Cosmic Queries – The Fabric of Spacetime

About This Episode

Is it time to rethink string theory? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore a mix of questions about the fundamental properties of the universe, particles, the speed of light and more!

Could we someday observe particles without smashing them? We take a question from a particle pacifist as well as discover why clouds stay up. Is everything actually floating? We discuss the mystery of electrons: how small are they really? We explore JWST and ponder the problem of primordial galaxies. What does this discovery change about our understanding of the universe? 

Is space an emergent property of the universe and not fundamental? Find out how quantum entanglement may weave the fabric of spacetime and why it may be time to rethink string theory. We discuss time dilation while traveling to Mars, what to do when you have an untestable hypothesis, and how Einstein tested the equivalence principle.

Why are photons always moving at the speed of light? What is time like at the speed of light? Learn about the solar neutrino problem and how neutrinos decay. We also explore the dimensionality of parallel lines and how they can, in fact, intersect. All that and more on a another Grab Bag Cosmic Queries!

Thanks to our Patrons Jagan, Stephen Abraham, Dalton Gordon, Brent C, Alexander Miller, t K, and Bob Morrison 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.