The Quanta Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Our Immune Systems Are Full of Ancient Weapons May 12, 2026

Show notes

Billions of years ago, battles between bacteria and viruses wrote the rulebook for how hosts and pathogens behave. Today, our immune system follows suit. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Viviane Callier about how recent discoveries could shape how we think about the evolution of immunity. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

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

What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity? May 05, 2026

Show notes

Most mathematicians take the notion of infinity for granted — it’s deeply rooted in math’s most fundamental assumptions. But a small group of researchers hopes to banish infinity completely. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about the philosophy of ultrafinitism. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Audio coda music & lyrics by Michael Tilson Thomas.
Vocals performed by Ben Jones.
Piano performed by John Wilson.

Audio Edition: The Cells That Breathe Two Ways Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

In a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park, a microbe does something that life shouldn’t be able to do: It breathes oxygen and sulfur at the same time.

The story The Cells That Breathe Two Ways first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Quantum Mechanics Might Be a Secret Key to Secure Communication Apr 28, 2026

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Together, Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard figured out how to use the laws of quantum physics to keep secret messages safe from eavesdroppers. Their efforts have earned them one of the highest awards in computing and a $1 million prize. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with staff writer Ben Brubaker about this year’s Turing Prize winners, and some of the most important concepts in quantum information science. This topic was covered in a recent column for Quanta Magazine.

Audio coda by Charles Bennett/IBM

Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope? Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Is string theory the one true “theory of everything?” Some physicists swear it’s a fundamental ingredient of nature. Others wish it would just go away. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with columnist Natalie Wolchover about the mathematical developments that are keeping the theory relevant — much to the chagrin of its rather vocal critics. This topic was covered in a recent column for Quanta Magazine.

This episode's audio coda is a clip from a 2024 live show of Alchemical String Theory (AST), a collective of avant-garde string artists from Atlanta's Improvisational Underground, performing a round at the Red Light Cafe in Atlanta.

Audio Edition: New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

For decades, mathematicians have struggled to understand matrices that reflect both order and randomness, like those that model semiconductors. A new method could change that.

The story New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

At the center of little holes in cell nuclei is a mystery. Here, clumps of proteins wiggle disordered tails around like seaweed. They drive a molecular machine that moves countless molecules in and out of the nucleus efficiently, with little room for error. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with biology writer Yasemin Saplakoglu about how new high-def microscopy is revealing the intricacies of these nuclear pore complexes like never before. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

The Fundamental Tension at the Heart of Math Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

We tend to think of math as all about logic and rigor. But what “rigor” actually means has been shaken up quite a few times over the past few centuries. The newest attempt to formalize math comes in the form of the computer program Lean. Mathematicians have mixed feelings. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about how mathematicians today are navigating the tricky balancing act between creativity and formalization. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Audio Edition: AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work. Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

Artificial intelligence software is designing novel experimental protocols that improve upon the work of human physicists, although the humans are still “doing a lot of baby-sitting.”

The story AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work. first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff? Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Humanoid robots can run, crawl, and sort objects in flashy demos. So why can’t they reliably climb stairs or open doors? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with contributing writer John Pavlus on why robots still struggle with the messy physics of the real world. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

In this video, Atlas walks, runs and crawls using reinforcement learning. This work was done as part of a research partnership between Boston Dynamics and the Robots and AI (RAI) Institute:

https://youtu.be/I44_zbEwz_w?si=KuKC34o_PiKs8zJP

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