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• Einstein's equations and the enigma of wormholes | Janna Levin

  Quantum wormholes are mathematically possible — but might also be physically impossible. Physicist Janna Levin explains the wormhole paradox. Theoretical cosmologist Janna Levin challenges long-held assumptions about the behavior of black holes, information conservation, and the fundamental nature of space, time, and gravity. She uses black holes to explore the physical feasibility of wormholes: theoretical passages or tunnel-like structures that connect separate points in spacetime. Stephen Hawking proposed that black holes emit energy via quantum particles, causing them to eventually evaporate and challenge the conservation of information. The holographic principle suggests that information is encoded on a black hole's surface, addressing the information paradox. Levin metaphorically likens black holes to embroidery, woven from quantum threads. Her quantum perspective has profound implications, potentially altering our understanding of gravity and spacetime's fundamental nature — even questioning our pursuit of a theory of everything. -------------------- -------------------10:23-26 ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• How to detect a scam supplement (3 easy tests) | Dr. Jen Gunter

  “The truth is there are very few supplements that have good evidence-based medicine to support them.” Supplements and vitamins constantly go viral with claims that they can transform your health just by integrating these pills into your daily routine. But before you add to cart, take a pause and make sure you’re buying exactly what you think you are. In the US, supplement companies can’t explicitly claim to cure, treat, or prevent a disease. So how can you know which ones are legit, and which ones might just be a money grab?Besides being potentially ineffective and a waste of money, some supplements have been shown to contain heavy metal, fungi, or even mold contaminants, and others contain just a fraction of what they claim to.OB/GYN and bestselling author Dr. Jen Gunter says that you can easily discern snake oil salesmen from legitimate supplements grounded in good science with these 3 tips. About Dr. Jen Gunter:I am an OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician. I write a lot about sex, science, and social media, but sometimes I write about other things because, well, why not?I’ve been called Twitter’s resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB/GYN, and one of the fiercest advocates for women’s health. I have devoted my professional life to caring for women.I’m here to build a better medical Internet. You can’t be empowered about your health if you have incorrect information. I got interested in online snake oil and dubious science when my own children were born extremely prematurely. I found separating the facts from the fiction difficult and I am a doctor, so I started thinking if this is hard for me how does everyone else manage? It put the bad information that my own patients were bringing into the office in perspective. I know people sit up late at night Googling things and fall down rabbit holes of misinformation because I’ve been there! Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ------------------ ------------------10:23-31 ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The history of natural selection, in 7 minutes | Paul Nurse

  “The idea of evolution by natural selection is, for me, probably the most beautiful idea in biology.” Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection did more than explain evolution, it revealed how complexity can emerge without a designer. Nobel laureate Paul Nurse unpacks Darwin’s insights, from the logic of tiny differences to the profound impacts these variations have on our understanding of life. Nurse explores the deep genetic connections linking all organisms, from humans to gorillas to yeast. This shared ancestry, he argues, reframes how we think about responsibility: If all life is related, what do we owe to the living world? 0:00 The most beautiful idea in biology 0:15 Evolution and the mechanism 0:48 Darwin’s 5-year voyage 2:45 Red coat vs yellow coat 4:22 The consequences of evolution 6:15 The similarity of living things ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Paul Nurse: Paul Nurse, Ph.D, is a British biochemist. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Leland H. Hartwell and R. Timothy Hunt for their discoveries regarding cell cycle regulation by cyclin and cyclin dependent kinases. He became Rockefeller University's ninth president in 2003. -------------------- -------------------10:23-31 ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Would you survive a week in Ancient Rome? | Mary Beard: Full Interview

  "One of the ways you can see the Roman Empire is it's the worldwide web of its day." What did it really mean to live in Ancient Rome? Not as an emperor, but as an ordinary person navigating daily life? Classicist Mary Beard says that the truth would surprise us, challenging our myths about the empire. Ancient Rome emerges as a complex, uneven, often uncomfortable prototype of globalization. Roads were designed for conquest more than convenience. Sex, trade, and culture operated under systems of inequality. And yet, across the Ancient Roman empire, ideas and identities moved faster than we might think. 00:12 How did ancient Rome connect continents? 03:06 What kind of ideas traveled along Roman roads? 06:10 Anchovy-stuffed mice or stone-stuffed bread? 11:05 What was sex like in ancient Rome? Is it as wild as the movies? 15:11 What were the Romans doing in terms of money and trade? 20:23 What about war and the military? 26:37 What can we learn from ancient Rome? 31:13 What drew you to study this particular period in history? 34:37 In the age of information, how should we record history? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Mary Beard: Winifred Mary Beard, OBE, FBA, FSA is an English Classical scholar. She is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Newnham College, and Royal Academy of Arts professor of ancient literature. She is also the classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement, and author of the blog, "A Don's Life," which appears in The Times as a regular column. Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist. ------------------------------10:23-31 ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• America’s mass spiral of self-censorship | The Dilemma Ep. 1

  Americans no longer feel safe to speak their minds. The levels of self-silencing in the country rival that of Mccarthyism in the late 1940s – or higher, says research scientist Todd Rose. Our social trust is non-existent, so much so that many are opting out of sharing their opinions altogether, making way for those at the extremes to be the dominant voices. But just because the most vocal want something, doesn’t mean that the rest of the country shares this ideology. In fact, our brains mistake this extremist noise for consensus, reinforcing the lie that this is what we must believe. Here’s why this social silence must be changed. Why it's healthy to invite in other points of view – even if they differ from yours. This is The Dilemma with Irshad Manji, a series from Big Think created in partnership with Moral Courage College. About Irshad Manji: Irshad Manji is an award-winning educator, author, and advocate for moral courage and diversity of thought. As the founder of Moral Courage College, she equips people to engage in honest conversations across lines of difference. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes -------------------- --------------------10:23-31 ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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