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Will Kinney on Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

Cosmologist and physics professor Will Kinney discusses his book, An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe. Kinney considers what happened before the primordial fire of the Big Bang. What is the origin of structure in the cosmos? Can we come to terms with the possibility that our entire observable universe…

Daniel Dennett on the Mysteries of the Mind

Philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett discusses his new memoir, I’ve Been Thinking, about the dominant themes of twentieth-century philosophy and cognitive science—including language, evolution, logic, religion, free will, consciousness, and artificial intelligence. Dennett’s book, I’ve Been Thinking, is available for purchase now. Daniel C. Dennett is a philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist. He is…

Aomawa Shields on Life on Other Planets

Astronomer and astrobiologist Dr. Aomawa Shields discusses her latest book, Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe. The book charts her life as an astronomer, classically-trained actor, mother, and Black woman in STEM, searching for life in the universe while building a meaningful life here on Earth. Dr. Shields…

Sara Manning Peskin on the Deepest Mysteries of our Brains

Neurologist Sara Manning Peskin discusses her book, A Molecule Away From Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain, about how the very molecules that allow us to exist can also sabotage our minds. Dr. Peskin recounts gripping tales of unruly molecules and the diseases that form in their wake. A college student cannot remember if she…

Thomas Hertog on the Origin of Time

Cosmologist and close collaborator of Stephen Hawking, Thomas Hertog discusses his book, On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory, a look at the intellectual superstar’s final thoughts on the cosmos. Hertog offers a striking new vision of the universe’s birth that will profoundly transform the way we think about our place in the…

Nicholas Humphrey on the Invention of Consciousness

Neuropsychologist Nicholas Humphrey talks about his book, Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness. He tackles the hard problem of consciousness, Phenomenal Consciousness vs. Cognitive Consciousness, and Identity Theory, while providing insight into his theory of consciousness and the experiments conducted throughout his career. He also shares his thoughts on if AI will ever be conscious and…

Michio Kaku on Quantum Supremacy

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku discusses his new book, Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything. He explores how quantum computing may eventually illuminate the deepest mysteries of science and solve some of humanity’s biggest problems, like global warming, world hunger, and incurable disease. Purchase the book today: https://bit.ly/3oT67vi Michio Kaku is a…

Saleem Ali on Natural Laws and Human Life

Saleem Ali discusses his sweeping, globally integrative new book, Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life. Earthly Order explores patterns of deep structural linkages between natural order and human-constructed order, between the environment and society; it shows how natural laws operate at all levels of the majestic hierarchy of human existents, from the quantum…

Tim Palmer on Doubt: From Quantum Physics to Climate Change

Tim Palmer discusses his new book, The Primacy of Doubt: From Quantum Physics to Climate Change, How the Science of Uncertainty Can Help Us Understand Our Chaotic World. In it, he challenges conventional wisdom on quantum mechanics, free will, and more. Order The Primacy of Doubt now. Tim Palmer is a Royal Society Research Professor…

Manil Suri on How to Build the Universe with Math

Mathematician Manil Suri talks about about his insightful new book, The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math. He explores if math describes the universe or creates it, what “nothing” mean to a mathematician, and if all mathematically consistent systems create universes. He also tackles arithmetic, geometry, algebra, patterns, physics,…

Sean Carroll on the Biggest Ideas in the Universe

Sean Carroll talks about about his terrific new book, The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion. He also dives into the importance of equations in popular science writing, conservation, Noether’s Theorem, the mechanics of space, the nature of time, black holes, gravity, and many other topics. Order The Biggest Ideas in the…

Anil Seth on a New Science of Consciousness

Anil Seth, professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, discusses his new theory about how we experience the world and the self. He talks about the “real problem” of consciousness, measuring consciousness, and the brain as a Predictive Perception Machine. Seth’s book, Being You: A New Science of Consciousness, is available…