Two Infinities... And Beyond (Infinity Part 2)

The Rest Is Science

Why were the ancient Greeks absolutely terrified of the infinite? How did a boundless mathematical concept start bitter historical feuds? And what happens to reality when you realise that some infinities are actually bigger than others?


Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (VSauce) plunge back into the mind-bending history of infinity, tracking the spectacular panic it caused across the centuries. From individuals trying to mathematically contain it, to others wrestling with its endless quantities, they explore how the greatest thinkers clashed over the universe's most impossible idea.


The chaos truly peaks with Georg Cantor, the man who completely broke maths by proving that infinity comes in different sizes.


Building on part one, where Hannah and Michael desperately tried to figure out if this strange beast is an actual number or just a brilliant hallucination, this second episode looks at the human cost of counting forever.


-------------------


For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠


Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.


-------------------


Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠


-------------------


Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley

Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell

Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott

Producer: Simona Rata

Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter

Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2026-03-30 48 min

Available Results

Generated results are saved to the knowledge database for reuse and search.

No generated results are available for this episode yet.

Extract Knowledge

Pick what you want extracted first. Model, scope, and chapter options appear after a template is selected.

Generated results for public episodes are saved to the knowledge database so they can be reused and searched later.

Transcript

No transcript is available for this episode yet.
Sign in to generate a transcript for review.
Sign in

Chapters

No chapters available.