Cosmic Queries – The Biggest Ideas in the Universe with Sean Carroll

About This Episode

How does physics impact our free will? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Negin Farsad discuss quantum mechanics, parallel universes, and the theory of everything with theoretical physicist and author of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe, Sean Carroll. 

What would it mean to discover what comprises dark matter and dark energy? We discuss our theories on dark matter and how dark matter behaves. Is there such a thing as dark light? What questions keep Neil and Sean up at night? Find out about the incompatibility between gravity and quantum mechanics. 

Discover how the universe doesn’t always conserve energy. If photons lose energy as the universe expands, where does the energy go? Learn why the traditional image of an atom is wrong, superposition, and why Sean thinks there are parallel universes. We discuss the role of free will in physics. Could the laws of physics make our universe deterministic? Is there free will? Will we need another once-in-a-generation genius to come up with the theory of everything?

Discover Leiman Alpha forests and whether the Big Bang was a cosmic fart from a celestial giant. We explore quantum biology and the role that quantum mechanics plays in biological processes? What will be the next big breakthrough? Are we going to keep discovering smaller and smaller particles? And finally, is everything just physics? You might be able to guess our answer…

Thanks to our Patrons aziz astrophysics, Scott Barnett, Christopher Saal, David Rhoades, and Jenna Biancavilla 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.