The Quanta Podcast

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Audio Edition: New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities Aug 13, 2026

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Mathematicians have broken through a long-standing barrier in the study of “minimizing surfaces,” which play an important role in both math and physics.
The article New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons? Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Reasoning comes in many technically defined forms, but the basic procedure is easily recognizable: arriving at a sound conclusion by linking together intermediate steps that logically follow from each other. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, it appears AI can either solve famous mathematical research problems in one shot — or experience a “complete accuracy collapse” under the simplest conditions. So which is it: Can AI reason reliably or not?

On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer John Pavlus on the intellectual whiplash surrounding artificial intelligence’s ability to reason.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel and Senior Editor Hannah Waters speak with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Why Am I Left-Handed? Aug 04, 2026

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Why are only 10% of people left-handed? Geneticists, developmental biologists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists have all sought explanations, resulting in an astronomical amount of research into the mystery of handedness. No one has put all the pieces together yet, but over the last few years, some major new clues have emerged.

On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Hannah Waters speaks with writer Natalie Wolchover and traces these new clues to uncover the mystery of human handedness.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Audio Edition: Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Has the secret to understanding gravity been hiding in plain sight for nearly 50 years?

The article Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

A Dark Dimension Could Link Two of the Universe’s Great Unknowns Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Generally, dark energy and dark matter are regarded as separate entities, but recent astronomical observations have spurred scientists to look further into a less widespread idea — that the two are in fact physically intertwined.

On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with Physics Editor Kathryn Jepsen about the theories surrounding dark energy’s ties to dark matter and the possibility of a shared dark universe.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Is Life Just Different? Jul 21, 2026

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There’s no scientific consensus about what makes living things so different from inorganic material. Some scientists cite replication or metabolism. Others have another answer: Living organisms are different because they do stuff — for reasons. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Philip Ball on the hotly contested idea of “biological agency” and what it means to be alive.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Audio Edition: ‘World Models,’ an Old Idea in AI, Mount a Comeback Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

You’re carrying around in your head a model of how the world works. Will AI systems need to do the same?

The article ‘World Models,’ an Old Idea in AI, Mount a Comeback first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

How Many Shuffles Do You Really Need to Randomize Your Deck? Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

In 1992, mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis proved that seven riffle shuffles are enough to shuffle a deck of cards — but only if you can cut your deck with precision. Decades later, a new proof has finally extended the finding to less precise cuts. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about how a mathematical cutoff phenomenon still exists for riffle shuffling — randomness seems to happen all at once.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

In "The Best (and Worst) Ways to Shuffle Cards" from the YouTube channel Numberphile, Persi Diaconis demonstrates different kinds of shuffles, why you might want to stick with a classic riffle shuffle instead of what is called the overhand method and explains his seven shuffles result: https://youtu.be/AxJubaijQbI?si=WctYYRtCZVupMldO

Will We Ever Be Able To Forecast Volcanic Eruptions Like Weather? Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

Volcano forecasting can save countless lives. But most of the time warnings are more like educated guesses. How close are we to forecasting volcano behavior the way we forecast the weather? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Hannah Waters speaks with writer and volcano expert Robin George Andrews about just how close we are to accurately forecasting volcanic eruptions.

This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Audio Edition: Tiny Tubes Reveal Clues to the Evolution of Complex Life Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Scientists have identified tubulin structures in primitive Asgard archea that may have been the precursor of our own cellular skeletons.

The article Tiny Tubes Reveal Clues to the Evolution of Complex Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

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