Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Nayeema are BACK with an all new episode taped live at New York’s Comedy Cellar. They discuss if aliens exist, how we’d know and what we should do when we see them? What’s the alien go back? And how do we balance skepticism with possibility in science and in life. Has any testimony, fact or experience ever challenged Neil’s alien skepticism?Nayeema also asks Neil to respond to President Trump’s UFO files, President Obama’s comments about Area 51 and a question from former guest Suborno Bari - the child genius you’ve heard on SGDQ. 

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your favorite alien.
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Nayeema sits down with Richard Reeves, THE expert on men and boys to ask: is there a men’s crisis? Has talking about it made men’s lives better …or worse? What’s a dude problem vs an everyone problem? Are we just gendering the impacts of modern capitalism? And what’s next: DEI for dudes? 

Also on the agenda: looksmaxxing, incels, tradwives (data vs vibes), the retreat of video games, the potential of the draft and an age-old fight for men’s allegiance. Plus: what do the Epstein files reveal about male bonding and power? (Richard would like you to know: THIS IS A MINEFIELD).

Subscribe to Richard’s SUBSTACK and find his work at the American Institute for Men & Boys where he serves as Director.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your favorite boy.#men #boys #dating #incels #tradwife #mentalhealth #SmartGirlDumbQuestions
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Robert Malley was a Lead Negotiator of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, so what does he think will happen next? And what does three decades at the forefront of Middle East peace (or war, in this case), teach him from Camp David (2000) to Israel and Gaza today?

Nayeema and Rob walk through Donald Trump’s “Art of the Deal” to figure out whether one may be had here. They also discuss: are negotiators more like marriage therapists, hostage negotiators or plumbers? Are President Trump’s tweets (slash Truth Socials) an attempt at Mad Man strategy or just a genuine chaos-making machine? How do Iranians think and deal-make? And will we see peace in Israel and Palestine in our lifetime? 

Be sure to check out Rob’s book Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death and the Pursuit of Peafe in Israel/Palestine.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your favorite person to negotiate with..
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The electroacoustic duo ARKAI just won a Grammy. Nayeema wants to know: How hard is that? Can you manifest one? Or is it more like a political campaign? Does the Harvard of Music (aka Juilliard) prepare musicians for a TikTok world? And the crucial question of 2026: Will AI replace musicians?

Jonathan Miron (violin) and Philip Sheegog (cello) also spill on the beef between cellists and violinists, how many people it takes to call yourself a band and if bands are dying out in the era of the solo TikTok artist.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Get Arkai's music on Spotify - especially their sophomore album: Brightside. And make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your drycleaner.
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Dick Costolo is a powerful rich dude who gave an insider's edge to the HBO Series "Silicon Valley." Nayeema asks the almost-billion dollar investor: Is Elon or Trump more powerful now? Is venture capital a Ponzi scheme? Is big tech back in a bubble? Will AI lead us into a K-shaped economy where the shareholders get richer and everyone else gets replaced by bots?

Also on the agenda: SpaceX at a $1.5T+ IPO (??), why so much value gets captured in private markets before the rest of us even get a shot to make money, the SEC rule change that helped companies stay private forever, and how crypto + prediction markets are winning over D.C.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your drycleaner.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices