Podcasts about perimeter institute

By most popular accounts, the universe started with a bang some 13.8 billion years ago. But what happened before the Big Bang? And how do we know it happened at all? Cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper offer a tour of the peculiar possibilities: bouncing and cyclic universes, time loops, creations from nothing, multiverses, black hole births, string theories, and holograms. Incorporating insights from Afshordi's cutting-edge research and Halper's original interviews with scientists like Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose, and Alan Guth, Afshordi and Halper compare these models for the origin of our origins, showing each theory's strengths and weaknesses and explaining new attempts to test these notions. But most of all, Afshordi and Halper show that this search is filled with wonder, discovery, and community—all essential for remembering a forgotten cosmic past. Niayesh Afshordi is professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo and associate faculty at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, Canada. His prize-winning research focuses on competing models for the early universe, dark energy, dark matter, black holes, holography, and gravitational waves. Phil Halper is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a science popularizer. He is the creator of the popular YouTube series Before the Big Bang, which has had several million views. His astronomy images have been featured in major media outlets including The Washington Post, the BBC, and The Guardian, and he has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Einstein's general theory of relativity, plus some reasonable assumptions about the universe and what it's made of, has a remarkable implication: that as we trace cosmic evolution into the far past, we ultimately hit a singularity of infinite density and curvature, the Big Bang. Did that really happen? Einstein's theory is classical, after all, and the world is quantum. And whose to say what assumptions are reasonable? Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper have written a new book, Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins, that surveys all of the mind-bending possibilities.Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/05/26/316-niayesh-afshordi-and-phil-halper-on-the-big-bang-and-before/Support Mindscape on Patreon.Niayesh Afshordi received a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Princeton University. He is currently a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Waterloo, and associate faculty in the cosmology and gravitation group at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.Web sitePerimeter web pageWaterloo web pageGoogle scholar publicationsPhil Halper is a science communicator and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. His astronomy images have been featured in major media outlets including The Washington Post, the BBC, and The Guardian, and he has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals.YouTube channel (Skydivephil)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please join my mailing list here

Michael Serbinis, CEO and Founder of League, sits down with Eric to for a compelling discussion on how digital innovation is reshaping healthcare. Discover how League's platform empowers health plans like Highmark to deliver personalized, data-driven experiences that simplify navigation, improve engagement, and enhance member satisfaction. Mike shares fascinating insights on: The power of a unified digital front door for healthcare consumers  Real-world examples of how League amplifies care access and reduces costs  The role of personalization in creating Amazon-like experiences for healthcare  Mike also reflects on lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, including his time working with Elon Musk and how it inspired his vision to transform healthcare. Listen in for actionable strategies on leveraging technology to meet evolving consumer expectations and drive better outcomes. About Mike Michael Serbinis founded League in 2014. League accelerates the digital transformation of the healthcare consumer experience (CX). Serbinis has led the company since its inception, raising over $235 million in funding and driving exponential growth as League powers healthcare's biggest brands.    Mike has had a long and distinguished career as a serial entrepreneur, rocket scientist, engineer and investor. Most recently, Serbinis was the founder and CEO of Kobo, a digital reading company that rivals Amazon's Kindle worldwide. Before that, he founded cloud storage pioneer DocSpace and then built Critical Path, a messaging service that handled one-third of the world's email. Serbinis is also Chair of the Board of Directors for the Perimeter Institute, the world's leading center for scientific research in theoretical physics.    Now, as the CEO of League, Serbinis is focused on healthcare transformation. Payers, providers and pharmacy retailers build on the League platform to accelerate digital transformation and deliver high-engagement, personalized digital experiences. Millions worldwide use and love solutions powered by League to access, navigate and pay for care.   About League  Founded in 2014, League is the leading healthcare consumer experience platform, reaching more than 20 million people around the world and delivering the highest level of personalization in the industry. Payers, providers, and consumer health partners build on League's platform to deliver high-engagement healthcare solutions that improve health outcomes. To date, League has raised $235 million in venture capital funding, powering the digital experiences for some of healthcare's most trusted brands, including Highmark Health, Manulife, Medibank, and Shoppers Drug Mart.   Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solution or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

La tertulia semanal en la que repasamos las últimas noticias de la actualidad científica. En el episodio de hoy: Cara A: -Estado actual de la dualidad de Maldacena (13:00) -Adiós a Daniel López (49:55) -Marcela Carena, nombrada directora ejecutiva del Perimeter Institute (51:30) Este episodio continúa en la Cara B. Contertulios: Estefanía Coluccio, José Edelstein, Gastón Giribet, Héctor Socas. Todos los comentarios vertidos durante la tertulia representan únicamente la opinión de quien los hace... y a veces ni eso

The Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, has a program that introduces high schoolers to theoretical physics. Morning Show reporter Darrell Roberts visited Gonzaga High School in St. John's yesterday, where Perimeter Institute hosted one of those workshops.

What significant advancements have been made in physics research in India in recent years? How does the Perimeter Institute support early-career researchers and encourage innovation? What opportunities or challenges are poised for the field of theoretical physics? Renowned theoretical physicist Rob Myers joins us to discuss his research on black holes and cosmology. He shares insights on string theory, holography, and landscape physics. We discuss the advancement of physics in India and the contribution of the Indian community to the same. We discuss physics as a career and the traits of a good researcher. Tune in to learn about the latest breakthroughs and advancements in physics research. Resource List - More About Rob Myers - https://perimeterinstitute.ca/people/robert-myers Articles and Paper by Rob. Myers - https://inspirehep.net/authors/996354 For more Lectures and Videos by Perimeter Institute - http://www.youtube.com/@PIOutreach Lecture by Rob Myers at ICTS - https://www.icts.res.in/lectures/Myers What are Black Holes? - https://science.nasa.gov/universe/black-holes/ What is String Theory? - https://www.space.com/17594-string-theory.html What is Quantum Physics? - https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/quantum-science-explained/quantum-physics What is LIGO? - https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/what-is-ligo What is the LIGO India Project? - https://www.ligo-india.in/

In our last episode, Dr. Katie Mack and John Green discuss what the ultimate fate of the universe might look like. Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

How did the universe evolve, and more importantly, how might it end? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome theoretical cosmologist and astrophysicist, Dr. Katie Mack, author of the recently published book, “The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking).” In Part 2, we look at dark matter, Gravitational Memory Effect, and more. (You can listen to Part 1 here.) We dive right in with a question from David: “I was wondering if any physicists have looked into the idea that the “empty” space in an atom is actually “filled” with dark matter. What experiments could be done to prove or disprove this hypothesis?” In order to answer David, first Katie explains the science supporting the idea that dark matter exists, including gravitational lensing and other evidence. The fact that there are indications of dark matter in areas where there is sparse regular matter suggests that dark matter is an entirely different kind of particle. Katie describes many of the ways that that dark matter is unrelated to the empty space in atoms, including the fact that dark matter has no real interaction with atoms at all. Chuck asks whether the amount of dark matter still holds the key to how the universe evolves as he was taught or have new understandings made it entirely irrelevant? Katie explains that dark energy has replaced dark matter in importance, and that's what's making the universe expand faster. But we really don't know what it is, or what it's doing, or even if it will remain constant. Our next question comes from Aileen Balderas: “I recently read about something called the Gravitational Memory Effect. This talks about how space remembers certain things. Gravitational wave signals have the power to make it so that the universe remembers what happens to it. How can scientists say that the universe is able to remember things?” Katie unpacks this fascinating phenomenon which she only learned about five years ago. It turns out that, as Chuck puts it, “The universe has memory the way that memory foam has memory, not like the way elephants have memory.” Chuck asks Katie about flying planes, which she learned to do in late 2020 during the pandemic, after her book came out. Talk about a lockdown hobby! Katie shares why she loves flying so much, and what she gets out of it. And while she doesn't own her own plane, she has a share in a single engine airplane with 4 other people. Chuck also asks the inevitable question: Star Trek or Star Wars? Katie's answer: Star Trek! We end the show with Katie describing what she's doing at The Perimeter Institute, an independent research institute that's dedicated to stretch the boundaries of our understanding of physics in areas like cosmology, particle physics, quantum information and various areas of theoretical physics. Katie's been working with them to create some short videos. Check out Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics on YouTube to watch "Quantum Physics 101" and "Cosmology 101." If you'd like to know more about Dr. Kathryn Mack and her work, check out her website, https://www.astrokatie.com/ where you can also sign up for her newsletter, “Watch this Spacetime.” You can also find her on Bluesky at astrokatie.com, Instagram and TikTok at @astrokatiemack, and Twitter (X), YouTube, and Facebook at @astrokatie. You can also find Katie on John Green's “Crash Course Pods: The Universe” on Complexly, YouTube, Spotify, Simplecast and more. We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: Galaxy group "Stephan's Quintet" seen by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope – NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI NGC 4826, otherwise known as M64— a spiral galaxy. – NASA / Hubble Heritage Team Hubble image showing light distortions from the collective gravity of dark matter. – NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz and the HFF Team (STScI) The expansion of the universe over time. – NASA The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) – Scribner Dr. Katie Mack in the cockpit of her plane – Image via Katie Mack's Instagram #TheLIUniverse #CharlesLiu #AllenLiu #SciencePodcast #AstronomyPodcast  #DarkMatter #DarkEnergy #UniversalExpansion #BlackHoles #EarlyUniverse #Spacetime #Physics #Astrophysics #Cosmology #GravitationalMemoryEffect #GravitationalWaves

In this episode, Dr. Katie Mack gives John Green an idea of what to expect for the future of our universe. Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

In our journey through the history of the entire universe, we have finally reached the present. Before we continue moving forward in our timeline, John has some questions for Katie that he's been holding back. Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

In this episode, Katie Mack and John Green discuss why life was able to happen. Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save. This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse

In this episode, Katie Mack and John Green discuss the wonder keeping the stars apart... dark energy.Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

"How do we know that dark matter is there?"  In this episode, Dr. Katie Mack and John Green unpack the full story of dark matter.Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

In this episode, John and Katie take a break from talking through the universe's timeline to focus on a mystery of our cosmos: black holes.Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

Fay is a physicist and is currently a professor of Theoretical Physics and a member of the Theoretical Physics Group at Imperial College London and a Visiting Fellow at the Perimeter Institute. Fay conducts research in a number of areas of theoretical physics including quantum gravity and causal set theory.  Please consider signing up for TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org Links:https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/hartle-c24 Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch  Follow TOE: - *NEW* Get my 'Top 10 TOEs' PDF + Weekly Personal Updates: https://www.curtjaimungal.org - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofeverythingpod - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeverything_ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything  

"Is free will still in the equation?"In this episode, the universe begins to become visible to itself. Dr. Katie Mack teaches John Green about the moment the stars turned on, while John seeks to answer one question... do humans matter to the universe? Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

"The only thing that could have happened, happened" In this episode, the universe as we know it starts to come into focus. Dr. Katie Mack teaches John Green about the cosmic dark ages, the possibility of a multiverse, and the connection between the hot, dense early universe and today.Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

"That's why we're here. Something broke."Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save. In episode 2 of their journey through the history of the universe, Dr. Katie Mack and John Green discuss the fundamental forces of nature, the tiny ovens we know as particle colliders, and how we all can exist.

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana's Department of Philosophy. He was also the guest for episodes 109—on psychoanalysis, wokeness, racism, and a hundred other topics—and 118, where he appeared with Sean Carroll to discuss quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. Lee Smolin is a founding and senior faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the author of a number of bestselling books, including The Trouble with Physics (Mariner, 2006). He was the guest for episode 148, in which he and Robinson discussed presentism, the foundations of mathematics, and the philosophy of quantum mechanics. In this episode, Robinson, Slavoj, and Lee discuss time, space, superposition, and other concepts at the core of physics, as well as postmodernism, the big bang, problems with democracy, and much more. Lee is also an Honorary Fellow of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. If you're interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute's life. Lee's Website: ⁠http://leesmolin.com⁠ The Trouble with Physics: https://a.co/d/eJZPWaE OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 06:26 Breaking the Copenhagen Interpretation 11:55 On Sabine Hossenfelder  21:11 On Monads, Atoms, and Democritus 30:18 Is the World a Game of Physics? 38:46 On the Big Bang 45:26 On European Immigration and Populism 53:09 A Few Jokes Robinson's Website: ⁠http://robinsonerhardt.com⁠ Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robinson-erhardt/support

"Part of me was there?" Dr. Katie Mack teaches John Green about the beginning of the Universe - including that we are not just made of stardust; we are also made of Big Bang stuff, with pieces of us directly born in the vast, first cacophony.Head to https://policygenius.com/crashcourse to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.This show is a production of Complexly. If you want to help keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our community on Patreon at  http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse 

Seeing a black hole's magnetic personalityScientists using the Event Horizon Telescope have produced a new image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. And this image is a little different: it captures the powerful magnetic fields that are acting as the cosmic cutlery feeding mass into the singularity. Avery Broderick is part of the Event Horizon Telescope team, he's also a professor at the University of Waterloo's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and associate faculty at the Perimeter Institute for theoretical physics.Decoding how chickadees maintain a mental map of their food cachesChickadees have an uncanny ability to recall thousands of secret stashes of food with a centimetre-scale precision. Salmaan Chettih, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at Columbia University, investigated how chickadees encode their internal treasure maps. In his study in the journal Cell, he found the chickadee brains produce a unique pattern of activity — akin to a neural “barcode” — that marks the X on its mental treasure map. Italians don't just speak more with their hands, they speak differentlyResearchers comparing Swedish speakers with Italian speakers have found that the gestures they commonly use to accompany spoken language are quite different in kind. Lund University scientists Maria Graziano and Marianne Gullberg recorded the hand gestures study participants used when describing a children's cartoon to their friends. According to the results published in a Frontiers in Communication journal, Swedish speakers used gestures that concretely represented the subjects of their speech, while Italian speakers used abstract gestures more related to emphasis. What came first, the drumstick or the omelette?New archaeological work along the famous Silk Road trade route between Asia and Europe has added to the picture of how the chicken was brought from its southeast Asian homeland to the rest of Eurasia. An international team of researchers, including archaeobotanist Robert Spengler, analyzed tiny eggshell fragments from the soil of multiple sites in Central Asia. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that the motivation for domesticating the fowl was not the chicken, but their eggs. LED lighting is bright, efficient, and perhaps a problemThe global transition to LED lighting seems to be having some concerning impacts on the natural world and human health. These energy efficient artificial lights produce different spectra than older incandescent technology, or the natural light of the Sun that life on Earth evolved with over billions of years. LED lighting is brighter, bluer, and more widely used than incandescent lighting. Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience from University College London, said that as a result, we may be paying the price with our health due to being oversaturated with blue light and starved of red and infrared light. In a new study in the Journal of Biophotonics, he found that exposing people to red and infrared light lowered their blood glucose levels by “charging up” our cells' energy production.Artificial light at night is also having “a profound impact” on our environment in how it affects plants and wildlife and the ecosystems they're in, according to Kevin Gaston, a professor of biodiversity and conservation at the University of Exeter. He said for nocturnal animals, the challenge they face from light pollution is the equivalent to humans losing daylight during the daytime. His review was published in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 

Seg 1: Why is Earth being bombarded by mysterious intergalactic radio waves? Fast radio bursts are cosmic phenomena characterized by powerful bursts of radio radiation lasting around a millisecond. Guest: Dr. Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Seg 2: Indigenous Artist from Manitoba Playing the Orpheum on Saturday night. A very influential artist is coming to Vancouver. William Prince, an Indigenous Artist from Manitoba, will be playing the Orpheum on Saturday night. Guest: William Prince, Indigenous Singer Songwriter. Seg 3: View From Victoria: What's in a budget? There was a lot of spending announced in the budget yesterday with a big bill at the end. We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Seg 4: Why is BC anticipating a deficit? The NDP's final budget before the upcoming provincial election focuses on increased spending, particularly in housing, to address affordability amid cost-of-living challenges. The budget anticipates a deficit of $7.9 billion in 2024/2025. Guest: Katrine Conroy, BC's Minister of Finance Seg 5: Does the government spending go far enough? The green party says that the budget doesn't improve essential areas like healthcare and education for the well-being of British Columbians. Instead, it sticks to the current state of affairs. Guest: Sonia Furstenau, BC Green Party Leader Seg 6: How do cranes work? A tower crane dropped its load onto a building under construction in Oakridge, resulting in one fatality. The person who died was on the ground level when struck by the falling load. Is there something wrong with our cranes? Our safety practices? Is this just a bout of bad luck, or is this normal? Guest: Lawrence Shapiro, Principal of Howard I. Shapiro & Associates Consulting Engineers and Author of “Cranes and Derricks” Seg 7: Pregame with the Whitecaps! We are back with everyone's favourite Whitecaps Coach, Vanni Sartini! He joins the show every Friday to break down the season of the whitecaps! Guest: Vanni Sartini, Coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps Seg 8: How history's biggest fraudulent art ring operated in Canada Renowned Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau, known as the "Picasso of the North" for pioneering the Woodlands School of Art, encountered a significant challenge to his artistic legacy due to widespread art forgery. Guest: Jordan Michael Smith, Award-Winning Journalist and Author of the Smithsonian Article, “The Biggest Art Fraud in History” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fast radio bursts are cosmic phenomena characterized by powerful bursts of radio radiation lasting around a millisecond. Guest: Dr. Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neil Turok is a professor at the University of Edinburgh where he holds the Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics. He acted as the director of Perimeter Institute from 2008 to 2019 and now holds the Carlo Fidani Roger Penrose Distinguished Visiting Research Chair in Theoretical Physics at PI. In this episode of Conversations at the Perimeter, he talks about his recent work that describes the Big Bang, how his research has been influenced by Stephen Hawking, and why he chooses to work on theories that have the potential to be proven wrong. He also talks about his time as director of Perimeter Institute and describes the strategies he used to create a culture and community capable of fostering breakthroughs. It's a fascinating conversation, and Neil is uniquely gifted in describing both the biggest questions in theoretical physics and the best strategies for answering them. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Astrophysicist Katie Mack discusses the possibility of time travel, how time will end, gravitational waves and the power of antimatter. Dr Mack is the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada - where she carries out research on dark matter and the early universe. Dr Mack wants to make physics more accessible. She is the author of the 2021 book The End of Everything.

Izzie Clarke and Dr Becky Smethurst are rounding off 2023 with a biggie. Arguably the biggest of them all. This episode is ALL about the Multiverse. What is it? What does it mean? Does it even exist?   A big thank you to Andrew Pontzen from UCL and author of "Universe in a Box" for explaining the basics, Katie Mack from The Perimeter Institute for going from physicist to film reviewer, and to listener Wendy Entwistle who suggested the Supermassive team cover this topic. The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production for the Royal Astronomical Society. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham. 

Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander muses about the interplay of jazz, physics, and math. And cosmologist Katie Mack unpacks the latest thinking about the mysteries of dark matter, as part of the Perimeter Institute Public Lecture series.

Astronomers have long sought to map the night skies, not only to fill in our picture of the cosmos we inhabit, but also to support further research. Comprehensive compilations of astronomical objects serve many purposes: they can help scientists spot broad patterns across a population of objects, put new discoveries such as transient events in the context of their surroundings, and identify the best candidates for focused observations. Justin Lang of the Perimeter Institute discusses the creation of a new project called the Siena Galaxy Atlas.    Bios: Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF's NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona. Justin Lang is a researcher at the Perimeter Institute.  Links:  NOIRLab Press Release: https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2328/  Legacy Survey Viewer: https://www.legacysurvey.org/viewer#NGC%201536    NOIRLab social media channels can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/NOIRLabAstro https://twitter.com/NOIRLabAstro https://www.instagram.com/noirlabastro/ https://www.youtube.com/noirlabastro   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Lee Smolin is a founding and senior faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is best known for contributions to quantum gravity as a co-inventor of loop quantum gravity and deformed special relativity. Beyond his work in other areas of physics, Lee has written a number of best-selling books, the most recent of which is Einstein's Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum (Penguin, 2019). In this episode, Robinson and Lee discuss one of the main tenets that has characterized his work over the past decades: Realism. They first talk about realism in quantum mechanics before moving on to Lee's version of radical presentism, in which only what is occurring in the immediate present can be said to exist, before finishing the main body of their conversation with mathematics and its relation to both physics and cosmology. The episode ends with brief digressions on biology and living with Parkinson's disease. Lee is also an Honorary Fellow of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. If you're interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute's life. Einstein's Unfinished Revolution: https://a.co/d/7GHcebp The Singular Universe and the Unreality of Time: https://a.co/d/hZqLT59 Lee's Website: https://leesmolin.com The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org/home 00:00 In This Episode… 00:47 Introduction 05:03 From Dropping Out of High School to Physics 10:42 Many-Worlds, Bohmian Mechanics, and Realism in Quantum Theory 29:18 Realism and the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics 33:00 Uniting Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology 45:43 Working with Roberto Mangabeira Unger 55:10 The Singular Existence of the Universe 01:05:29 Lee's Interest in Biology Robinson's Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robinson-erhardt/support

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone is a mathematician, cryptographer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She founded Profound Impact in 2018?  Profound Impact's mission is ‘to connect great people to do great things'.She had an early interest in mathematics and learned along her dad who's was studying to be an electrical engineer.  By the time she was in 5th grade, she tested her aptitudes and she scored 10th grade.Sherry started her career working as a cryptographer for the US government before moving on to start-ups in Silicon Valley and then Canada. She was an innovator in technology and in leadership.Along with her late husband, they took the technology that was used for smartphones and applied it to vehicle: they needed security, authentification, etc. They quickly became security experts for the US Department of Transportation.She loves being an entrepreneur because ‘you can see the impact that you're making.  You're hiring people and touch every one of those lives.  There is so much energy in learning new things'.She founded ‘Profound Impact' which helps education, research and community organizations leverage data to measure program impact, tell their story and inform strategy.Sherry is also involved in supporting other women through an organisation called the Perimeter Institute. Physics is one area where women are the most underrepresented and the goal of the Perimeter Institute is to support 10 female PhD students in physics from around the world.I would love to hear any comments you might have on this episode and respond to any questions. You can find me on the Brave New World Facebook page, on Linkedin or on my website: www.ceciliapoullain.comCecilia PoullainFounder of Brave New WomenCoach - Empowering Women to Find their VoiceMusic: Stephen Marquis www.songsta.com.auEditing: Talal BourokiCecilia PoullainFounder of Brave New WomenCoach - Empowering Women to Find their Voice

Why is Schrödinger's Cat so controversial? Dr. Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Schrödinger's Cat so controversial? Dr. Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics What are the implications of Trump's charges? Dr. Thomas Nichols, Professor Emeritus of National Security Affairs at Harvard University and Contributing Writer at The Atlantic The closure of Highway 14 is taking a toll on Tofino Dan Law, Mayor of Tofino How will $20 million help St. Paul's ‘Road to Recovery?' Dr. Seonaid Nolan, Head of Providence Health Care's Division of Addiction at St Paul's Hospital and a Clinician Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use Why do we find AI so creepy? Dr. Karl MacDorman, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Informatics and Artificial Intelligence at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Anthony Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for his foundational contributions to superfluidity, is a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Reflecting on a lifetime in science, he shares his groundbreaking work on superconductivity, superfluidity, and quantum science with Lauren and Colin, illuminating his ideas with simple metaphors of a military parade and children running in a forest. He also discusses the human connections that have shaped his life, from doing science demonstrations for families at a farmer's market to his experiences in England, the US, Canada, Ghana, and more. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Identity and historical and social context shape what we know and how we know it, even in the most mind-bending science. Quantum physicist Shohini Ghose discusses the interplay between quantum principles and Mi'kmaq astrophysicist Hilding Neilson talks about how Indigenous traditions of astronomy can enrich and broaden our views of the cosmos.

Interest in the multiverse theory, suggesting that our universe is just one of many, has spiked since the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once was released. The film follows Evelyn Wang on her journey to connect with versions of herself in parallel universes to stop the destruction of the multiverse. The multiverse idea has long been an inspiration for science fiction writers. But does it have any basis in science? And if so, is it a concept we could ever test experimentally? Featuring Andrew Pontzen, professor of Cosmology at University College London, Katie Mack, Hawking chair in cosmology and science communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and Sabine Hossenfelder, research fellow of physics at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: The multiverse: how we're tackling the challenges facing the theoryCurious Kids: how likely is it that there are parallel universes and other Earths?The multiverse: our universe is suspiciously unlikely to exist – unless it is one of many Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shep Doeleman is a senior research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and one of the world's leading experts on black holes. He heads the globe-spanning Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which in recent years unveiled humanity's first-ever images of black holes – including the supermassive behemoth at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. Doeleman takes Lauren and Colin behind the scenes of the EHT's discoveries, which earned the collaboration the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2020. He also looks ahead to the next big milestones in black hole science, such as the Next-Generation EHT (ngEHT) and the Event Horizon Explorer, which will bring these mysterious phenomena into even sharper focus. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Interest in the multiverse theory, suggesting that our universe is just one of many, has spiked since the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once was released. The film follows Evelyn Wang on her journey to connect with versions of herself in parallel universes to stop the destruction of the multiverse. The multiverse idea has long been an inspiration for science fiction writers. But does it have any basis in science? And if so, is it a concept we could ever test experimentally? Featuring Andrew Pontzen, professor of Cosmology at University College London, Katie Mack, Hawking chair in cosmology and science communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and Sabine Hossenfelder, research fellow of physics at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: The multiverse: how we're tackling the challenges facing the theoryCurious Kids: how likely is it that there are parallel universes and other Earths?The multiverse: our universe is suspiciously unlikely to exist – unless it is one of many Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie is a theoretical cosmologist who holds the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at Perimeter Institute. Her academic research investigates dark matter, vacuum decay and the epoch of reionisation. Katie is also a popular science communicator who participates in social media and regularly writes for Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, Time and Cosmos. She is the author of the book “The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)” In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what's real?” & “who matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:58 Katie's Intro - #cosmology & #astrophysics - "The study of the universe from beginning to end from the smallest to the largest scales" - #darkmatter, the beginning of the universe & the end of the universe - Research & public engagement 03:33 What's Real? - Growing up going to church & youth group & #bible study - United Church of Christ... liberal & open-minded #socialjustice #lgbtq rights - Useful guidelines for life but "I never really understood how faith works... believing things without evidence" - Exploring different religious traditions e.g. #judaism "attending church on Sunday mornings and synagogue on Friday nights" - "I always wanted to believe something... there's a fundamental urge most humans have to connect with the divine... #spirituality of some kind... the problem was I didn't believe in anything" - Connecting with religious songs, prayer, rituals about forgiveness & bettering yourself... - Being told "just believe"... "I don't know how to do that!" - "I believe things if I see evidence for them... if I have some reason" - A scientifically curious kid - "The way I relate to the world... is through evidence" - "I don't fundamentally grasp the concept of choosing your perceptions... choosing your beliefs. I don't think I can do that" - Ontological & epistemological naturalism - "I haven't had a spiritual experience... I assume I would write it off as something explainable through psychology and physics... but I can't say for certain" - Enrolling in a #theology seminary school after graduating in physics: "wanting to understand religion... why people believe in things... I dropped out after 6 months" - "I've done everything... went to every service... went to seminary... I did all the things and still god has not appeared to me in any way... I was a little bit jealous... that certainty, that feeling of peace... you are loved by the most powerful being in the cosmos... that sounds really cool... sign me up" - "I could follow all the rules... I couldn't believe" ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!

Shohini Ghose is a professor of quantum science at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is also the founder and director of Laurier's Centre for Women in Science (WinS) and an NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. In this episode, she takes Lauren and Colin on a journey into the subatomic realm to explore concepts like entanglement, superposition, and her personal favourite quantum quandary: uncertainty. She explains how ideas in quantum science can translate to questions of identity, and how that drives her efforts to improve equity and diversity in science. She also thoughtfully answers questions submitted by elementary school students, and provides a sneak peek into the topics of her upcoming book. Learn more about the her work in equity and diversity with these online resources from WinS: laurierwins.medium.com. View the episode transcript here. We are looking for feedback about our audience's preferences as we chart the path forward. Please take a few minutes and fill out our podcast listener survey. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Pedro Vieira is a faculty member at Perimeter Institute, where he holds the Clay Riddell Paul Dirac Chair in Theoretical Physics. In this episode, he tells Lauren and Colin about his work on a kind of uber-theory that encompasses all quantum field theories, as well as what separates the easy and hard problems in this field. It's a complicated topic to be sure, but Vieira is a master of explaining complex topics with relatable examples and anecdotes – something Lauren discovered as a student when she took a course he taught. “Pedro takes some of those same concepts from graduate courses, but he paints some amazing non-technical pictures for us,” says Lauren. “No mathematical background required!” He explains why the universe might be a hologram and why, from a theoretical physics perspective, a messy bedroom can be a good thing. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Ganapathy Baskaran is an acclaimed physicist known for his foundational contributions to condensed matter physics, strongly correlated quantum materials, and high-temperature superconductivity. He is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai, India, and a Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at Perimeter. He is also a masterful storyteller who, in this episode, tells Lauren and Colin about his upbringing in India, the people who inspire him, and his time in the developing world. Baskaran reflects on a lifetime of exploring some of nature's most fundamental mysteries, and discusses the similarities and differences that he sees between condensed matter physics and biology. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate ----more---- Baskaran expresses deep gratitude for the people who helped him on his journey, like his high school math teacher, Mr. S.V. Savarimuthu, and his English teacher, Rev. Fr. K.S. Arulanandam, S.J. Baskaran also reached out after our recorded conversation to extend his thanks to others who have impacted his career, including Dr. Rajaram Nityananda, a contemporary graduate student (from National Aeronautical Laboratory, Bangalore) during his PhD days in Bangalore. “Rajaram is one of the most selfless persons I have ever met,” says Baskaran. It was Rajaram who introduced Baskaran to seminal work by P.W. Anderson, a later collaborator of Baskaran's.  “In 1977, H.R. Krishnamurthy arrived from Cornell and explained to us the intricacies of the Kondo phenomenon, valence fluctuation, and how to understand them using the quantum RG approach (built on Anderson's poor man's scaling theory) that Krishnamurthy, Wilkinson, and Wilson had just developed. Anderson's masterly role in modern condensed matter physics was manifest. Strong correlation physics, including Mott insulators, was in the air,” Baskaran says.  Later in his career, Baskaran worked with professors who played a “lifting role” in his life, including R. Rajaraman, G. Rajasekaran, and Erio Tosatti. “I am thankful to my school, college, teachers, friends, my family, my mom Leelavathy, my dad Ganapathy, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, my wife Whiterose, my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren.”

Nicole Yunger Halpern reenvisions 19th-century thermodynamics for the 21st century, using the mathematical toolkit of quantum information theory. She is a fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), a theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland. She is also the author of Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's Tomorrow, a book that blends the topic of quantum thermodynamics with the steampunk genre of art and literature, juxtaposing a Victorian aesthetic with futuristic technologies. She tells co-hosts Lauren and Colin about the inspirations behind her work – scientific and artistic – and explains how fundamental ideas in quantum information theory are reshaping science and technology. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Dustin Lang is a computational scientist at Perimeter Institute who develops techniques for finding needles in the cosmic haystack. He works on several large sky survey projects, tackling the statistical data analysis required to discern meaningful insights from huge datasets gathered by telescopes. In this conversation with Lauren and Colin, he shares his experiences mapping galaxies with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), and hunting for mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs) with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). He explains how he and his colleagues employ software solutions to expand capabilities of hardware telescopes, the challenges he has encountered in radio versus optical astronomy, and the important role of chicken wire at CHIME. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Savas Dimopoulos is an influential particle physicist based at Stanford University, who also holds the Coril Holdings Archimedes Visiting Chair in Theoretical Physics at Perimeter Institute. He worked at CERN during the 1990s, and was featured in Particle Fever, a 2013 documentary about the hunt for the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider. In this episode, he talks with Lauren and Colin about how he approaches the grand, open questions that keep him up at night – including two particularly fundamental questions about the universe that he feels still need explaining. Dimopoulos also discusses how particle physics and collider experiments have evolved throughout his career, what motivated him to become a physicist, and why he has never looked back. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Lee Smolin is a founding faculty member at Perimeter Institute and one of the world's best-known voices in theoretical physics. He is a co-founder of loop quantum gravity, together with Abhay Ashtekar and Carlo Rovelli. Smolin is also the author of numerous popular science books, including The Trouble with Physics, The Life of the Cosmos, and Einstein's Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum. In this conversation with Lauren and Colin, Smolin shares his philosophical outlook on quantum mechanics and argues that it is not a final theory, but rather points us in the direction of a new understanding of nature. He also discusses what motivates his popular writing, his challenges with Parkinson's disease, and how that struggle has shaped his perspectives in recent years. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

The universe is expanding faster and faster all the time, and Jessie Muir wants to understand why. Muir is a postdoctoral researcher at Perimeter Institute and a member of the international Dark Energy Survey (DES) collaboration. She co-leads the DES analysis team that seeks to understand the mysterious dark energy driving the universe's accelerating expansion by analyzing galaxy clustering and weak lensing. In this episode, she chats with Lauren and Colin about her work at the intersection of theory and experiment – and how drawing science-themed cartoons helps her grasp and share complex topics in captivating, accessible ways. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter's educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Renowned physicist Neil Turok, Holder of the Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh, joins me to discuss the state of science and the universe. Neil Turok has been director emeritus of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics since 2019. He specializes in mathematical physics and early-universe physics, including the cosmological constant and a cyclic model for the universe. He has written several books including Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang and The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos. Topics Include: Discussion of Niels Books The life and discoveries of James Clerk Maxwell and Michael Faraday What's wrong with physics today? Fundamental laws of the Universe in equations. Existential Questions on the meaning of life, advice to his former self, and things he's changed his mind on.  Make sure to watch the video for Neil's PowerPoint slides here:  Connect with Brian Keating:

I want to make you dizzy.   I want to make you look up into the sky and comprehend, maybe for the first time, the darkness that lies beyond the evanescent wisp of the atmosphere, the endless depths of the cosmos, a desolation by degrees   These two lines begin an incredible poem called “Disorientation”... by Katie Mack.   Did you feel dizzy reading it? I did. I do!   What is the universe? Where did it come from? What was here before it? How long has it lasted? How long will it last? How could it ... end?   Do you remember being a little kid and it maybe suddenly hitting you that there was this overwhelming gigantic thing we were a part of that was almost too vast to even comprehend? I feel like a lot of us have that feeling. Sort of reminds me of this super-short clip from Annie Hall where 8-year old Alvy Singer is taken to the doctor by his mother because the vastness of the cosmos has suddenly hit him.   Why isn't he doing his homework? "What's the point?" he concludes.   That's one reaction. But if you're Katie Mack growing up in California you run the other way. You pick up a book called A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and continue chasing these near-impossible questions and just never, never stop. Katie kept asking these questions through her undergrad in Physics at CalTech and her PhD in Astrophysics from Princeton before she launched into even more fascinating work like, no big deal, building a dark matter detector.   Today Dr Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology -- i.e., the study of the universe from beginning to end. Her wonderful, recent bestselling book The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) is a New York Times bestseller and goes through a very helpful history of the universe before exploring a number of different ways the universe might end. At times complex, but often (thankfully) accessible, reading her book is like hanging out with a really, really smart friend, illuminating what is going on up there.   Since June 2022, Katie is the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. This is a relatively new institute based in Waterloo, Canada, and it's where Katie does research on dark matter and the early universe and engages in conversations, like the one we are having today, to make physics more accessible to the general public. So: she does podcasts! And: she's extremely viral! I highly recommend you join the 426,367 people who currently follow her on Twitter @AstroKatie.   Let's talk big puzzles, time, malleable fabric, wordplay, living on mars, the possibility of alien life, "colonizing" space, Katie's 3 most formative books, and much, much more.   This is a mind expanding conversation. You'll hear me playing catch-up the whole time. Not sure I ever caught up, or ever will, but Katie is a gift to the world.   Let's flip the page into Chapter 112 now…   What You'll Learn: Where are we in the universe? What is the true definition of time? How does time work? Do calendars reflect time? How do we define the future? Is there other life in the universe? What is a back-up book? Why is the term colonization wrong for space? Is astrology a science? What is the smallest scale of measurement in the universe? What is the largest scale of measurement in the universe? What is the unobservable universe?   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/112   Leave us a voicemail. Your message may be included in a future chapter: 1-833-READ-A-LOT.     Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list    3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter discusses the 3 most formative books of one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Angie Thomas, Cheryl Strayed, Rich Roll, Soyoung the Variety Store Owner, Derek the Hype Man, Kevin the Bookseller, Vishwas the Uber Driver, Roxane Gay, David Mitchell, Vivek Murthy, Mark Manson, Seth Godin, Judy Blume and Quentin Tarantino. 3 Books is published on the lunar calendar with each of the 333 chapters dropped on the exact minute of every single new moon and every single full moon all the way up to 5:21 am on September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and is 100% non-profit with no ads, no sponsors, no commercials, and no interruptions. 3 Books has 3 clubs including the End of the Podcast Club, the Cover to Cover Club, and the Secret Club, which operates entirely through the mail and is only accessible by calling 1-833-READ-A-LOT. Each chapter is hosted by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc. For more info check out: https://www.3books.co

Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif --- Our guest this week is the time traveling, super imaginative theoretical physicist Nicole Yunger Halpern with an explosive, super mind-bending, steam train chugging, atom smashing idea ripped straight from her new book: QUANTUM STEAMPUNK. Nicole asks, What the IF... The Victorians had become proficient in quantum science and used it in their technology? Get your cosplay game in full gear, throw on your steampipe top hat and your aviator goggles and let's find out what happens when steam and PUNK collide... for SCIENCE! Follow Nicole on Twitter @nicoleyh11 And check out her awesome book at https://quantumsteampunk.umiacs.io/book/ Nicole Yunger Halpern is a Fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), a theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland. Nicole earned her Bachelors at Dartmouth College, where she graduated as a co-valedictorian of her class. As a Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) student, she completed her master's at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Nicole earned her physics PhD under John Preskill's auspices at the Caltech. Her PhD dissertation won the international Ilya Prigogine Prize for a thermodynamics PhD thesis. As an ITAMP Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard, she received the International Quantum Technology Emerging Researcher Award. Nicole is the author of the book [Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's Tomorrow](https://quantumsteampunk.umiacs.io/book/). She has also written over 100 monthly articles for [Quantum Frontiers](https://quantumfrontiers.com/author/nyungerhalpern/), the blog of Caltech's Institute for Quantum Information and Matter. --- Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! Don't miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby