Friends of Europe launches its new Dark Matter Podcast

Friends of Europe has launched its Dark Matter Podcast, a platform for space experts from all horizons to share their passion for space, knowledge and ideas. Hosted by Rayan Vugdalic, Programme Officer for the Digital & Data Governance and Space programmes at Friends of Europe, this new Friends of Europe production is the perfect place to stay up-to-date with the latest space developments, breakthroughs and discoveries. Whether you’re a seasoned space enthusiast or just starting to explore the mysteries of the universe, tune in every Wednesday for five weeks for exciting conversations on space across a range of issues, such as climate, emancipation, security, space law, politics, life in the universe, consciousness and much, much more.

In our inaugural episode of the Dark Matter Podcast, Stephanie Tumampos, PhD Student at the Technical University of Munich, speaks about her role as a scientist and a teacher, reflecting upon how she cultivated an appreciation for science from early childhood, and how space science such as geodata gathered from satellite technology can contribute to our abilities to monitor the world, improve our understanding of climate change and predict human-impacted behaviours on a global scale.

Tumampos states:

The first podcast seeks to understand how this data collection may eventually produce a ‘Digital Earth’, and how a digital copy of our world can be used as a model of our natural world, helping us anticipate irreversible climatic incursions. But overall, with an attitude of curiosity, episode 1 questions the ethics of such a scientific mindset and whether a Digital Earth represents the endgame, or just one of many possible stories on the importance of geodata.

Tune in on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcast or YouTube!

The Dark Matter Podcast is hosted as part of Friends of Europe’s Making Space Matter initiative, which explores the potential of space exploration and infrastructure to address crucial issues such as climate change, security and digitalisation. Europe has the capacity and skills to lead in this area, but it requires further investment and cooperation. Learn more about the initiative here!