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Houston Matters

Cosmic Collisions: Neil deGrasse Tyson Says None Of Us Would Be Here Without Them

Ahead of his Houston lecture on Jan. 15, Tyson tells Houston Matters producer Joshua Zinn that without cosmic objects like asteroids colliding with other bodies like the earth, the dinosaurs would still be at the top of the food chain. And he discusses the challenges science faces these days.

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Astrophysicist and television host Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Courtesy – Neil deGrasse Tyson
Astrophysicist and television host Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says none of us would be here without cosmic collisions. Without cosmic objects like asteroids colliding with other bodies like the earth, the dinosaurs would still be at the top of the food chain, and we wouldn't have our moon, he says.

The topic is the focus of a lecture Tyson's giving on Monday (Jan. 15) at Jones Hall in an event hosted by Society for the Performing Arts.

Houston Matters producer Joshua Zinn spoke with him ahead of the event about the importance of such interstellar collisions, about Houston's place in the space program, about how he delivers a lecture to a general audience, and about the challenges science faces these days.

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