Why This Universe?

Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

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.

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115 episodes
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Episodes115

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Jul 3, 2023 · 25 min
66 - When Space Was Filled With Music
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. Support the show
May 22, 2023 · 42 min
65 - Should We Build a Muon Collider? (Ft. Cari Cesarotti)
Special guest Cari Cesarotti tells us why so many particle physicists are itching to build a whole new type of particle collider. Support the show
May 8, 2023 · 30 min
64 - The Journey to the Big Bang
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. To get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Apr 17, 2023 · 50 min
63 - The Question of Consciousness (Ft. David Chalmers)
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. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Mar 27, 2023 · 28 min
47 - Boltzmann Brains: Could Reality Be An Illusion? (Rebroadcast)
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. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Mar 13, 2023 · 24 min
62 - JWST and the Earliest Galaxies in the Universe (ft. Mike Boylan-Kolchin)
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? To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Feb 27, 2023 · 23 min
61 - Could the Large Hadron Collider Destroy the World?
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? Support the show
Feb 13, 2023 · 23 min
60 - The Search for Extra Dimensions
Learn how extra dimensions of space might appear to us, and what physicists have done to try to find them. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Jan 9, 2023 · 40 min
59 - The End of Everything (Ft. Katie Mack)
Special guest Katie Mack talks to us about how the universe might end. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Dec 12, 2022 · 14 min
58 - The Risks of Science Populism
In today's different type of episode, we talk about the risks of a subtle kind of scientific misinformation. Support the show
Nov 21, 2022 · 24 min
57 - String Theory Part 3: Duality
This episode will hurt your brain, or your money back. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Nov 7, 2022 · 28 min
56 - An Icy Neutrino Interruption
We interrupt our regular episodes to cover the exciting new discovery that the IceCube Neutrino Observatory announced on November 3rd, 2022. To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Oct 24, 2022 · 28 min
55 - String Theory Part 2: The First Superstring Revolution
We pick up the story of string theory and explore the explosion of interest it experienced in the mid 1980s. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Oct 3, 2022 · 25 min
54 - String Theory Part 1: What Is It?
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. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Sep 12, 2022 · 28 min
53 - Why We Need a Theory of Quantum Gravity
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. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Aug 22, 2022 · 28 min
52 - The Large Hadron Collider and All Its Glory
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? For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Aug 1, 2022 · 23 min
51 - Why Physicists Love Smashing Particles Together
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. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Jul 11, 2022 · 31 min
50 - The Black Hole At the Center of the Milky Way
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! For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
Jun 27, 2022 · 25 min
49 - When the Universe Changed in an Instant
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. For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
May 23, 2022 · 25 min
48 - A Wrong Picture Of Cosmology
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. Support the show