Twitter: @DanHooperAstro • @shalmawegs
Site: whythisuniverse.buzzsprout.com/1162613
74 episodes
2020 to present
Average episode: 29 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Astronomy • Physics • Two Hosts
Podcaster's summary: 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.
| Episodes |
| 2023-May-22 • 42 minutes 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 |
| 2023-May-08 • 30 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2023-Apr-17 • 50 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2023-Mar-27 • 28 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2023-Mar-13 • 24 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2023-Feb-27 • 24 minutes 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 |
| 2023-Feb-13 • 24 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2023-Jan-09 • 41 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Dec-12 • 14 minutes 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 |
| 2022-Nov-21 • 24 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Nov-07 • 29 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Oct-24 • 28 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Oct-03 • 25 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Sep-12 • 28 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Aug-22 • 28 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Aug-01 • 24 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Jul-11 • 31 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Jun-27 • 25 minutes 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/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-May-23 • 25 minutes 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 |
| 2022-May-09 • 34 minutes 13 - Does Quantum Mechanics Imply a Multiverse? (Rebroadcast) 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.For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Apr-25 • 29 minutes 47 - Boltzmann Brains: Could Reality Be An Illusion? A whirlwind of questions brings us to an odd conclusion: could reality be an illusion created by a quantum fluctuation of a brain?For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Apr-04 • 25 minutes 46 - The Cosmic Rays Raining Down On Us 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?For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Mar-14 • 29 minutes 25 - Do Extra Dimensions Exist? (Rebroadcast) 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?For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Feb-28 • 39 minutes 45 - The Wide World of Exoplanets (ft. Diana Powell) 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.For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Feb-14 • 24 minutes 44 - Our Deepest Theory: Quantum Field Theory Today we attempt to break down the basics of quantum field theory - our deepest theory of physics yet.For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Jan-31 • 29 minutes 43 - Is Physics the Most Fundamental Subject? 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?For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2022-Jan-17 • 37 minutes 42 - The Signal That Could Be the Dark Matter 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?Support the show |
| 2022-Jan-03 • 24 minutes 41 - The Hubble Tension: The Biggest Fight in Astronomy (ft. Wendy Freedman) 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?Support the show |
| 2021-Dec-20 • 20 minutes 40 - How Will JWST Change Astronomy? 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!Support the show |
| 2021-Nov-29 • 29 minutes 23 - Does Physics Allow for Free Will? (Rebroadcast) Can free will exist in a universe described by the laws of physics? Listen to this re-broadcast of one of our favorite episodes.Support the show |
| 2021-Nov-15 • 27 minutes 39 - Why Do Science Communication? (ft. Daniel Whiteson and Jorge Cham) 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/Support... WTU on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Nov-01 • 17 minutes A Special Neutrino Update! (ft. Pedro Machado) 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.Support the show |
| 2021-Oct-18 • 35 minutes 38 - The Nobel Prize's Greatest Misses In honor of Nobel prize season, we remember some people whose important work in the past has been overlooked by the Nobel committee.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Oct-04 • 24 minutes 37 - How Neutrinos Might Be Hinting at Dark Matter 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?Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Sep-20 • 21 minutes 36 - The Neutrino's Quantum Superpower Today we discuss neutrino oscillations - their ability to transform between different types – and the quantum mechanics that makes it possible. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Sep-06 • 32 minutes 35 - The Chaos Underlying Everything (ft. David Grier) Learn about the chaotic motion that underlies even the most ordered structures, including life.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Aug-23 • 29 minutes 34 - Should Beauty Guide Physicists? 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?Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Aug-09 • 34 minutes 33 - Our Love Affair With Supersymmetry Hear why supersymmetry was special enough to win over physicists hearts, and why faith in it might be dying out.Support the show |
| 2021-Jul-26 • 24 minutes 32 - The Mystery of the Higgs Boson's Mass Today we explore one of the biggest and most frustrating open problems of particle physics - the hierarchy problem.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Jul-12 • 27 minutes 31 - If You Give an Astronomer a Neutrino Learn how astronomers are using invisible particles to see what we've never seen before!Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Jun-28 • 32 minutes 30 - The Oldest Picture of the Universe Learn about the oldest light in the universe - the cosmic microwave background - and how it became a treasure trove of cosmological insight.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Jun-14 • 33 minutes 29 - How the Big Bang Won the Debate About the Beginning of Time Hear what proved to physicists that the universe started with the Big Bang - and the one person who was never convinced.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-May-31 • 24 minutes 28 - How Emmy Noether Changed Physics Forever Learn how a profound mathematical theorem relating symmetries to conservation laws is deeply woven into the physics of the universe.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-May-10 • 31 minutes 12 - The Fight Between Modified Gravity and Dark Matter 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.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Apr-26 • 17 minutes 3 - What in the World is Anti-Matter? 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.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Apr-12 • 34 minutes 27 - What Does the Muon g-2 Result Mean for Physics? Get our introduction to the measurement that might prove the Standard Model wrong!Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Mar-29 • 27 minutes 26 - Did Inflation Rip Apart the Early Universe? The Big Bang theory leaves us with some open questions, and the theory of inflation might have the answers.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport... the show |
| 2021-Mar-15 • 28 minutes 25 - Could Extra Dimensions Exist? How many dimensions of space are there? Could there be extra dimensions that are hidden from view?Support the show |
| 2021-Mar-01 • 29 minutes 24 - Breaking Down the Standard Model Take a deep dive into (a contender) for the most successful theory of physics ever!Support the show |
| 2021-Feb-15 • 28 minutes 23 - Does Physics Allow for Free Will? Can free will exist in a universe described by the laws of physics? Support the show |
| 2021-Feb-01 • 20 minutes 22 - The Particle That Might Do It All (Axions!) 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!Support the show |
| 2021-Jan-18 • 29 minutes 21 - The Quantum Mechanics of Black Holes Here's what happens when we introduce quantum mechanics to one of the weirdest objects in the universe. Hint - things get hairy.Support the show |
| 2021-Jan-04 • 30 minutes 20 - Everything To Do About Black Holes Today we talk about black holes - from their early history to their role in the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics. Support the show |
| 2020-Dec-21 • 30 minutes 19 - Why Does Science Work? 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!Support the show |
| 2020-Nov-30 • 37 minutes 18 - Could a Hyper-Advanced Civilization Resist Dark Energy? 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?Support the show |
| 2020-Nov-23 • 102 minutes The State of The Universe #81 - Dr. Daniel Whiteson - The Standard Model and Its Many Quirks! 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.... |
| 2020-Nov-16 • 25 minutes 17 - Why Haven't We Met Aliens? Are there other intelligent civilizations out there, or are we alone here on Earth? And what have we done to try to find them?Support the show |
| 2020-Nov-02 • 26 minutes 16 - Where Is Life in the Universe? What does it takes for a planet to support life? How different could extraterrestrial life be from what we see on Earth?Support the show |
| 2020-Oct-19 • 25 minutes 15 - What are Grand Unified Theories? These theories aim to explain all of the fundamental forces (except gravity) in one neat package. How does it work?Support the show |
| 2020-Oct-12 • 26 minutes 14 - Why Does Time Move in One Direction? What in the laws of physics differentiates between past and future? Is there a physical reason that time always moves forward? Support the show |
| 2020-Oct-05 • 30 minutes 13 - Does Quantum Mechanics Imply a Multiverse? 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.Support the show |
| 2020-Sep-28 • 31 minutes 12 - Please Stop Emailing Dan About MOND 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.Support the show |
| 2020-Sep-21 • 27 minutes 11 - Discovery Alert! Let's Talk About Gravitational Waves 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!Support the show |
| 2020-Sep-14 • 28 minutes 10 - What is Dark Energy? Get introduced to one of the most mysterious characters in physics.Support the show |
| 2020-Sep-07 • 23 minutes 9 - Is Space Expanding? Here's how a heated debate about whether our Milky Way galaxy is the entire universe led to the discovery of expanding space.Support the show |
| 2020-Aug-31 • 23 minutes 8 - Is Space Flat or Curved? Learn how the geometry of space defies our intuition, and why it gave Einstein so much anxiety.Support the show |
| 2020-Aug-24 • 24 minutes 7 - Could Black Holes Be the Dark Matter? 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?Support the show |
| 2020-Aug-17 • 29 minutes 6 - Your Tour Through Quantum Weirdness Entanglement, wave-particle duality, and uncertainty - here's a breakdown of the weirdest and wildest things about quantum mechanics.Support the show |
| 2020-Aug-10 • 28 minutes 5 - How Dan Lost a Bet With Dark Matter 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.Support the show |
| 2020-Aug-03 • 26 minutes 4 - Where Did the Antimatter Go? 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?Support the show |
| 2020-Jul-26 • 16 minutes 3 - What in the World Is Antimatter? Learn how special relativity and quantum mechanics come together to make an odd prediction about matter.Support the show |
| 2020-Jul-20 • 32 minutes 2 - What's It Like to Discover Quantum Mechanics? 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? Support the show |
| 2020-Jul-13 • 21 minutes 1 - Why Are We So Sure About Dark Matter? 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!Support the show |
| 2020-Jul-13 • 5 minutes 0 - Welcome to Why This Universe! Learn more about the co-hosts, what this podcast is all about, and why we are making it!Support the show |