Special guest Alan Lightman takes us through a fascinating discussion of consciousness, and tells us how he reconciles spirituality with his materialist views. Todays episode is sponsored by the International Space Station. Join the ISS National Laboratory this August in Seattle at the 12th annual ISS Research and Development Conference. Visit ISSconference.org to register now. Support the show...
Shortly after the Big Bang, space was densely packed with enough stuff for sound to travel through it. What was producing sound in this era, and how can we hear it today? Todays episode is sponsored by the International Space Station. Join the ISS National Laboratory this August in Seattle at the 12th annual ISS Research and Development Conference. Visit ISSconference.org to register now. Support the show...
Special guest Cari Cesarotti tells us why so many particle physicists are itching to build a whole new type of particle collider. Support the show
The Big Bang is well accepted today as the leading theory of how our universe evolved over time - but in today's episode, we talk through all the very wrong theories that came before it. To get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Can consciousness be explained by physics, or does it appeal to something beyond materialism? Philosopher guest star David Chalmers talks to us about how we can think about consciousness from a philosophical and scientific perspective. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
A whirlwind of questions brings us to an odd conclusion: could reality be an illusion created by a quantum fluctuation of a brain? This is a rebroadcast of a past favorite. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Astronomers' newest telescope, JWST, just discovered galaxies that formed earlier than previously thought possible. What does this discovery mean for our understanding of the early universe? To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Before the LHC turned on in 2008, many feared that it would create a dangerous black hole that would destroy the world. Were any of those fears well-founded, and how seriously did scientists take these claims? Support the show
Learn how extra dimensions of space might appear to us, and what physicists have done to try to find them. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Special guest Katie Mack talks to us about how the universe might end. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
In today's different type of episode, we talk about the risks of a subtle kind of scientific misinformation. Support the show
This episode will hurt your brain, or your money back. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
We interrupt our regular episodes to cover the exciting new discovery that the IceCube Neutrino Observatory announced on November 3rd, 2022. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
We pick up the story of string theory and explore the explosion of interest it experienced in the mid 1980s. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Last time, we introduced the biggest open problem in theoretical physics - the problem of combining gravity with quantum mechanics. In this first part of a three-part series, we introduce the leading candidate for how to do that: String Theory. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Quantum mechanics and general relativity are two of the most successful theories of science ever, but they don't necessarily fit together. Learn why physicists are trying so hard to discover a quantum theory of gravity, and why it's been such a challenge. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
We pick up last episode's theme of particle colliders and dive into the most exciting one running today - the LHC. What is it, how does it work, and what new physics can it still reveal? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
For the past century, physicists have been building particle colliders as a way to learn about the fundamental laws of physics. Today we talk about why smashing particles together has proven to be such a powerful tool. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
On May 12, 2022 astronomers revealed an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Today we tell the story of what made this image possible. Today's episode is sponsored by Wren. Sign up through https://www.wren.co/universe to make a difference in the climate crisis, and Wren will plant 10 extra trees in your name! For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show...
Just like water changing to ice when it freezes, there were times in the universe's early history when reality changed in almost an instant. Today we dive into these cosmological phase transitions, and speculate about the strange objects these types of instant changes can create. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
When cosmology was still an infant science, a daring physicist wrote a theory of the beginning of time. We revisit this theory and see what value we can still glean from it today. Support the show
Today we explore different interpretations of quantum mechanics, from Copenhagen to the many-worlds hypothesis, in an attempt to uncover what quantum reality really is. This episode is a rebroadcast of one of our early favorites. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
A whirlwind of questions brings us to an odd conclusion: could reality be an illusion created by a quantum fluctuation of a brain? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Here on Earth, we are constantly being showered by particles from outer space called cosmic rays. What do we know about where these particles really come from? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Today we are rebroadcasting an earlier episode all about extra dimensions - How many dimensions of space are there? Could there be extra dimensions that are hidden from view? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Special guest Dr. Diana Powell gives us the lay down on the field of exoplanet research, and on how these recent discoveries may shed light on the question of extraterrestrial life. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Today we attempt to break down the basics of quantum field theory - our deepest theory of physics yet. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Some people like to claim that psychology is just applied biology, which is just applied chemistry, which is just applied physics, and so on. Is there any truth to this? Or is it just our egos getting the better of us? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Dan shares one of the biggest stories of his career - his discovery of an excess of gamma rays at the center of the Milky Way. Is this a sign of dark matter, or is it something less mysterious? Support the show
When different groups of astronomers measure the expansion rate of space, they get different answers. Who's right? Or are they both right, and new physics is afoot? Support the show
