Cosmic Queries – Fixing Physics with Sabine Hossenfelder

About This Episode

Can a whole universe fit inside a black hole? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Paul Mecurio explore grand unification theory, black holes, the collapse of the wave function, and other problems in physics with theoretical physicist and author of Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions, Sabine Hossenfelder. 

Should science yield elegant answers? We discuss the halt in progress in foundational physics and the science community’s obsession with symmetry. What do you do when your life’s work turns out to be wrong? We dive into patron questions like: what do we gain by taking more detailed measurements of the cosmic microwave background? Learn about the B-mode and dark matter research.

Does our consciousness collapse the wave function? Find out about the observer effect in quantum mechanics. Does quantum mechanics play a role in consciousness? Does time exist within a black hole? We explore whether wormholes are one-way, and who could possibly be inside of a black hole. What’s the difference between proper time and coordinate time? 

Are there other universes inside black holes? Discover the shape of the multiverse and cosmological natural selection. Could it be that the most successful universes have the most black holes? When is it time to give up on an idea? What is dark matter? Is it a particle or is it modified gravity? What would be the best way for the universe to be destroyed? All that, plus, could the Big Bang be the result of another universe getting extruded through a black hole? 

Thanks to our Patrons Frederick DesCamps, Devon, Sunny Irving, Michael Gessner, and jack50 for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.

About the prints that flank Neil in this video:
“Black Swan” & “White Swan” limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.