Orbital Shipyards: Building Fleets in Space
Episode 722; June 5, 2025; Nebula Exclusive
Written, Produced, & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics: 
Anthrofuturism
Bryan Versteeg
Fishy Tree
Jeremy Jozwik
Melanovis
Sergio Botero
SpaceResourcesCGI
Udo Schroeter
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Phase Shift, "Forest Night"
Kai Engel, "Endless Story of Sun and Moon"
Chris Zabriskie, "Unfoldment, Revealment", "A New Day in a New Sector", "Oxygen Garden"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Billions and Billions"

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:15 Why Build in Orbit?
1:29 The Gravity Well Problem
3:22 Material Sourcing – The Importance of ISRU
5:44 Early Orbital Shipyards – Existing & Near-Future Projects
6:37 Lessons from Space Stations & Prototypes
8:22 Port George & Linus Scrapyard – Revisiting Fictional Shipyards
13:08 Infrastructure & Logistics of Orbital Shipyards
23:39 Constructing Different Types of Ships
31:58 Challenges of Large-Scale Shipbuilding
34:10 Maintenance, Repairs, and Refits – Sustaining a Spacefaring Fleet
39:25 Salvage and Recycling
40:37 The Future of Orbital Shipyards – Expanding Beyond Earth
43:03 The Rise of Megastructure Shipyards
44:29 Privatization and the Spacefaring Economy
46:12 Shipyards as Strategic Military and Political Assets
47:54 The Role of AI, Automation, and Post-Human Workforces

Orbital Shipyards - Building Fleets in Space (Narration Only)

The Fermi Paradox asks why, in a vast and ancient universe, we see no signs of alien life. In this episode, we explore five explanations that make sense—and seven popular ones that, despite sounding good, fall flat under closer scrutiny.

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Credits:
5 Fermi Paradox Explanations I Love, 7 That Fall Flat
Episode 502 / 721; May 31, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics: Ken York YD Visual
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

0:00 Intro
1:11 Space Is Too Big
4:46 Rare Earth
6:35 Aliens Signals Just Can’t Be Heard
10:09 Humans Are Boring
11:36 Dark Forest Theory
14:14 Interdiction Bubble Civilizations
16:49 Hermit Hypothesis
19:18 Aestivation Hypothesis and Extragalactic Migration
21:10 Transcendance, Ascension, and Extra-Universe Migration
22:33 Infinite Miniaturization
23:33 Berserkers & Zombie AI
24:53 Aliens Common But Unrecognizable 
26:08 Simulation Hypothesis


5 Fermi Paradox Explanations I Love… and 7 That Fall Flat (Narration Only)

Are we alone in the universe—or just early to the party? We’ll explore the math, models, and megastructures that might answer how many alien civilizations are out there, and why the night sky remains so quiet.

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Credits:

How Many Alien Civilizations Are There?

Episode 723; June 8, 2025 

Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur

Editor: Ludwig Luska

Graphics: Ken York YD Visual

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images

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

Phase Shift, "Forest Night"

 Chris Zabriskie, "Unfoldment, Revealment" & "A New Day in a New Sector" 

Koalips, "Kvazar"

 Stellardrone, "Red Giant" & "Billions and Billions"

How Many Alien Civilizations Are There? (Narration Only)

How Many Alien Civilizations Are There?

Interstellar travel may one day take us to the stars, but surviving the journey could be the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. In this episode, we explore the physical, psychological, and societal trials of a voyage that could span centuries—or forever.

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Credits:
Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive The Long Journey?
Episode 724; June 12, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Bryan Versteeg
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik
Melanvois
Udo Schroeter
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", "Oxygen Garden", "Wonder Cycle"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Billions and Billions"

Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive the Long Journey? (Narration Only)

Could we sculpt dead planets into living worlds? From artificial crusts and orbital mirrors to taming tectonics and engineering biospheres, this is your definitive guide to turning alien rocks into second Earths.

Watch my exclusive video Fishbowl Starships - Water As Shielding - https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-fishbowl-starships-water-as-shielding
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Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isaacarthur
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Credits:
Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive The Long Journey?
Episode 725; June 15, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik
Ken York YD Visual
Mafic Studios
Sergio Botero
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", "Oxygen Garden", "Wonder Cycle"
Kai Engel, "Endless Story About Sun and Moon"
Taras Harkavyi, "Alpha and..."
Dark Future, "Staring Through" pt1
Miguel Johnson. "The Commanders", "Far From Home"
Lombus, "Hydrogen Sonata", "Cosmic Soup"
Aerium, "Deijocht"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Solar Eclipse", "Billions and Billions"

The Terraforming Compendium - From Barren Rocks to Living Worlds

The Terraforming Compendium - From Barren Rocks to Living Worlds (Narration Only)

Explore the real economics of building and operating a space elevator—from ship-launched ribbons to megaton climbers—and how this infrastructure could change the world.

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Use the link gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $30.

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Credits:
Space Elevator Economics: Building And Operating A Superhighway To Space 
Episode 726; June 19, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Edited by:
Adrian Nixon
Ludwig Luska
Peter Swan
Graphics:
Anthrofuturism
Atlantis Project
Katie Byrne
Phil Swan
Sergio Botero
Udo Schroeter
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"
Lombus, "Hydrogen Sonata", "Cosmic Soup"

Space Elevator Economics - Building And Operating A Superhighway To Space (Narration Only)

From quantum tunneling to cosmic inflation, we journey through the theories behind the Big Bang and beyond — and ask the big question: could another Big Bang be in our cosmic future?

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Credits:
Could We See a Second Big Bang?
Episode 724.1; June 10, 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
1:59 Why Did the Big Bang Happen?
3:01 Quantum Fluctuations
5:20 Inflation and False Vacuum Decay
7:56 Cyclic Models and the Ekpyrotic Universe
9:43 Big Bounce Cosmology 
12:35 Tunneling from Nothing 
14:04 Beginnings, Endings, and Echoes

Could We See a Second Big Bang?

Everyone talks about terraforming Mars, but Venus might be the real prize. Discover the surprising ways we could cool, reshape, and colonize this hostile world.

Any comments, corrections, or thoughts on the video? email Isaac.Arthur.Utube@gmail.com
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Credits:
How Hard Would It Be to Terraform Venus?
June 17, 2025; Episode 725.1
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Ken York
Mafic Studios
Sergio Botero
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

How Hard WouldIt Be to Terraform Venus?

From Martians undone by germs to predators who insist on sporting duels, we explore the most ridiculous alien invasion tactics in fiction, and what they reveal about strategy, science, and human resilience.

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:
The 10 Worst Alien Invasion Strategies
Episode 733; July 1, 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
0:48 10. The “Park and Wait” Strategy
2:02 9. Invading a Planet That Can Kill You
3:46 8. Single Point of Failure: The Hive or Control Ship
5:22 7. Telegraphing Your Arrival
6:50 6. Overly Convoluted Takeovers
8:30 5. Broadcasting Your Weakness
9:55 4. Playing Fair & Ritual Combat
11:54 3. Overconfidence & Underestimating the Locals
13:07 2. Hive Minds That Collapse Instantly
15:03 1. Ignoring the Home Field Advantage
16:06 Outro

The Terraforming Compendium - From Barren Rocks to Living Worlds (Narration Only)

Isaac Arthur

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