Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Latest Episodes:

The Many Worlds of Ann Druyan: Matriarch of the Cosmos (#055) Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Ann Druyan has brought the universe to millions around the world. The wife of the late Carl Sagan, Ann is a renowned science communicator and producer/writer and co-creator of the upcoming series Cosmos: Possible Worlds. She is the author of the companion book of the same name.

She is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer and producer. She co-created and wrote the 1980 TV series Cosmos with Carl Sagan, whom she later married. She also co-created, wrote, produced, and directed the follow up series, 2014’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and 2020’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds. She was also creative director for NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project and her brain waves are part of the golden record that has traveled outside our solar system.

Druyan discusses her fascinating voyage through the most mysterious phenomena in the cosmos. We discuss her family’s remarkable role as science ambassadors including not only her marriage to Carl Sagan, but her remarkable daughter Sasha Sagan who is continuing their role as the First Family of the Cosmos!

Ann talked about her and Carl’s collaboration on the original Cosmos series, their multiple books, and Voyager’s famous golden record. She also shares lessons on love, parenthood, and the importance of science communication.

In addition to her award-winning writing and directing, she has an asteroid named after her, 4970 Druyan (which is in companion orbit with asteroid 2709 Sagan).

Her brain waves were recorded onto Voyager’s golden record that is traveling outside our solar system. In fact, she is the first guest on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE who can say she already has a billion year time capsule in response to my standard question about monoliths! Five billion years, in fact, as that’s how long the golden record was designed to last.

00:07:37 Ann Druyan has brought science to millions.

00:15:42 Druyan and Sagan’s love is part of the Voyager recordings.

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Jim Simons: Life Lessons from the ‘World’s Smartest Billionaire’ (#054) Jun 27, 2020

Show notes

Mathematician, codebreaker, Professor, hedge fund pioneer, & philanthropist Jim Simons makes his first-ever podcast appearance on this episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE with UC San Diego Professor Brian Keating. Learn about Chern-Simons theory, leadership lessons, hedge funds, and a dedication to serve the world through basic research from a master. It is truly a delight to share with you the more personal side of the man who’s been called The World’s Smartest Billionaire: https://youtu.be/gjVDqfUhXOY In this interview, we discuss heroes, fatherhood, leadership and the art of math.

00:15:15 Why he’d invite Abraham Lincoln to dinner.
00:23:42 Discovering Zeno’s paradox at the age of three.
00:34:28 Can math be beautiful?
00:46:25 Lessons from a master investor: alpha vs. beta.
00:56:06 The serendipitous Chern-Simons partnership. 01:03:18 A father’s love.
01:11:09 The legacy of a good example.

Jim Simons earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from UC Berkeley at the age of 23. He worked as a mathematician for the NSA and as a professor and department chair at Stony Brook University. Simons earned billions after founding the hedge fund firm Renaissance Technologies. He co-founded the Simons Foundation with his wife Marilyn in 1994 to advance scientific research. The foundation provided funding for the Simons Observatory, a telescope array being built in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile https://simonsobservatory.org/ Simons also founded Math For America in 2004 to facilitate better math education.

Watch a TED interview with Jim Simons https://youtu.be/U5kIdtMJGc8
Learn about the Simons Observatory, including the Simons-National Society of Black Physicists Scholars Program (SNSP) https://simonsobservatory.org/snsp.php
Learn more about the Simons Foundation on the web: https://www.simonsfoundation.org
follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonsFdn
Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2

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Chase Purdy: BILLION DOLLAR BURGER! Will you eat lab-grown Meat? Into the Impossible Podcast (#053) Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Chase Purdy’s book “Billion Dollar Burger: Inside Big Tech’s Race for the Future of Food” is poised to become a bestseller. Learn about the edible space race as a meat-alternative you may never have heard of is developed by competing companies. Cell-cultured meat is different from plant protein masquerading as meat. It’s meat that doesn’t require killing the animal because it’s grown in a lab. In this interview with host Brian Keating, Purdy discusses everything from the ethics to the emotions behind the upcoming changes in the meat industry. Subscribe to Brian Keating’s newsletter to receive show notes for this episode: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php

06:48 Is there a downside to lab-grown meat?
12:29 Meat companies see the writing on the wall.
21:17 A brief explanation of how cell-cultured meat is made.
28:57 More people have been on the moon than tried cell-cultured meat.
35:06 The hurdles cell-cultured meat faces.
38:58 QuestionsINTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks all authors.

Chase Purdy has reported on the science, business, and politics of food and nutrition for Quartz and Politico. He was funded to write this book by a fellowship from New America, which strives to enhance public conversations about pressing issues. Buy Chase Purdy’s book here: https://amzn.to/2Uv8YZi

Read Purdy’s journalism clips here: https://www.chasepurdy.com/clips/

Find Chase Purdy on the web: https://www.chasepurdy.com/ and Twitter: twitter.com/chasepurdy

Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Purdy’s book:

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Eric Weinstein Part 2: Parenting, Peak Prosperity, & Weinstein University (#052) Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Part 2 of Brian Keating’s conversation with Eric Weinstein on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast pivots from faith & family to the course catalog at “Weinstein University” (fictional, for now!) which would combine scholarship with wonder. We also contemplate the notion of legacies, not just for our actual children, but for our ideological children as well. Show notes and, by popular demand, Eric’s slides from his famous 2013 “Geometric Unity” lecture at Oxford are available when you join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php

Highlights:

00:12:18 A place for the rituals of religion in an atheist’s life.
00:19:26 Crisis of faith versus crisis of reason.
00:25:20 Eric Weinstein’s parenting philosophy.
00:33:05 Resolving dualities in human lives and behaviors.
00:36:05 Rapid fire questions about God and aliens.
00:40:26 Eric’s legacies in space and time.

Eric Weinstein has a Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematical physics. He is the managing director of Thiel Capital. Weinstein hosts the podcast The Portal

Watch part 1 of this interview with Eric Weinstein here.

Buy your own Klein bottle: here https://amzn.to/3e2apWP

Find Eric Weinstein on the web: https://ericweinstein.org and Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein

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✍️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

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Stephon Alexander: The Jazz of Physics! (#051) Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

Physicist, jazz musician, & President of the National Society of Black Physicists, Stephon Alexander is this week’s guest on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast. He discussed the foundations of the cosmos, his advice for balancing academic and creative pursuits, and his book “The Jazz of Physics.”

Support the National Society of Black Physicists: https://nsbp.org/support-nsbp/support-us

Show notes and resources for this episode are available: simply join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php and you’ll also get information to enter giveaways to win my guest’s books! Our next giveaway will be Stephon’s phenomenal THE JAZZ OF PHYSICS!

00:14:20 Balancing the creative pursuits of research, jazz, and writing.
00:28:46 Which came first – theoretical or experimental physics?
00:40:30 Creativity and intuition have a role in science.
00:46:48 How legacy and John Coltrane inspired Alexander to write his book.
00:57:18 The power (and limits) of analogies to explain science.
01:07:34 Journal articles and musical films – what’s next from Stephon Alexander.
01:17:08 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks all authors.

Stephon Alexander is a physics professor at Brown University, which is where he earned his Ph.D. He is President of the National Society of Black Physicists and a National Geographic Explorer. He served as a scientific consultant on the 2018 movie A Wrinkle in Time.

Buy Stephon Alexander’s book “The Jazz of Physics” here: https://amzn.to/3cZekmU

Watch Alexander’s Tedx Talk here: https://youtu.be/v9_ZzY99-6U

Watch Alexander on NOVA’s documentary series The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/stephon-alexander/ Find Stephon Alexander on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephstem

Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Alexander’s book:

‍♂️ Find Brian Keating on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

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Sarah Frier : No Filter — The Inside Story of Instagram (#050) Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

Sarah Frier is a prolific technology reporter for Bloomberg. Her new book, “No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram,” is both a compelling account of Instagram’s history and a record of the social media platform’s impact on society. Professor Brian Keating’s interview with Frier covers a range of topics, including the inspiration to research and write the book, the role of augmented technology, and how social media will be changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

Timestamps links

00:07:39 The meanings behind the title and cover of “No Filter.”
00:14:45 Social media moguls as humans and not just characters in the story.
00:22:15 How to tell a story when everyone knows the ending.
00:31:15 Anyone can be an Instagram celebrity.
00:41:00 Will a new platform emerge during the pandemic?
00:47:51 Technological advances keep Instagram relevant.
00:53:11 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks all authors.

Sarah Frier is a technology reporter for Bloomberg News and Businessweek. She earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina. Her articles on social media have won awards from The San Francisco Press Club and other organizations. Buy Sarah Frier’s book here: https://amzn.to/2X6rurs Read Frier’s articles on Bloomberg here.

Listen to Frier’s interview on the podcast Recode Decode:
Find Frier on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfrier/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfrier

Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Frier’s book.

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Find Brian Keating on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating

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Dr. Jud Brewer : Fear, Freedom, and his book The Craving Mind (#049) Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Jud Brewer is a mindfulness expert, using his background in addiction psychiatry to help people around the world. In this interview with Brian Keating, on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE, Brewer talks about his book, “The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits.” Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

00:08:53 The effects of nature versus nurture on cravings.
00:17:04 Are some cultures resistant to psychotherapy and meditation?
00:26:16 How technology can enhance mindfulness.
00:37:04 How to help our kids develop good habits.
00:44:03 Incorporating artificial intelligence & human empathy in healthcare.
00:49:38 Anxiety is rampant in academia. What can be done?
01:04:45 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks authors.

I’ve used Brewer’s teaching in my own life and work. Mindfulness practices can help achieve higher efficiency and happiness at work, and moderate stress of all varieties, including the anxiety that comes with a global pandemic. Jud Brewer, M.D. Ph.D. is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, as well as an associate professor in psychiatry. His company MindSciences develops mindfulness apps, including Eat Right Now, Craving to Quit, Breathe, and Unwinding Anxiety.

Buy “The Craving Mind”

Brewer puts Anderson Cooper’s mindfulness to the test on 60 Minutes: https://youtu.be/PRjTWWuRanY

Watch Brewer’s TED Talk here: https://youtu.be/-moW9jvvMr4

Find Jud Brewer on the web: https://drjud.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/judbrewer and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrJud

Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Brewer’s book: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2 ‍♂️ Find Brian Keating on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find Brian Keating on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Subscribe for more great content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 ✍️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Join my Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/losingthenobelprize ️Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2 Into The Impossible is a Production of the http://imagination.ucsd.edu/ Director, Erik Viirre Co-Director, Brian Keating Associate Director, Patrick Coleman Produced By Stuart W. Volkow (P.G.A.)

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Eric Weinstein: Theories of Everything, Geometric Unity & Science’s Paths. Into the Impossible (#048) May 20, 2020

Show notes

Part 1 of Brian Keating’s fascinating interview with mathematician & economist Eric Weinstein on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast. Topics include Eric’s provocative new ideas on physics and science culture. Weinstein is a vocal critic of modern academic hierarchies and advocates for advances in scientific theory over an emphasis on experimental results. Keating’s own issues with what he calls the “academic Hunger Games” leads to a lively debate about funding, academic freedom, and theoretical vs experimental physics. Find show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

00:11:09 Is there middle ground between cranks and peer review?
00:20:23 The value of Weinstein’s approach to communicating science.
00:30:50 The ethics of attribution.
00:41:26 Surviving the academic Hunger Games.
00:54:24 Theoretical physicists can save human life by getting us off Earth.
01:11:52 “Great science is whatever people have done to make major advances.”
01:22:00 Experiments are only the last step, theory is the bulk of science.
01:29:15 The logic behind questioning accepted theories on April Fool’s Day.

Eric Weinstein has a Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematical physics. He is the managing director of Thiel Capital.

Weinstein hosts the podcast The Portal
Find Eric Weinstein on the web: https://ericweinstein.org and Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein
Watch Weinstein’s “April Fool’s” episode of The Portal, where he explains his theory of Geometric Unity
Watch Weinstein’s latest interview on The Joe Rogan Experience

️Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes

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Author, Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain discusses her films, book 24/6, and the human side of tech (#047) May 20, 2020

Show notes

#TechShabbat #character #neuroscience Filmmaker, and author Tiffany Shlain discusses her life, films and her book 24/6, about the neuroscience of how technology reshapes our brains and how the practice of turning off all screens 24 hours each week can make us healthier and more creative.

This practice of turning off all screens for twenty-four hours each week, which she’s done for over a decade with her husband and kids (sixteen and ten), has completely changed their lives, giving them more time, productivity, connection, and presence. She and her family call it “Technology Shabbat”, which has become a worldwide movement. Learn more about it at https://www.24sixlife.com/ Drawn from the ancient ritual of Shabbat, living 24/6 can work for anyone from any background. With humor and wisdom, Shlain shares her story, offers lessons she has learned, and provides a blueprint for how to do it yourself. It has become even more important recently, in wake of the worldwide pandemic that has made so many of us reliant on screens for work, shopping, socializing, even exercise. COVID-19 has changed how we use the Web in some beneficial ways, but it has also made us even more dependent on screens for our every need. We are now spending almost all day online, and many of us are finding that it’s just too much. Turning off screens now feels like it provides double resilience for the soul. Having a much-needed boundary and separation — a day unlike the others, a day dedicated to being present, reflecting, resting, and connecting with those around me — helps us make sense of this unusual way we are living, where time seems to blur between days and between work and family and life. Because that’s what Shabbat is all about — carving out time to appreciate and find joy in what’s right in front of you, and focus on what truly matters. As Heschel calls it, it’s creating a “Palace in Time.”

Watch Tiffany’s award-winning, provocative short films discussed in this interview:

The Adaptable Mind https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.letitripple.org/adaptable_mind__;!!Mih3wA!WZVDrv6-nVu20ycjHqIolC9bGENbbVxnJmwlaU513fzuzNLlBUFhv4BFELjEqiFx$

The Science of Character

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Sasha Sagan: Cosmic Rituals (#046) May 19, 2020

Show notes

Sasha Sagan’s stirring debut book, “For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World,” is the topic of this week’s episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. Sagan is the daughter of late astronomer/author Carl Sagan and writer/producer Ann Druyan.

Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

Highlights:

00:10:02 The power of secular rituals versus relying on habits and willpower.
00:23:48 Rituals span the distinction between belief through evidence, faith, and philosophy.
00:27:01 Poetry for Physicists: Brian Keating reads poems by Walt Whitman and Richard Feynman
00:34:42 Academic rituals and how to share wonder through education.
00:44:34 Generational learning and how we’re influenced by family.
00:56:45 Would Carl Sagan have given up the search for extraterrestrial life by now?
01:01:46 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks of all authors.

On this Mother’s Day episode, Sagan discusses her own upbringing and how becoming a mother inspired her to research rituals from around the world and throughout history. Her interview with Dr. Brian Keating also touches on her secular upbringing and the intersection of science and religion. Sasha Sagan studied literature at NYU and has worked as a producer, filmmaker, and editor. Her essays, many about the lessons she learned from her parents, have been published in literary magazines.