Physical Attraction

Latest Episodes:

Thermonuclear Takes: Muon Madness Melting Models... Maybe? Jul 26, 2021

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In this news episode, I discuss recent anomalies around the muon - B-particles decaying into muons, and the muon's anomalous magnetic moment - and whether they herald the glorious dawn of a new era of physics, or are just a mistake.

Thermonuclear Takes: Show updates, cosmology feedback, particle physics Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

In this news-y episode, I will give you some updates on how the show is progressing, share some listener emails on our cosmology series, and set up next episode's discussion of some recent results in high-energy physics.

Cosmology VI: Cosmic Eggs and the Edge of the Universe Jul 20, 2021

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In this episode, we cover the different kinds of universal horizon, whether the Universe has an edge, and talk about how theoretical physicists pondered how it all might've began.

Cosmology, Episode V: Einstein's Mistake Jul 13, 2021

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At the dawn of theoretical cosmology, Einstein introduced the so-called "Cosmological Constant" into his equations to explain how the Universe could be static and unchanging in time. He would later say that it was his greatest mistake.

Cosmology IV: Einstein's Cosmos Jul 06, 2021

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In this episode, we look at how Einstein's theory of general relativity gave rise to a theoretical framework for examining cosmology - the evolution of space, time, and the Universe in general - as a whole.

Cosmology III: Hubble's Law Jun 29, 2021

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In 1929, Edwin Hubble published his findings. The redshifts from distant galaxies were proportional to their distance away from us. Theoretical cosmologists would pounce on them as evidence that the Universe must be expanding.

Cosmology II: Starting From Nothing Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Everything we have been able to infer about the Universe began in total ignorance. Many early theories about how the Universe was structured were wildly incorrect - but astronomers were building up the toolkits that would later allow us to understand.

Cosmology, Episode I: In The Beginning Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

When you're trying to narrate the history of the entire Universe, where do you begin? I decided to start in a radio studio in London in March 1949, when the term "Big Bang" was first coined, in the first on our series on cosmology.

Climate 201: Discourses of Climate Delay II Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Arguments surrounding climate change have become subtler. Outright denial is gradually shifting to rhetoric that supports delaying urgent action. In this review of a paper by Steinberger, Lamb et al, I run down the new "discourses of climate delay".

Climate 201: Discourses of Delay, p1 May 31, 2021

Show notes

As the climate change debate has advanced, the arguments surrounding it have become more subtle. Outright denial of the climate problem is rare - so rhetoric has shifted to delaying urgent action. In this review of a paper by Steinberger, Lamb et al, I run down the new "discourses of climate delay"

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