This is an I-Hard podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

Kelly, tell me all about earthworms, but rain it in a bit.

Don't make me squirm.

Long before dark energy blew us all away, was there already a galaxy called the Milky Way?

Kelly, pray tell, how does a snail make its shell? And let me know if it grows like a toenail as well.

We're good at this.

Whatever questions keep you up at night, Daniel and Kelly's answers will make it all right.

Welcome to listener questions episode number 41.

Okay. Hi, I'm Daniel.

I study physics and aliens, and we are one number away from my favorite number.

Hello, I'm Kelly Weiner-Smith.

I study parasites and space.

And is that because you, predictably, as part of the community of physicists, have to like Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and your favorite number is 42?

No, I don't have to like Douglas Adams. I sincerely like Douglas Adams because it's great stuff,

and it's totally hilarious. Fair. You know, when we first started writing Soonish and we started engaging with space people,

there were so many references to that book.

I was like, if I want these interviews to go well, I have to become way more familiar with Douglas Adams' work.

And so I had to, I read a bunch of stuff so that I could get the references and keep up with folks.

Oh, no.

Were you ignorant of the canon before that up with folks. Oh, no. Were you ignorant of the

canon before that? I was. I was a different kind of nerd, but now I'm the right kind of nerd.

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