The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more. Part of The University of Chicago Podcast Network.
An unlikely change in the theory of quantum mechanics would lead to bizarre new conclusions. Our guest talks us through non-linear quantum mechanics, and how physicists like him are testing it.
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Quantum mechanics is full of surprises. But somehow, the theory is captured almost entirely in a single equation. Today we explore the Schrödinger equation: how it works, what it says about nature, and why it revolutionized physics.
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In the years leading up to the Large Hadron Collider turning on, the physics community was buzzing with curiosity and excitement about what they were about to discover. These moments were captured in the documentary Particle Fever, created by the particle physicist David Kaplan. On today's episode, he recounts these historic years from the perspective of both physicist and filmmaker.
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If we met aliens, could we communicate through physics? Daniel Whiteson explores this question on today's episode. For more, check out his new book, Do Aliens Speak Physics?
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In honor of Nobel prize season, we remember some people whose important work in the past has been overlooked by the Nobel committee.
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Our universe is expanding. But when physicists measure how fast this expansion rate is, they get two different answers. Hear what this crisis means from Nobel Prize winner Adam Riess.
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Adam Riess recounts the moments of his Nobel prize-winning discovery that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, powered by a mysterious energy source called dark energy.
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We answer your questions. To listen to our backlog of ask-us-anything episodes for free, head to our Patreon, or join for $3/month to submit your questions: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverse
What's it like bringing science to the most general public audiences? How do you distill complex results into short news-worthy articles without getting lost in clickbait? Today we hear the perspective of New York Times science journalist Katrina Miller.
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Quantum computing makes big promises, but how does it work? What is the real state of quantum computing today? Special guest Henry Lamm answers our questions.
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Is the world around us real, or are we living in someone's computer program?
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We hear two physicists describe their lives collecting data in remote locations, from deep underground in an active mine and from the South Pole.
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Learn how the geometry of space defies our intuition, and why it gave Einstein so much anxiety.
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Today we visit a turning point in the history of science: the discovery that the Earth is not at the center of the cosmos.
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Dan moderates a lively discussion on extraterrestrial life at the Chicago Humanities Festival.
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Where does the musical octave come from? What makes a C note a C? Why do different instruments sound different? Special guest Tim Cohen comes on to answer these questions and more.
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We tell the story of how the Universe developed large scale structure, starting from the Big Bang to today. It could have all turned out very differently, if not for some key players.
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Why This Universe hosts it's first ever live episode taping featuring guests Daniel Holz and Diana Powell. We discuss the possibility of intelligent life out in the Universe, the existential risks faced by humans on Earth, and the chance the intelligent life can persist in the Universe.
This conversation took place during the University of Chicago Podcast Network festival.
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CORRECTION: We misspeak about the time of the event in the episode, we are really on at 3-4 pm CST! Apologies!
Why This Universe is going live on October 3rd in Chicago, IL!
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While physicists overwhelmingly agree about the existence of dark matter, a select group of people aren't convinced. Instead, they believe we must be wrong about gravity, and claim we need a theory of modified gravity (MOND) instead. Recent press releases have claimed "smoking gun" evidence for this underdog theory, should we take them seriously?
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Today we are debunking the recent paper that claims our universe is much older than previously thought.
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For fun dinosaur facts and research, check out I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino-the-big-dinosaur-podcast/id960976813?ign-mpt=uo%3D4&mt=2
We are celebrating our 3 year anniversary with a throwback to one of our earliest episodes! Entanglement, wave-particle duality, and uncertainty - here's a breakdown of the weirdest and wildest things about quantum mechanics.
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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.
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.
Special guest Cari Cesarotti tells us why so many particle physicists are itching to build a whole new type of particle collider.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
Learn how extra dimensions of space might appear to us, and what physicists have done to try to find them.
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Special guest Katie Mack talks to us about how the universe might end.
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In today's different type of episode, we talk about the risks of a subtle kind of scientific misinformation.
This episode will hurt your brain, or your money back.
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We interrupt our regular episodes to cover the exciting new discovery that the IceCube Neutrino Observatory announced on November 3rd, 2022.
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We pick up the story of string theory and explore the explosion of interest it experienced in the mid 1980s.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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.
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A whirlwind of questions brings us to an odd conclusion: could reality be an illusion created by a quantum fluctuation of a brain?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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Today we attempt to break down the basics of quantum field theory - our deepest theory of physics yet.
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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?
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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?
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?
Today we dive into the world's shiny new space telescope - JWST. Learn why are physicists and astronomers are so excited about it, and what new secrets of the universe it might reveal. Keep your eye out for its launch later this week!
Can free will exist in a universe described by the laws of physics? Listen to this re-broadcast of one of our favorite episodes.
Daniel Whiteson and Jorge Cham talk to us about what science communication means to them.
Listen to their podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-daniel-and-jorge-explain-t-29862087/
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Today we unpack the latest neutrino results from Fermilab's MicroBoone experiment. Special guest Pedro Machado helps us understand what they mean for the future of neutrino research.
In honor of Nobel prize season, we remember some people whose important work in the past has been overlooked by the Nobel committee.
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The neutrino's non-zero mass is an anomaly, but one that leads to a promising new dark matter candidate - the sterile neutrino. Could this be it?
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Today we discuss neutrino oscillations - their ability to transform between different types – and the quantum mechanics that makes it possible.
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Learn about the chaotic motion that underlies even the most ordered structures, including life.
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Some physics theories are admired for being beautiful, but does that mean they are more likely to be true? Or could chasing beauty lead us astray?
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Hear why supersymmetry was special enough to win over physicists hearts, and why faith in it might be dying out.
Today we explore one of the biggest and most frustrating open problems of particle physics - the hierarchy problem.
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Learn how astronomers are using invisible particles to see what we've never seen before!
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Learn about the oldest light in the universe - the cosmic microwave background - and how it became a treasure trove of cosmological insight.
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Hear what proved to physicists that the universe started with the Big Bang - and the one person who was never convinced.
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Learn how a profound mathematical theorem relating symmetries to conservation laws is deeply woven into the physics of the universe.
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A rerun of one of our favorite episodes ever. Some physicists have considered the possibility that dark matter might not exist - and that instead, it's our theories of gravity which are wrong. Today we take a deep dive into these theories of modified gravity.
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A re-post of one of our favorite early episodes. Learn how special relativity and quantum mechanics come together to make an odd prediction about matter.
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Get our introduction to the measurement that might prove the Standard Model wrong!
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The Big Bang theory leaves us with some open questions, and the theory of inflation might have the answers.
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How many dimensions of space are there? Could there be extra dimensions that are hidden from view?
Take a deep dive into (a contender) for the most successful theory of physics ever!
Can free will exist in a universe described by the laws of physics?
Today we talk about the theoretical particle at the forefront of current research. Learn how axions might explain not one but *two* open problems in physics!
Here's what happens when we introduce quantum mechanics to one of the weirdest objects in the universe. Hint - things get hairy.
Today we talk about black holes - from their early history to their role in the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Does science get us closer to understanding what the universe is actually like, or is it just a useful tool to build technology with? Today we get philosophical and talk through this deep question!
If life in the universe survives into the far future, it will eventually come face to face with the accelerating expansion of the universe caused by dark energy. Could a hyper-advanced civilization find a way to fight it?
Today our feed is getting taken over by Brendan Drachler to bring you an episode of his show, The State of the Universe!
Science moves at an impossibly fast pace. It will leave you wondering, what is the state of the universe? Wonder no more! Learn from researchers working at the cutting edge of scientific advancement about everything from the robot takeover to the big bang only on The State of The Universe podcast.
Listen to the State of the Universe everywhere where podcasts are available. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-state-of-the-universe/id1429808898
Are there other intelligent civilizations out there, or are we alone here on Earth? And what have we done to try to find them?
What does it takes for a planet to support life? How different could extraterrestrial life be from what we see on Earth?
These theories aim to explain all of the fundamental forces (except gravity) in one neat package. How does it work?
What in the laws of physics differentiates between past and future? Is there a physical reason that time always moves forward?
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.
Some physicists have considered the possibility that dark matter might not exist - and that instead, it's our theories of gravity which are wrong. Today we take a deep dive into these theories of modified gravity.
You may have heard of the new gravitational wave discovery of September 2020. Here's everything you need to know to understand what this detection means for physics!
Get introduced to one of the most mysterious characters in physics.
Here's how a heated debate about whether our Milky Way galaxy is the entire universe led to the discovery of expanding space.
Learn how the geometry of space defies our intuition, and why it gave Einstein so much anxiety.
Dark matter has eluded physicists for years - all we know is that it's some kind of matter that doesn't interact with light. Does that sound like a black hole to you?
Entanglement, wave-particle duality, and uncertainty - here's a breakdown of the weirdest and wildest things about quantum mechanics.
We revisit some of Dan's early predictions about dark matter, and talk about the biggest dark matter ideas and experiments of the last decade.
Every time a particle of matter is made, a particle of antimatter is also made. So it seems like all matter ever created should have annihilated with antimatter, leaving behind an empty universe. But then... why is our universe filled with matter?
Learn how special relativity and quantum mechanics come together to make an odd prediction about matter.
Quantum mechanics revolutionized our understanding of the universe. But have you ever wondered how it was first discovered? What's it like to live through such a dramatic scientific moment?
Learn more about the co-hosts, what this podcast is all about, and why we are making it!
Dark matter sounds as mysterious as it is - an invisible form of matter that permeates our universe that physicists have not yet been able to detect! And yet, most physicists are extremely confident that it exists. Learn why!
