Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Latest Episodes:

Q&A with John Mather on the James Webb Space Telescope (#382) Dec 30, 2023

Show notes

The James Webb Space Telescope is a monumental step forward in our pursuit of understanding the Universe and its origins. Here today, to answer the most frequently asked questions about the telescope, is the senior project scientist himself, John Cromwell Mather!

John is an astrophysicist and cosmologist of the highest rank. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite COBE along with his colleague George Smoot. Now, he’s exploring the early Universe via the JWST.

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:13 James Webb Space Telescope
00:04:16 Why are people so fascinated with space exploration?
00:07:07 Does Webb have the potential to see small rocky planets close to us?
00:09:45 Can Webb rule out or comment on the uniformity of the universe?
00:12:14 Will the TRAPPIST-1 system be viewed by Webb?
00:14:39 Will future projects self-assemble and self-replicate?
00:15:56 Can we look at Europa?
00:20:53 Rapid fire questions
00:24:30 Advice for aspiring students
00:25:24 Outro

—

Additional resources:

➡️ Learn more about John Mather: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/mather/biographical/

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

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✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Searching for ALIENS with Sarah Rugheimer (#381) Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Remastered from our interview in October 2021.

In this otherworldly edition of Into the Impossible, I talk to renowned astrophysicist and astrobiologist Dr. Sarah Rugheimer about microscopic aliens, the Fermi paradox, the origin of life, the Drake equation, and much more!

Dr. Rugheimer is a Glasstone Research Fellow and a Hugh Price Fellow at Jesus College Oxford. Her research interests are modeling the atmosphere and climate of extrasolar planets with a particular focus on atmospheric biosignatures in Earth-like planets as well as modeling early Earth conditions. Her Audible Exclusive book Searching for Extraterrestrial Life reveals through 10 amazing lectures what we know about detecting life on other planets.

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
00:00:46 Sarah’s thoughts on the private sector space race
00:04:18 Should we look for intelligent ET or microbial life in the Universe?
00:05:56 How did you get interested in astrobiology?
00:11:28 What would be the impact of finding microbial ET?
00:15:49 What do we do about the risk of error in science?
00:20:12 What is the possibility of alternative forms of life? (not carbon-based)
00:27:34 The future and Sarah's career
00:30:14 What do you think of Avi Loeb's theories about Oumuamua?
00:40:41 The Drake Equation (Happy 60th anniversary)
00:44:45 Outro

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland: Experimental Physics Is Fun! (#380) Dec 24, 2023

Show notes

I had the pleasure of interviewing the one and only Donna Theo Strickland for our Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner series.

Donna Theo Strickland is a renowned Canadian physicist widely recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to the field of pulsed lasers. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2018 with her colleague Gérard Mourou for the practical implementation of chirped pulse amplification.

In this fun discussion between two experimental physicists, we talked about the Nobel Prize, the experimental minimum, why physics you can see is the coolest physics, lasers, pedagogy, and much more!

Tune in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
How does Donna approach pedagogy? (01:00)
What is the experimental minimum? (04:30)
How did Donna reach her scientific breakthroughs? (06:26)
What discovery won her the Nobel prize? (07:56)
Laser technology (11:28)
Gender inequality in science (15:46)
Do scientists have a moral obligation to communicate science? (19:21)
Final four existential questions (22:53)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Will AI Change Science? | Brian Keating & Cassandra Vieten (#379) Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Remastered from my discussion with Cassandra Vieten at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit.

Will AI bring us closer to the truth or further away from it? Is it changing the way we do science? And will it eventually replace teachers and professors?

I had the pleasure of discussing this with Dr. Cassandra Vieten at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit.

The AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit aimed to provide a comprehensive guide to artificial intelligence that avoids the hype and gives you the practical knowledge you can apply to your everyday life.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
AI’s role in redefining the epistemological foundations of science (00:44)
Introducing unconventional research methods (09:49)
Will AI replace human educators? (16:31)
Can AI be conscious? (20:20)
Will AI bring us closer or further away from the truth? (30:00)
AI and spiritual insights (39:35)
Outro (42:40)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gad Saad: How to Stay Resilient and Happy After the October 7 Massacre (#378) Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

The last two months have been nothing short of terrifying for the Jewish community. How can we stay happy and resilient in times like these? Is it even possible or reasonable?

Here to answer this question is none other than the happiness expert himself, Dr. Gad Saad! Dr. Saad is a marketing genius renowned for applying evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior. He is a professor at Concordia University, a behavioral scientist, and a bestselling author.

In our hopeful interview, we discuss his latest book, The Saad Truth about Happiness, and how to apply his theory of happiness in times of war. This interview was genuinely delightful in these uncertain times, so be sure to check it out!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
Why do we need another book on happiness? (01:10)
Proof that academia is the best job in the world (06:15)
Judging a book by its cover: The Saad Truth About Happiness (15:34)
Would you rather have a Nobel prize or money? (19:33)
The relativity of happiness (24:36)
How to stay resilient and happy in times of war (34:29)
The problem with social media (46:34)
Evolutionary dynamics of families and population control (55:16)
Balancing short-term pleasure with long-term happiness (1:03:31)
Outro (1:08:47)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Check out Gad Saad:

💻 Website: https://www.gadsaad.com/

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GadSaad

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avi Loeb Strikes Back! (#377) Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Today, Avi Loeb and I talk about the hottest topics in astronomy! We discuss interstellar travel, the Galileo Project expedition to the Pacific Ocean to retrieve spherules of the first recognized interstellar meteor, IM1, and alien life.

Avi is a professor of science at Harvard University, theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and cosmologist. He is also a bestselling author and a dear friend of mine. Tune in!

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

📚 Interstellar by Avi Loeb: https://a.co/d/gN18ylO

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Diamandis: Are We Moving Too Fast With AI?! (#376) Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

Remastered from our interview at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit.

In November, I had the privilege of interviewing Peter Diamandis at the AI & Your Life - The Essential Summit, which aimed to provide a comprehensive guide to artificial intelligence that avoids the hype and gives you practical knowledge you can apply to your everyday life.

Peter is a serial entrepreneur, futurist, technologist, New York Times Bestselling Author, and the founder of over 25 companies. He was recently named one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine!

In this interview, we talked about the current state of AI, where it's heading, its potential dangers, and which areas it will disrupt the most. Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
Where are we right now with AI? (02:00)
Should we fear AI? (10:09)
Are our kids prepared for the technological future? (21:33)
Opportunities, perils, and pitfalls for AI and education (26:26)
What can AI assistants do for us? (34:16)
Will there be a caste system based on digital access to AI? (44:00)
Outro (47:27)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Check out Peter Diamandis:

💻 Website: https://www.diamandis.com/

🤖 Xprize: https://www.xprize.org/

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterDiamandis

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Happened AFTER the Big Bang? Bruce Partridge (#375) Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

What happened after the Big Bang? To answer this question, I invited a true pioneer in the field of cosmic microwave background, Bruce Partridge!

Bruce Partridge is an emeritus professor of astronomy in the science department at Haverford College. He has served as an Education Officer of the American Astronomical Society, president of the Commission on Cosmology, International Astronomical Union, and President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

His research interests lie in the intersection of cosmology and radio astronomy, and he spent most of his career researching the cosmic microwave background.

Join us as we embark on a captivating journey into the early Universe!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
Judging a book by its cover (01:27)
Coupling together theory and experiment (04:18)
The discovery of the coming microwave background (07:23)
Patience and perseverance in scientific research (15:01)
Nerve gas and rabbits in Arizona (18:27)
Why we need to listen to theorists (21:05)
Inflation and the dominance of a theoretical paradigm (24:59)
The Big Bang, CMB, and the lithium abundance problem (33:33)
Bruce's philosophy of pedagogy (47:40)
Outro (52:48)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Learn more about Bruce Partridge: https://www.haverford.edu/users/bpartrid

➡️ Follow me on your favorite platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring Curiosity With Nobel Prize Winner Barry Barish (#374) Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

Remastered from our interview in May 2023

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing the Nobel Laureate, Barry Barish, for UCTV. Barry is an experimental physicist and a professor at UC Riverside. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.

In our interview, Barry reflects on his life in science, being curious, experiencing imposter syndrome, and working in the field of physics. Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
How to get over impostor syndrome (00:40)
Exploring curiosity (06:34)
The art of science (11:08)
The probability of a quantum theory of gravity (21:36)
Would Barry visit a black hole? (26:12)
Barry’s origin story (30:53)
Could we make an AI physicist? (42:19)
Outro (46:12)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Brin: Privacy, AI and the Values of a Transparent Society (#373) Dec 02, 2023

Show notes

It's no secret that almost every step we take is being tracked or recorded in some way. However, plenty of things need to be clarified about what this means for our personal freedoms and safety.

Today, David Brin, a world-renowned expert on privacy and transparency, will shed light on these complex issues weighing on our society! David is an award-winning science fiction author, technical consultant, astrophysicist, and public speaker. He helped establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UCSD and serves on the advisory board of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts group.

In our interview, we explore fascinating topics like AI, human augmentation, the origin of the Universe, privacy, and the values of a transparent society. Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
The notion of the fourth turning (04:18)
Artificial intelligence vs. augmented intelligence (12:55)
The potential for sentient AI (22:17)
Plasma cosmology and the origin of the Universe (27:50)
The most compelling theory of the origin of life (34:26)
Privacy and the values of a transparent society (40:53)
Should we raise AIs like children? (46:27)
The upcoming Artemis moon missions (51:51)
Outro (57:49)

—

Additional resources:

📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible

➡️ Check out David Brin:

📚 David Brin’s books: https://www.davidbrin.com/books.html

💻 Website: https://www.davidbrin.com/

✖️ David Brin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidbrin

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.