Into the Impossible With Brian Keating Podcast Por Big Bang Productions Inc. arte de portada

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

De: Big Bang Productions Inc.
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Think like a physicist. Wonder like a human. Into the Impossible is where Cosmic Conversations happen — uniting Nobel Prize winners, iconoclasts, authors, and technologists to explore reality’s deepest questions. From AI to aliens, from biophysics to the brain, from the cosmos to the multiverse, Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego covers it all. If you’ve ever asked What’s out there? or What’s next?, this is where curiosity meets clarity. Learn to think like this. 🎙 Full episodes, notes & more: briankeating.com/podcast© 2025 Big Bang Productions Inc. 719843 Ciencia Física Historia Natural Naturaleza y Ecología
Episodios
  • How to Focus Like a Noble Prize Winner | The James Altucher Show

    How to Focus Like a Noble Prize Winner | The James Altucher Show
    Sep 17 2025
    James sits down once again with cosmologist Brian Keating—longtime friend of the show and author of Into the Impossible: Focus Like a Nobel Prize Winner. In this candid conversation, they challenge each other’s views on focus, curiosity, and the trade-offs of staying in your lane. Brian shares behind-the-scenes lessons from interviewing Nobel Prize winners, the thinking behind his new “Keating Test” for AI, and why communication matters as much as discovery in science. This episode isn’t about self-help clichés. It’s about real-world insights you won’t hear anywhere else—whether it’s why guarding your time is the most important skill, how to use flow states to sharpen your career, or why great breakthroughs depend on questioning the work of those who came before. What You’ll Learn Why Brian created the “Keating Test” as a new measure for true artificial intelligence How Nobel Prize winners balance intense focus with curiosity across disciplines Why communication skills matter as much as scientific discovery for lasting impact How to guard your time from “time bandits” and apply the power of saying “no” Practical ways to find your lane—or combine lanes—while still pursuing flow and mastery Timestamped Chapters [02:00] The Keating Test: AI, free will, and the act of survival [06:00] Humor, history, and reclaiming the “worst joke ever told” [08:00] Friendship, TEDx, and 11 years of conversations [09:00] Lessons from Nobel Prize winners: beyond self-help habits [10:00] Publishing with Scribe/Lioncrest and connections to James and David Goggins [12:00] Into the Impossible, Volume One: why distilling Nobel wisdom matters [13:00] Imposter syndrome, Alfred Nobel, and Volume Two’s focus [15:00] Donna Strickland, LASIK, and the power of saying no [18:00] Stay in your lane—or widen it? A debate on mastery and curiosity [23:00] Newton, Pascal, and the discipline of sitting in a room [26:00] Regrets, diversification, and finding flow [28:00] Crystallized vs. fluid intelligence in the age of AI [31:00] The importance of novelty—and the Lindy test [35:00] Math, reality, and the unreasonable effectiveness of ideas [38:00] Teaching quantum computing: bridging theory and life skills [43:00] From cryogenics to code: skills that outlast AI [47:00] Why communication defines success in science [50:00] Doing things that don’t scale: relationships, meteorites, and networks [52:00] The missed opportunities of office hours—and how to build relationships [54:00] Reading theses, genuine curiosity, and non-scalable networking [55:00] Into the Impossible, Volume Two: life lessons and scientific breakthroughs [57:00] How old is the universe? The cosmic controversy [59:00] Gravitational waves, BICEP2, and losing the Nobel Prize [61:00] Dust, data, and the Simons Observatory’s quest for origins [63:00] What comes next: Jim Simons’ legacy and Brian’s future book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 12 m
  • Are We Wrong About the Big Bang? Niayesh Afshordi

    Are We Wrong About the Big Bang? Niayesh Afshordi
    Sep 16 2025
    Get Dr. Brian Keating’s NEW Book for Only 0.99! This week only: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN8DH6SX?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 For over a century, cosmologists have believed that the universe began a single fiery moment. The Big Bang. But what if that story is incomplete? Or what if it's even wrong? My guest today, Professor Niayesh Afshordi, is a professor of astrophysics at the Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo. He and his colleague Bill Halpern argue that the real battle in science is over the mysteries of singularities, those points where our equations collapse and space, time and physics itself seem to break down. In a new book, Battle of the Big Bang, they take us inside the fight to understand whether the Big Bang was truly the beginning of it all, or whether it was just one chapter in a far stranger cosmic saga. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00:00 – Cosmologists no longer see the Big Bang as the beginning of time 00:11:01 – Singularity vs the later hot Big Bang phases like nucleosynthesis 00:12:13 – Survey of physicists shows “Big Bang” is understood differently 00:15:37 – Hawking and singularities 00:23:12 – Black hole information paradox remains unresolved after 50 years 00:30:26 – Religion remains a social tool 00:35:56 – The Simons Observatory was created to probe primordial gravitational waves in the CMB 00:39:50 – Scientific careers are constrained by funding and “hot topics” in research 00:41:17 – Science advances by tying ideas to observation, not just social structures 00:42:07 – Disagreement with Carlo Rovelli 00:44:54 – Competing quantum gravity models are ideas, not fully testable theories yet 00:46:14 – String theory, loop quantum gravity, and holography lack experimental evidence 00:47:55 – Cancellation of CMB Stage-4 highlights limits of experimental cosmology 00:49:14 – Afshordi views himself closer to an observer than a pure theorist 00:54:51 – Scientific progress benefits from bridging between communities 00:57:47 – Repulsive gravity in inflation avoids singularities but leaves open loopholes 01:01:00 – Singularity theorems can break down with quantum gravity or altered dimensions 01:03:05 – Our universe was born inside a black hole 01:06:16 – Future probes might let us see further back than the CMB 01:10:56 – Einstein unknowingly started the quest for quantum gravity - Additional resources: Get Niayesh Afshordi’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Big-Bang-Cosmic-Origins/dp/0226830470 Get Dr. Brian Keating’s NEW Book for Only 0.99! This week only: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN8DH6SX?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/yt to win a meteorite 💥 - Join this channel to get access to perks like monthly Office Hours: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw/join 📚 Get a copy of my books: Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner, with life changing interviews with 9 Nobel Prizewinners: https://a.co/d/03ezQFu My tell-all cosmic memoir Losing the Nobel Prize: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA The first-ever audiobook from Galileo: Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems: Ptolemaic and Copernican https://a.co/d/iZPi9Un 📺 Watch my most popular videos:📺 Neil Turok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt5cFLN65fI Frank Wilczek https://youtu.be/3z8RqKMQHe0?sub_confirmation=1 Eric Weinstein vs. Stephen Wolfram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0AZ4Y4Ip4?sub_confirmation=1 Sir Roger Penrose: https://youtu.be/AMuqyAvX7Wo Sabine Hossenfelder: https://youtu.be/g00ilS6tBvs Avi Loeb: https://youtu.be/N9lUceHsLRw Follow me to ask questions of my guests: ‍♂️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list; just click here http://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog 🎙️ Listen on audio-only platforms: https://briankeating.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 20 m
  • The Matrix Is a Documentary: Riz Virk on the Simulation Hypothesis

    The Matrix Is a Documentary: Riz Virk on the Simulation Hypothesis
    Sep 14 2025
    Get my new book Focus Like a Nobel Prize Winner for just 99 cents while the sale lasts: https://a.co/d/hi50U9U Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 What if your life wasn’t real—not metaphorically, but literally? That’s the premise my guest today has been exploring for years. Rizwan Virk, MIT graduate, gaming entrepreneur, and author of The Simulation Hypothesis, believes that physics, computing, and even ancient wisdom traditions point to the same unsettling conclusion: we may be living inside a programmed reality. In this conversation, we dive into the science, philosophy, and technical roadmaps that could one day prove—or disprove—this theory. We explore quantum mechanics, AI, and the limits of spacetime itself, asking whether reality is an unshakable foundation… or just a beautifully rendered illusion. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 00:00:42 The Simulation Hypothesis 00:10:14 The limitations of AGI 00:15:17 Rizwan’s religious background 00:21:43 Energetic physical limitations in a simulation 00:28:33 Quantum computing and the simulation hypothesis 00:34:45 Judging a book by its cover 00:37:11 The Planck length 00:41:59 Is Deja Vu a consequence of the simulation? 00:43:41 Ethical and moral considerations 00:48:35 How to avoid collapsing the wave function 00:54:33 Cracks in the matrix 01:02:21 What’s the purpose of the simulation? 01:07:28 Rizwan’s next project 01:09:02 The winning strategy 01:10:37 Outro — Additional resources: ➡️ Follow Rizwan Virk: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/rizstanford?lang=en ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 15 m
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Greatest guests, Great topics. Thoughtful discussions with guests at the top of their fields. For listeners who crave pioneering into subjects that extend to the edges of what humanity knows, this is the podcast for you. Thanks Brian!

Great Guests, great topics

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I've just started listening to Brian Keating's podcasts and I know I'm going to binge them. So entertaining, and so thought provoking, and so clear. I hesitated to listen to the September 6 with Steven Koonin since I thought, no way am I going to spend time with a climate change denier. I'm glad I trusted Brian though and gave him a chance. The podcast may not have changed my mind but the time spent hearing the science, the statistical model, and Brian's careful and respectful presentation was a total pleasure. Very highly recommended!

Great Podcast!

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Even if you're not an expert of the cosmos (like me) this podcast is very easy to digest and super interesting. The big question of "How did the universe begin?" is not an easy one to answer, but it's a super cool topic to dive into. Dr. Keating takes you on a journey with other scientists to tackle this question and other intriguing phenomena throughout time and space. I love these deep dives and even if we never really find out how it all began I'll keep going into the impossible to learn more about our universe.

Highly recommend!

Insightful & An Awesome Listen For Anyone

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I have been binging this podcast recently, here and on other platforms. There have been many great episodes but the ones with Shep Doeleman, Heino falcke, Rai Weiss and Barry Barish really resonated with me for both the depth of the technical discussion, passion and interest from both the guests and Dr. Kearting, and the unguarded nature with which they answered the more personal questions.

Going through the history of the podcasts, I think Dr. Keating has grown as an interviewer becoming stronger in the follow-up to guest responses and striking a good balance in the science topics explored. Not to say early episodes were weak. For me, the content of the episodes and passion of the discussions are the main appeal, and those stood out for their excellence right from the beginning.

I would like to thank Dr. Keating for putting these out there. I hope you are able to continue for as long as people keep doing science,

Fascinating and often inspiring

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The personalities of each guest quite down to earth in their human discussions of esoteric concepts.
The thought process fascinating.
Have recommended highly to everyone!

Content Accessible and Enjoyable

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If you like interesting discussions on today’s hot science topics, then Brian’s podcast should be part of your weekly listening routine.

Must Have Science Podcast

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My brain is conducting information very slowly indeed, but I enjoyed the superconducting podcast! (The robot-inserted commercial interruptions are confusing, though. Maybe Audible can make its software as smart as the people interviewed on this podcast.)

Superconducting brain expansion

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A positively thought provoking podcast, whether or not you're a serious fan of science!

Science unveiled!

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I would say this podcast is still seriously underrated. Brian Keating is one of the most genuine and honest scientists and overall thinkers out there. There are a lot of podcasts out there competing for your attention which gives rise to a problem about what to listen to with limited time. I believe the Into the Impossible podcast with Brian Keating does a great job at curating some of the most important voices in the world that people should be listening to.

One of the most important podcasts

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If your goal is to comprehend the universe on a larger scale or explore the properties of celestial bodies. These podcasts will help you in your goal.

Dr. Keating’s personal insights on a wide range of topics, coupled with such highly respected guest are manna for the mind.

From the beginning of my goal to learn about how this wonderful universe works or at least as an observer trying to understand how I believe it might work through my lens jump started by reading Wrinkles In Time by Smoot and Davidson. Then years later finding myself bored with yet another rendition of the double slit experiment I searched for podcasts by physicist near me. Finding the Into the Impossible podcast has never once been disappointing. As a fellow San Diegan I am thrilled with the likelihood that I’ll be lucky enough someday to meet Dr. Keating in person.

Manna for the mind

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