The Power of Probability with Alex Cosoi

About This Episode

What is the probability of our existence? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly learn about the probabilities all around us, the idea of risk, and how they factor into our own security in the digital age with cybersecurity expert Alex Cosoi.

Are we hardwired to understand probabilities? We explore how our gap in understanding leads to common misconceptions, from gambling habits to conspiracy theories around lotteries. Learn about the time a physicist conference went to Las Vegas and wasn’t invited back. From survival patterns to why we see lions lurking in the grass when none are there, Neil explains how evolution makes us err on the side of caution. Why is probability, a fundamental branch of math, still not prioritized in schools? We run through the timeline of the different branches of math. When did humans start taking averages? 

What is the probability of you being born? We explore the probabilities of life and the statistics you overcome just to exist. We break down the idea of risk and why humans have a hard time wrapping our heads around it. How has the idea of risk changed in the digital age? 

Cosoi shares insights from years on the cybersecurity front lines, including work with Interpol, and the tactics scammers use, from hacking passwords to creating fake concert tickets. We also get the lowdown on avoiding online threats—why complex passwords might not actually be the best strategy, and why your face or voice recognition software may not be foolproof against hackers in the age of deepfakes. Plus, Chuck throws in his own “patent-pending” password protection ideas!

Thanks to our Patrons Ben Jackson, James Hall, XYZ, Rick Reyes, Brian Gilstrap, Jeffrey Silva, Simon Schwartz, Lori Thomas, Sally Sapp, Alberto.p, Kenneth W Miller, Richard Hart, Patience, Brent Fraliex, 4 Light Years Away, Michele Raiola, Tess Gleason, Connie Schreiber, Metthew Tucker, Hickory Ogle, and Aldeeep for supporting us this week.

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