Scientists Daniel and Kelly cannot stop talking about our amazing, wonderful, weird Universe! Each episode is a fun, easy-to-understand, and in-depth explanation of topics in science, from particles to black holes to moon colonies to ecosystems to parasites and everything else in the Universe!
…
continue reading
Content provided by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
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Cumrun Vafa: Puzzles to Unravel the Universe (2020)
Manage episode 443029211 series 2994598
Content provided by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
Is string theory actually science?
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?
I had the pleasure of discussing this with none other than Cumrun Vafa! Cumrun is a 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 whether we should trust string theory, fine-tuning, and the message he'd put into a billion-year time capsule. We also talked about his book Puzzles to Unravel the Universe.
Tune in to learn about string theory!
Key Takeaways:
- 00:00:00 Intro
- 00:01:20 Judging a book by its cover
- 00:03:35 What is a puzzle versus a mystery?
- 00:06:06 Black hole entropy
- 00:08:12 Godel's Theorem: Are some puzzles not solvable?
- 00:12:04 Is string theory actually science?
- 00:17:15 Dimensional analysis
- 00:21:15 Singularities
- 00:28:31 ADS and 5 dimensions
- 00:30:48 String theory
- 00:34:49 Supersymmetry
- 00:40:22 On religion
- 00:52:45 A scorecard for physics
- 00:55:21 What would your "ethical will" be?
- 01:02:50 What have you accomplished that once seemed impossible?
- 01:06:30 Outro
Additional resources:
➡️ Learn more about Cumrun Vafa:
📚 Puzzles to Unravel the Universe: https://a.co/d/iWnNDup
💻 Cumrun’s website: https://www.cumrunvafa.org/
➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:
✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating
🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1
📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list
✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/
🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast
✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw
Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.
Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
467 episodes
Share
Manage episode 443029211 series 2994598
Content provided by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Brian Keating and Big Bang Productions Inc. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
Is string theory actually science?
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?
I had the pleasure of discussing this with none other than Cumrun Vafa! Cumrun is a 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 whether we should trust string theory, fine-tuning, and the message he'd put into a billion-year time capsule. We also talked about his book Puzzles to Unravel the Universe.
Tune in to learn about string theory!
Key Takeaways:
- 00:00:00 Intro
- 00:01:20 Judging a book by its cover
- 00:03:35 What is a puzzle versus a mystery?
- 00:06:06 Black hole entropy
- 00:08:12 Godel's Theorem: Are some puzzles not solvable?
- 00:12:04 Is string theory actually science?
- 00:17:15 Dimensional analysis
- 00:21:15 Singularities
- 00:28:31 ADS and 5 dimensions
- 00:30:48 String theory
- 00:34:49 Supersymmetry
- 00:40:22 On religion
- 00:52:45 A scorecard for physics
- 00:55:21 What would your "ethical will" be?
- 01:02:50 What have you accomplished that once seemed impossible?
- 01:06:30 Outro
Additional resources:
➡️ Learn more about Cumrun Vafa:
📚 Puzzles to Unravel the Universe: https://a.co/d/iWnNDup
💻 Cumrun’s website: https://www.cumrunvafa.org/
➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:
✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating
🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1
📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list
✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/
🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast
✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw
Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.
Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
467 episodes
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Similar to Into the Impossible With Brian Keating
Scientists Daniel and Kelly cannot stop talking about our amazing, wonderful, weird Universe! Each episode is a fun, easy-to-understand, and in-depth explanation of topics in science, from particles to black holes to moon colonies to ecosystems to parasites and everything else in the Universe!
…
continue reading
How can we, humans, look at our relationship to nature differently? In season three of Going Wild, on top of stories about animals, we invite you to journey through the entire ecological web — from the tiniest of life forms to apex predators — alongside the scientists, activists and adventurers who study it. Wildlife biologist and host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant has been studying wild animals in their natural habitats all over the world for years. Our award-winning podcast takes you inside the hidde ...
…
continue reading
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continue reading
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…
continue reading
Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.
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continue reading
Artificial Intelligence has suddenly gone from the fringes of science to being everywhere. So how did we get here? And where's this all heading? In this new series of Science Friction, we're finding out.
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continue reading
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