Physical Attraction

Latest Episodes:

Statistical Mechanics and Information Entropy Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

As a followup to our series on thermodynamics, the briefest of introductions to one of the most fascinating and beautiful areas of physics - Statistical Mechanics.

Off-Topic: The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories in US Political Life Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

Well, I asked Twitter if they wouldn't mind more off-topic content, and although the electorate was pretty tiny, they said they didn't mind. So, with that shaky endorsement in place, I'm going to spend an hour talking about the psychology of conspiracy theories, US politics, the Anabaptist Siege of Munster, millennialist thinking, and satanic cabals that may or may not run the world. (Spoiler: they do not.)

Stewart Lansley on Universal Basic Income Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

This episode, we talk to Stewart Lansley, who co-edited the book "It's Basic Income" and has written reports on UBI in a UK context. Where is the debate on UBI in light of COVID-19?

Responsible Use of Algorithms - YouTube and Investigative Journalism Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

In light of some of the recent furore surrounding a particular algorithm, I thought it might be a good time to release this episode of the show. Two stories about the responsible use of algorithms in modern society - one about YouTube's algorithm and another about investigative journalism in the age of algorithms.

Rebooting Civilization and Alien Life in the Cosmos, with Lewis Dartnell Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

We have a guest on the show today - Professor Lewis Dartnell. Lewis is an author, presenter, and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, and has written and researched on topics as diverse as astrobiology, how to rebuild civilization after the apocalypse, and the influence of Earth's geology on the history of the development of the species.

I first came across Lewis' work reading an excellent book he wrote "The Knowledge", which is like a how-to guide on how one might try and restart civilization after a cataclysmic event. We talked about the book, and the prospects for finding life in the Universe, in this interview - which I really enjoyed. You can find Lewis' work at LewisDartnell.com where you'll find links to his previous presenting work, his TED Talk, his academic publications, and various different multimedia appearances that he's made over the years. You can buy Origins and The Knowledge in all good bookstores, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the former having devoured the latter one. You can also follow him on Twitter @Lewis_Dartnell if that floats your boat. I'd like to thank him again for being so generous with his time for this interview.

Interview with the CEO of Nori, A CO2 Removal Startup Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

This week, we have a guest on the show - Paul Gambill. Paul is the CEO of Nori, a startup that is aiming to create a marketplace for negative emissions - removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I first became interested in Nori when I saw that they were offering the opportunity to buy negative emissions for the low price of $15/tonne. The increasing importance of negative emissions in our climate change scenarios is something I'm very interested in + will be the topic of future episodes, so I was excited to get into the subject of making this a reality in our conversation. We had a wide-ranging discussion about climate change, the role of negative emissions, and what he's hoping to do with the company.

Felicity Boardman on the ethics of genetic screening and genome editing Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

This week, we have a guest on the show - Professor Felicity Boardman, who works at the University of Warwick on the ethics of genetic screening and genome editing. Specifically, she is co-leader of the Imagined Futures project, which looks at the impact of new genetic technologies on those with rare genetic conditions.

This is a little outside the topics we usually cover on this show - but at the same time, it's an extremely important and under-appreciated topic - how the genetic technologies of today are already impacting people. We had an excellent conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.

You can find Professor Boardman's work at the Warwick website, her previous articles on The Conversation, and several talks on YouTube - I urge you to check them all out.

Remember, you can find us online @ physicspodcast.com and on Twitter @physicspod. Do send any comments, questions, concerns, topics you'd like to see covered and so on to the contact form on the website, and I'll endeavour to email you back! [I generally respond but it comes from my personal email address, so you might want to check if it's getting filtered.] We have a Patreon, where you can subscribe for a few dollars per bonus episode - you won't be charged until a new bonus episode is released, and there are already a few there for you to download on subscribing.

QE For the People with Frances Coppola, Part II: Helicopter Money? Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

This week, we have a guest on the show - economics and finance writer Frances Coppola. She's the author of a book, "Quantiative Easing for the People", which argues that central banks and governments should work in concert to ensure that their response to financial crises really helps the entire economy, rather than just inflating asset prices.

In the second part of our interview, we go into much more depth about the specific idea of quantiative easing for the people - essentially, what would happen if the central banks or government directly gave every individual in the country a few thousand pounds, rather than injecting this stimulus into the market indirectly by buying up assets. We also discuss specifically what the ideal response to the coronavirus crisis should be and the role that banks and governments have to play in our response.

QE For the People with Frances Coppola, Part I - Economics 101 Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

In the first part of our wide-ranging discussion, we demystify the economy and debunk some common misconceptions by asking some basic questions: what's a central bank, and what is its role in the economy? What is quantiative easing, and what was it intended to do? It was a really fascinating discussion and it does amaze me how much economics is almost taken for granted + not explained as par for the course in our education when these ideas and principles have the potential to affect our lives so much. I hope you enjoy.

Gravitational Waves and Science Outreach, with Brynley Pearlstone (SciCurious Podcast) Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

Hi all. This episode, we're interviewing Brynley Pearlstone, who hosts the Scicurious podcast, which focuses on LGBTQ scientists. We talk about his scientific work on gravitational waves, and about outreach in physics more generally. Enjoy!

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