Episode description

It’s the end of the science as we know it! And I feel fine! But seriously though, is it? As a global community, we are investing 10 times more money and resources into scientific research than we did in the 1950s, yet the number of groundbreaking discoveries is dwindling. 

We’ve gone to the moon. We’ve discovered massive black holes. We’ve split the atom and peered through high-resolution microscopes to observe those tiny little quarks. Sure, we’re still making advancements, but a lot of science these days is refining past discoveries. We’re not really uncovering anything new. In fact, most of the Nobel Prizes awarded since the 1990s have been awarded for scientific work that went on in previous decades.

So is scientific pursuit just slowing down? Or, are we nearing the end of scientific discovery altogether?

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00 The slowing pace of scientific discovery
• 03:29 Historical claims of the end of science 
• 07:46 John Horgan’s book: The End of Science
• 10:11 A Debate: Will we reach the end of science?
• 12:09 More spending and fewer scientific discoveries
• 15:30 Big mysteries of science remain
• 16:46 Blurring the lines of science and technology
• 18:56 The arrogance of physics
• 23:15 The Wholesome Verdict: Rod vs Will
• 23:45 What’s next on The Wholesome Show
• 28:32 Listener shoutouts

SOURCES:

• Is science about to end? by Sabine Hossenfelder
• John Horgan interview on The End of Science  
• Was I Wrong about “The End of Science”? By John Horgan  
• Lord Kelvin and the End of Physics, Which He Never Predicted 
• Albert Michelson, notes at the Inauguration of the Ryerson Physics Laboratory 
• Everything That Can Be Invented Has Been Invented by David J Katz  
• Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time by Michael Park, Erin Leahey and Russel J Funk in Nature  
• Are we witnessing the end of science? In The Guardian 

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