263 | Chris Quigg on Symmetry and the Birth of the Standard Model
Einstein's theory of general relativity is distinguished by its singular simplicity and beauty. The Standard Model of Particle Physics, by contrast, is a bit of a mess. So many particles and interacti...
22 Jan 20241h 26min
262 | Eric Schwitzgebel on the Weirdness of the World
Scientists and philosophers sometimes advocate pretty outrageous-sounding ideas about the fundamental nature of reality. (Arguably I have been guilty of this.) It shouldn't be surprising that reality,...
15 Jan 20241h 20min
261 | Sanjana Curtis on the Origins of the Elements
In mid-20th-century cosmology, there was a debate over the origin of the chemical elements. Some thought that they could be produced in the Big Bang, while others argued that they were made inside sta...
8 Jan 20241h 7min
260 | Ricard Solé on the Space of Cognitions
Octopuses, artificial intelligence, and advanced alien civilizations: for many reasons, it's interesting to contemplate ways of thinking other than whatever it is we humans do. How should we think abo...
1 Jan 20241h 10min
Holiday Message: Reflections on Immortality
The final Mindscape podcast of each year is devoted to a short, reflective Holiday Message. This year the theme is Immortality: whether it's an attractive idea, and whether the laws of physics and cos...
18 Dec 202355min
259 | Adam Frank on What Aliens Might Be Like
It wasn't that long ago that topics like the nature of consciousness, or the foundations of quantum mechanics, or prospects for extraterrestrial life were considered fringey and disreputable by much o...
11 Dec 20231h 18min
AMA | December 2023
Welcome to the December 2023 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Pa...
4 Dec 20233h 36min
258 | Solo: AI Thinks Different
The Artificial Intelligence landscape is changing with remarkable speed these days, and the capability of Large Language Models in particular has led to speculation (and hope, and fear) that we could ...
27 Nov 20231h 20min
