The Quanta Podcast

Quanta Magazine

Exploring the distant universe, the insides of cells, the abstractions of math, the complexity of information itself, and much more, The Quanta Podcast is a tour of the frontier between the known and the unknown. In each episode, Quanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math. Quanta specifically covers fundamental research — driven by curiosity, discovery and the overwhelming desire to know why and how. Join us every Tuesday for a stimulating conversation about the biggest ideas and the tiniest details.

(If you've been a fan of the Quanta Science Podcast, it will continue here. You'll see those episodes marked as audio edition episodes every two weeks.)

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355 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes355

Newest first

April 28 · 27 min
Quantum Mechanics Might Be a Secret Key to Secure Communication
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have been named the winners of the A.M. Turing Award, one of the highest honors in computing, for their work establishing the foundations of quantum information theory.
April 21 · 26 min
Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope?
For decades, physicists have engaged in bitter back-and-forths over whether string theory is worth studying. The “string wars” aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
April 16 · 13 min
Audio Edition: New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder
A recent mathematical breakthrough may help inspire more realistic models for how electrons behave in semiconductors.
April 14 · 23 min
One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines
Each pore into the nucleus is guarded by a jumble of proteins. These molecular bouncers work together to determine which VIPs are allowed into the most exclusive organelle of the cell.
April 7 · 28 min
The Fundamental Tension at the Heart of Math
The computer program Lean might revolutionize mathematics. But might it also erode conceptual and ideological diversity?
April 2 · 14 min
Audio Edition: AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work.
Artificial intelligence software is designing novel experimental protocols that work better than human physicists’, although the humans are still “doing a lot of baby-sitting.”
March 31 · 30 min
Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff?
AI breakthroughs have made humanoid robots more capable than ever. But they still struggle with everyday tasks like stairs and doors.
March 24 · 25 min
Uniting a Century of Digital and Analog Astronomy
Around the world, glass photographic plates from old telescopes are at risk. On them lies a history of our ever-changing cosmos.
March 19 · 11 min
Audio Edition: Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity
A recent paper shows that the “creativity” of certain AI may actually be a direct, inevitable consequence of how they are built.
March 17 · 26 min
Astrocytes Might Be in Charge of the Brain
Once considered merely packing peanuts for the brain, new studies suggest that large brain cells called astrocytes supervise the circuits that control brain states like hopelessness, sleep, and hunger.
March 10 · 24 min
The Infinite Heist - Part 2
The effort to change math with the concept of infinity hit several snags along the way. In the second part of a two-part episode, we pick up the story of Georg Cantor and follow the quest for the hidden truth about his most famous paper.
March 5 · 15 min
Audio Edition: The Ecosystem Dynamics That Can Make or Break an Invasion
Why do some natural habitats get overrun by invasive species while others seem to repel outside threats?
March 3 · 31 min
The Infinite Heist - Part 1
How did the concept of infinity make the leap from a blasphemous idea to a foundational principle of modern mathematics? It was a hard-fought battle, rife with pride, betrayal, and dissolution. In the first part of a two-part episode, we set the scene at the dawn of modern math.
February 24 · 30 min
Decoding the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics
At the subatomic scale, things only make sense from a quantum perspective. How do those non-intuitive rules make the leap to classical physics, the macro language of everyday life?
February 19 · 17 min
Audio Edition: Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time
At the microscopic scale, time is reversible. But when you zoom out, there is no going back. Why is this true?
February 17 · 23 min
How Animals Build a Sense of Direction
When you navigate busy streets, a set of neurons is helping to guide you. But it’s not easy to simulate mental map-building in a lab.
February 10 · 24 min
Mathematicians Want To Make Fluid Equations Glitch Out
One of the greatest challenges in math is to understand the equations that describe a river current or a breeze. Researchers are tackling the problem with a new computational approach.
February 5 · 8 min
Audio Edition: Matter vs. Force: Why There Are Exactly Two Types of Particles
In our world, all particles fall into one of two types. Fermions must keep to themselves, while bosons can behave the same way in the same place.
February 3 · 28 min
Do AI Models Agree On How They Encode Reality?
As AI models grow more powerful, they appear to be converging on how they internally represent reality.
January 27 · 26 min
Is Particle Physics Dead, Dying, or Just Hard?
In the first of our new series of curiosity-driven essays, Qualia, Columnist Natalie Wolchover asks particle physicists whether the field is facing a profound crisis.

The Quanta Podcast

Quantum Mechanics Might Be a Secret Key to Secure Communication

Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope?

Audio Edition: New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder

One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines

The Fundamental Tension at the Heart of Math

Audio Edition: AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work.

Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff?

Uniting a Century of Digital and Analog Astronomy

Audio Edition: Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity

Astrocytes Might Be in Charge of the Brain

The Infinite Heist - Part 2

Audio Edition: The Ecosystem Dynamics That Can Make or Break an Invasion

The Infinite Heist - Part 1

Decoding the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics

Audio Edition: Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time

How Animals Build a Sense of Direction

Mathematicians Want To Make Fluid Equations Glitch Out

Audio Edition: Matter vs. Force: Why There Are Exactly Two Types of Particles

Do AI Models Agree On How They Encode Reality?

Is Particle Physics Dead, Dying, or Just Hard?