The James Webb Space Telescope is a monumental step forward in our pursuit of understanding the Universe and its origins. Here today, to answer the most frequently asked questions about the telescope, is the senior project scientist himself, John Cromwell Mather! John is an astrophysicist and cosmologist of the highest rank. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite COBE along with his colleague George Smoot. Now, he’s exploring the early ...
Dec 30, 2023•26 min•Season 4Ep. 366
Remastered from our interview in October 2021. In this otherworldly edition of Into the Impossible, I talk to renowned astrophysicist and astrobiologist Dr. Sarah Rugheimer about microscopic aliens, the Fermi paradox, the origin of life, the Drake equation, and much more! Dr. Rugheimer is a Glasstone Research Fellow and a Hugh Price Fellow at Jesus College Oxford. Her research interests are modeling the atmosphere and climate of extrasolar planets with a particular focus on atmospheric biosignat...
Dec 26, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 365
I had the pleasure of interviewing the one and only Donna Theo Strickland for our Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner series. Donna Theo Strickland is a renowned Canadian physicist widely recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to the field of pulsed lasers. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2018 with her colleague Gérard Mourou for the practical implementation of chirped pulse amplification. In this fun discussion between two experimental physicists, we talked about the Nobel Pr...
Dec 24, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 364
Remastered from my discussion with Cassandra Vieten at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit. Will AI bring us closer to the truth or further away from it? Is it changing the way we do science? And will it eventually replace teachers and professors? I had the pleasure of discussing this with Dr. Cassandra Vieten at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit. The AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit aimed to provide a comprehensive guide to artificial intelligence that avoids the hype and giv...
Dec 19, 2023•45 min•Season 4Ep. 363
The last two months have been nothing short of terrifying for the Jewish community. How can we stay happy and resilient in times like these? Is it even possible or reasonable? Here to answer this question is none other than the happiness expert himself, Dr. Gad Saad! Dr. Saad is a marketing genius renowned for applying evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior. He is a professor at Concordia University, a behavioral scientist, and a bestselling author. In our hopeful interview, we discuss his...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 362
Today, Avi Loeb and I talk about the hottest topics in astronomy! We discuss interstellar travel, the Galileo Project expedition to the Pacific Ocean to retrieve spherules of the first recognized interstellar meteor, IM1, and alien life. Avi is a professor of science at Harvard University, theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and cosmologist. He is also a bestselling author and a dear friend of mine. Tune in! — Additional resources: 📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get ...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Remastered from our interview at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit. In November, I had the privilege of interviewing Peter Diamandis at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit, which aimed to provide a comprehensive guide to artificial intelligence that avoids the hype and gives you practical knowledge you can apply to your everyday life. Peter is a serial entrepreneur, futurist, technologist, New York Times Bestselling Author, and the founder of over 25 companies. He was recently name...
Dec 11, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 361
What happened after the Big Bang? To answer this question, I invited a true pioneer in the field of cosmic microwave background, Bruce Partridge! Bruce Partridge is an emeritus professor of astronomy in the science department at Haverford College. He has served as an Education Officer of the American Astronomical Society, president of the Commission on Cosmology, International Astronomical Union, and President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. His research interests lie in the intersec...
Dec 08, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 360
Remastered from our interview in May 2023 A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing the Nobel Laureate, Barry Barish, for UCTV. Barry is an experimental physicist and a professor at UC Riverside. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves. In our interview, Barry reflects on his life in science, being curious, experiencing imposter syndrome, and working in t...
Dec 05, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 359
It's no secret that almost every step we take is being tracked or recorded in some way. However, plenty of things need to be clarified about what this means for our personal freedoms and safety. Today, David Brin, a world-renowned expert on privacy and transparency, will shed light on these complex issues weighing on our society! David is an award-winning science fiction author, technical consultant, astrophysicist, and public speaker. He helped establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Im...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 358
Remastered from our interview in May 2023 Will humans soon go extinct? Are we already on borrowed time? I had the honor of discussing this with none other than the Canadian Prepper himself! Canadian Prepper is an educational YouTuber who talks about self-defense, survival, and all things preparedness. He analyzes current events, reviews innovative equipment, and theorizes about the demise of civilization as we know it. In our interview, we dive deep into extinction-level events. Tune in! Key Tak...
Nov 29, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 357
✨ To try everything Brilliant has to offer—free—for a full 30 days, visit https://brilliant.org/DrBrianKeating The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription. ✨ I had the pleasure of participating in an exciting onstage dialogue with the renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss. We had a lively discussion about the mysteries of the Universe, the latest scientific discoveries, and their implications for our understanding of existence. From the origins of da...
Nov 26, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 356
Is the Matrix really real? And if so, which pill would David Chalmers take? Join us for a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, human consciousness, technology, philosophy, and religion, and find out! David Chalmers is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist specializing in the areas of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University and co-director of NYU's Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness (along ...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 4Ep. 355
Is it still possible to make a case for string theory? And should we treat the multiverse as a serious idea and explore it mathematically? Here to discuss these fundamental questions with me today is the one and only Brian Greene. Brian Greene, of course, needs no introduction. He is an American theoretical physicist and mathematician. He’s a professor at Columbia University and the director of Columbia’s Center for Theoretical Physics. Greene has gained a lot of popularity through his books tha...
Nov 20, 2023•2 hr 43 min•Season 4Ep. 354
Many argue that string theory cannot be proven and should therefore be abandoned. For them, string theory is not science at all. But are they right? Here to discuss these claims with me is none other than Cumrun Vafa! Cumrun is the Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in the Department of Physics at Harvard University, where he has been researching and teaching theoretical physics since 1985. His primary area of research is string theory. In our interview, we discussed why we s...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 353
Welcome to a very important, meaningful, and delightful episode of Into the Impossible, with an impossibly brilliant guest who has inspired me since my young days as a graduate – Michael Turner! Michael Turner is a renowned theoretical cosmologist and professor of physics at the University of Chicago. He is a pioneer in exploring what he calls the dark side of the Universe. He coined the term dark energy, and his ideas led to the cold dark matter theory of structure formation. Michael’s contribu...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 352
What’s written in our stars? Here to read humanity's horoscope is none other than Lord Martin Rees! Lord Martin Rees has played a huge role in my career and is an inspiration to me and millions of scientists around the world. There is literally nothing beyond his purview, and our conversation bore this out -- we covered everything from A to Z: artificial intelligence to zoology! Nothing was off-limits – we even shared our mutual and controversial distaste for alchemy and astrology! Lord Rees of ...
Nov 11, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Season 4Ep. 351
Katherine Freese first presented the concept of dark stars at a conference in 2007. It was not well received at the time, as there was no evidence for it, and finding it seemed impossible. That is until recently… Katherine Freese is a renowned theoretical physicist, professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin, and a member of the Simons Observatory. She works on a wide range of topics in theoretical cosmology and astroparticle physics, including her quest to identify the dark matte...
Nov 08, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 350
What's really going on in a black hole? Why are there so many theories of everything? And did Leonard Susskind, the father of string theory, ever feel like an impostor? Find out in this thrilling interview with none other than Susskind himself. Susskind is an American physicist and a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University. He is also the founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1995, Susskind was the first to give a precise string-theoretic interpr...
Nov 05, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 349
Humans have never lived in such abundance as we do today. Yet we are miserable, divided, and lonely. We have everything we need to flourish, so why are we wilting? Today’s extraordinary guests, Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, say it’s because the modern world is out of sync with our ancient brains and bodies! They explore this bold thesis in their book A Hunter Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, which we will discuss extensively in this interview. Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein are evol...
Nov 02, 2023•2 hr 46 min•Season 4Ep. 348
Is math real? How to bake pi? And how much is x+y, really? Many people don't like math because they find it too complicated or boring. But math can actually be a lot of fun, and we can find it everywhere in life, even in the most mundane things like baking. And it is through baking that today's guest, Eugenia Cheng, decided to rid the world of math phobia. Dr. Cheng is a renowned mathematician, educator, author, and concert pianist. She's a scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institu...
Oct 30, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 347
There is a God equation in mathematics; could there be a God equation in physics? This is the question to which Dr. Michio Kaku has dedicated his life. Dr. Kaku is a theoretical physicist, bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, renowned futurist, and popularizer of science. As co-founder of String Field Theory, Dr. Kaku carries on Einstein’s quest to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into a single grand unified theory. In this episode of Into the Impossible, Dr. Kaku and I embar...
Oct 27, 2023•59 min•Season 4Ep. 346
Is life insurance a scam? What is the difference between a visionary and someone who’s all talk? And what would Patrick Bet-David's next five moves be if he lost his job? On this episode of Into the Impossible, Patrick Bet-David and I discuss his book, 'Your Next 5 Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy,' his approach to business, visionaries, life insurance, and his enthusiasm for helping others reach their full potential. Patrick Bet-David immigrated to the US from Iran as a child. He serv...
Oct 24, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 345
How does a Nobel Prize winner create ideas and bring them to life? What can starlings teach us about physics? And what is a spin glass? Here today, to take us on a fascinating journey from bird flocks to condensed matter physics is none other than Nobel Prize laureate Giorgio Parisi. Giorgio is an Italian theoretical physicist and author of many wonderful works, such as In a Flight of Starlings: The Wonders of Complex Systems, which we will discuss in detail in this episode. Giorgio is an incred...
Oct 22, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 344
Usually, I’m the one interrogating guests, but every now and then, I find myself on the hot seat, too! Enjoy my conversation with Francis and Konstantin on their show, TRIGGERnometry. We discussed the idea of colonizing Mars, aliens, the origin of everything, the complex correlation between science and religion, everything wrong with the Nobel Prize, and much more! TRIGGERnometry is a YouTube show and podcast in which comedians Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster create honest conversations with...
Oct 18, 2023•2 hr 38 min•Season 4Ep. 343
Are you ready for the battle of the theories of everything? Eric Weinstein and Stephen Wolfram, two mathematical mavericks and personal heroes of mine, joined me on the show to debate their theories of everything, answer questions from the audience, and discuss the fundamental nature of the universe. I thoroughly enjoyed this deep and wide-ranging conversation, and I hope you will, too! Tune in. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Why are young people so interested in theories of everything? (06:32) Is...
Oct 15, 2023•2 hr 54 min•Season 4Ep. 342
Have you ever wondered who Ben Shapiro is beyond politics? Well, you are in luck because today, you have the incredible opportunity to get to know him in a way that only a few do! In our exciting interview, we talked about nearly everything •except• politics. Tune in and find out what Ben would be doing if he wasn’t famous, why he loves science fiction, who he would MOST like to have on his show, what he would do if elected president, and the downside of success. We also get into one of his rece...
Oct 13, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 341
Welcome everybody to an existential edition of the Into the Impossible podcast with one of my favorite human beings and one of your favorite human beings too, judging by my comment sections on Twitter and YouTube – Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder! For those of you who don’t know Sabine, she is a German theoretical physicist, talented science communicator, bestselling author, and very successful YouTuber. Today, Sabine and I talk about her latest book, Existential Physics, the current state of academia, ...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 340
Is reality real, or are we actually just living in a simulation? How did Galileo influence modern thinking about reality? And are there any drug experiences that you simply can't come back from? Here today to discuss this with me is renowned philosopher, famous TED talk speaker, cognitive scientist, and deep thinker Donald Hoffman! Donald is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of the provocative book The Case Against Reality....
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 7Ep. 339
Is the human brain a quantum computer? What is the Orch OR model of consciousness? And is there an afterlife for our quantum souls? Here today to answer these questions and take us on a wild tour through consciousness, imagination, and the human brain is Dr. Stuart Hameroff! Stuart is a professor of anesthesiology and psychology at the University of Arizona and director of The Center for Consciousness Studies. In this interview, we dive deep into Stuart’s research and his passion for everything ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 338
