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.)
Episodes
Mentioned books
10 snips
Feb 18, 2016 • 35min
Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last
Scientists celebrate the first direct detection of ripples in space-time and the thrilling September 2015 chirp that made it real. The conversation explores how kilometer-scale interferometers measure unimaginably tiny distortions and the long history of skepticism and clever fixes. Alternative ideas about black holes called fuzzballs and their implications for information and horizons are also highlighted.
Feb 11, 2016 • 25min
Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life
Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target. The post Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Feb 4, 2016 • 26min
New Clues to How the Brain Maps Time
The same brain cells that track location in space appear to also count beats in time. The research suggests that our thoughts may take place on a mental space-time canvas. The post New Clues to How the Brain Maps Time first appeared on Quanta Magazine
18 snips
Jan 28, 2016 • 34min
Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time
Strange quantum links that tie together different moments in time, not just places. Experiments mimic spatial entanglement using sequential measurements and detectors that sweep frequencies. Schemes for time-locked encryption and time capsules are explored. Ideas about indefinite causal order and putting gravity into superposition hint that spacetime itself might emerge from correlations.
Jan 14, 2016 • 30min
Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse
Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field. The post Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse first appeared on Quanta Magazine
8 snips
Dec 17, 2015 • 31min
Math Quartet Joins Forces on Unified Theory
A tight-knit quartet of mathematicians blends geometry and number theory to tackle the Langlands program. Their long friendship and cross-disciplinary conversations turned a 2014 idea into a major proof about L-functions. The show then shifts to Yitang Zhang’s surprising breakthrough on bounded prime gaps and the clever sieve tweak that shook number theory.
Dec 10, 2015 • 30min
The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome
Nature offers species a panoply of ways to determine an organism’s sex. That flexibility suggests we need not be concerned about losing sex chromosomes, but it raises the question of why such a fundamental property is so variable. The post The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Nov 26, 2015 • 34min
Nature’s Critical Warning System
Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth’s climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes? The post Nature’s Critical Warning System first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Nov 19, 2015 • 37min
How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains
Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain. The post How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Nov 12, 2015 • 30min
Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life
A newly discovered class of microbe could help to resolve one of the biggest and most controversial mysteries in evolution — how simple microbes transformed into the complex cells that produced animals, plants and fungi. The post Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine
