Episodes

  • Brian Keating Discusses the Ultimate Issues of Life With Dennis Prager

    Brian Keating Discusses the Ultimate Issues of Life With Dennis Prager
    May 9 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! How are cosmology and cosmetology linked? Has the Big Bang happened an infinite number of times? And why has no one ever seen a perfect triangle? I recently had the opportunity to discuss these and other exciting topics with Dennis Prager! Dennis is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show, which can be heard nationwide on nearly 400 stations! He is also the founder of Prager University (PragerU), the world's most-watched conservative video website with a billion views a year, more than half of them by people under 35. Enjoy our insightful conversation! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:55 Cosmology and cosmetology 00:04:58 The origin of the universe 00:09:01 The perfect triangle 00:13:01 The first scientific crack in cosmology and Olber’s paradox 00:18:26 Do most physicists believe in the Big Bang? 00:22:59 My predictions about the past 00:27:50 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ Connect with Dennis Prager: 💻 Website: https://dennisprager.com/ ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DennisPrager/ ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Searching for Alien Earths with Lisa Kaltenegger

    Searching for Alien Earths with Lisa Kaltenegger
    May 5 2024
    Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 Is Earth unique, or are there other Earth-like planets full of life? If so, what might life be like on these other planets? Could we even detect it? These questions have puzzled people for millennia. Now, we finally have the technology to explore it. Among the people who have taken up the search for other Earth-like planets and extraterrestrial life is today's guest, Lisa Kaltenegger! Lisa Kaltenegger is an award-winning astrophysicist and astrobiologist and the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling habitable worlds and their light footprints. For the last decade, she has been finding new ways to discover life in space, working with NASA and ESA from Austria to the Netherlands, Harvard, Germany, and now Cornell. Today, she will take us on an exciting journey through space in search of habitable planets and life. Tune in! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:00 Judging a book by its cover 00:06:16 What kind of aliens is Lisa looking for? 00:10:50 The key technology for planet hunting 00:16:51 Modeling habitable planets 00:24:09 A trip through probability space 00:33:58 Panspermia and life on Mars 00:38:02 Proof of life 00:44:51 Information theory and identifying signs of life 00:48:11 The implications of discovering extraterrestrial life 00:53:16 The future of pedagogy 00:57:39 Outro Additional resources: ➡️Win a copy of ALIEN EARTHS! enter here: https://kingsumo.com/g/mkl3j6/win-a-copy-of-dr-lisa-kaltenegger-s-hit-book-alien-earths ➡️Learn more about Lisa Kaltenegger: 📚 Alien Earths: https://a.co/d/bKobTOp ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KalteneggerLisa/ ➡️ 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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    59 mins
  • Exploring the Scientific Validity of the Multiverse Theory w/ Paul Halpern

    Exploring the Scientific Validity of the Multiverse Theory w/ Paul Halpern
    Apr 28 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! The multiverse has captured the imagination of scientists and thinkers for centuries, sparking debates in physics, philosophy, and beyond. But is it a valid scientific theory or just science fiction? I’ve had the pleasure of exploring this issue with the leading expert in this field, physicist and author Paul Halpern. Halpern is a professor of physics at Saint Joseph’s University and the author of eighteen popular science books, including Flashes of Creation, The Quantum Labyrinth, Einstein's Dice, Schrodinger's Cat, and Synchronicity. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Halpern recently published The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes, which tells the epic story of how science became besotted with the multiverse and the controversies that ensued. Today, we’re going to dive headfirst into this fascinating investigation! Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:17 Judging a book by its cover 00:06:39 Bruno’s speculations about exoplanets 00:11:20 Why is the multiverse such a controversial theory? 00:16:54 Richard Feynman And John Wheeler 00:23:31 Can we falsify the multiverse? 00:30:30 Has anyone ever written a biography of Bob Dickey? 00:39:11 Inflationary models, multiverse and cyclic cosmology 00:45:36 Evidence of bubble collisions in the CMB? 00:57:45 String theory and the multiverse 01:01:41 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Daniel Dennett: Do We Have Free Will?

    Daniel Dennett: Do We Have Free Will?
    Apr 21 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! Welcome everyone to a fascinating deep dive with the late Daniel Dennett! In our interview, we tackled fascinating problems like free will, human consciousness, ethics, and the philosophy of science. He also explained why he’s sounding the alarm on AI! Shortly after our interview, Daniel sadly passed away at the age of 82. He was a renowned philosopher, thought-provoking writer, brilliant cognitive scientist, and vocal atheist. He was the co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, a member of the editorial board for The Rutherford Journal, and a co-founder of The Clergy Project. Known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, he was at the forefront of discussions on consciousness, free will, and the impact of Darwinian evolution on religious belief. Dennett's works, including "Breaking the Spell" and "Consciousness Explained," have provoked both admiration and controversy, challenging readers to reconsider deeply held beliefs about the mind and its relationship to the physical world. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have Dan on the show! The world has truly lost an extraordinary soul and a groundbreaking thinker. RIP Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:09:27 Judging a book by its cover 00:12:29 Dan's critique of Sam Harris's position on free will 00:21:43 The evolutionary advantage of music 00:29:01 Language, nonverbal communication, and artificial intelligence 00:34:33 Are brains computers? 00:46:04 Sounding the alarm on AI 00:51:38 Bioengineering and bioethics 00:57:21 Philosophy of physics 01:02:47 The evolution of academia 01:09:08 Audience questions 01:23:10 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Does Time Really Exist and How Can We Measure It w/ Chad Orzel (#406)

    Does Time Really Exist and How Can We Measure It w/ Chad Orzel (#406)
    Apr 14 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! Today on Into the Impossible, we’re exploring the fascinating realm of time with none other than the timekeeper himself – Chad Orzel. Chad is a professor of physics and science communicator renowned for his popular science books, How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, Breakfast with Einstein, and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com. In his most recent book, A Brief History of Timekeeping, Chad revisits the delicate negotiations involved in Gregorian calendar reform, the intricate and entirely unique system employed by the Maya, and how the problem of synchronizing clocks at different locations ultimately required us to abandon the idea of time as an absolute and universal quantity. From sundials to sandglasses and mechanical clocks, this sharp and engaging story isn't just about the science of timekeeping—it's a riveting tale encompassing politics, philosophy, and the very essence of space and time. Tune in! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:07 Judging a book by its cover 00:05:07 Galileo’s telescope helmet 00:10:23 The connection between time and astronomy 00:13:11 Why is longitude so hard to measure? 00:15:32 The relativity of simultaneity 00:22:12 The future of education after COVID 00:25:55 The standard definition of time 00:31:19 Attosecond clocks 00:36:33 Why time is so much more perplexing than space 00:40:23 How to teach students new things 00:43:14 On education 00:49:05 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ Learn more about Chad Orzel: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/orzelc/ 📚 Website: https://chadorzel.com/ ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • The Science and Wonder of Solar Eclipses: 4/8/24 (#405)

    The Science and Wonder of Solar Eclipses: 4/8/24 (#405)
    Apr 8 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! On April 8th, 2024, the USA will be treated to a rare celestial phenomenon—a total solar eclipse. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow that temporarily darkens parts of the Earth. Astronomers and enthusiasts eagerly await the chance to witness this remarkable event and delve deeper into the mysteries of our solar system. Today, I want to do a deep dive into solar eclipses so that you can better appreciate them, whether you’ll be able to see the one on Monday or not. Eclipses are awe-inspiring phenomena that bridge the gap between wonder and discovery and have fascinated humanity for millennia. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:37 Ancient observations 00:03:02 Cultural and religious significance 00:04:27 Scientific contributions 00:05:47 Practical applications 00:09:09 Solar eclipse of 2024 00:10:40 Outro — Additional resources: 😎 Buy solar eclipse glasses here: https://a.co/d/4LuQa5u ☀️ Check out how to make a solar eclipse viewer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMPBWLSYKaw 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • How Our Moon Shaped the Course of Human History and Humankind w/ Rebecca Boyle (#404)

    How Our Moon Shaped the Course of Human History and Humankind w/ Rebecca Boyle (#404)
    Apr 7 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! Today on Into the Impossible, we're joined by the renowned cosmic journalist Rebecca Boyle. As a lifelong lunar enthusiast, Rebecca has extensively studied how the Moon has shaped human history and life on Earth. Rebecca's new book, aptly titled ‘Our Moon,’ explores the mysteries of the Moon, from its crucial role in stabilizing Earth's orbit and shaping our climate to its influence on the evolution of life itself. Furthermore, she sheds light on how ancient civilizations used the Moon's phases to measure time, laying the foundations for scientific observations that continue to this day. Today, she has kindly joined us to share her insights and discoveries. So, without further ado, let's dive right into this pure lunacy! Rebecca Boyle is a journalist covering the cosmos, focusing on astronomy, space exploration, and history. She is a contributing editor at Scientific American, a contributing writer for Quanta Magazine and The Atlantic, and a frequent contributor at the New York Times, Popular Science, Smithsonian Air & Space, and many other publications. She has received numerous writing awards throughout her career, and her work has been anthologized multiple times in The Best American Science & Nature Writing. Boyle is a former newspaper reporter, a former Space Camp attendee, and a lifelong Moon enthusiast. Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:24 Judging a book by its cover 00:05:08 Rebecca’s personal connection to the Moon 00:11:16 The Moon in occultism and modern science 00:13:36 Women’s menstrual cycles and the Moon 00:16:03 The Moon’s impact on climate change on Earth 00:18:50 How Earth beat the odds 00:22:58 Early life formation and the impact of the Moon 00:26:48 Going back to the Moon and colonizing space 00:35:53 Audience questions 00:38:38 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ Learn more about Rebecca Boyle: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rboyle31 📚 Our Moon: https://t.co/dVkJ6HUZH8 ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Chris Hayward: Lerner and Gupta Are WRONG About the Big Bang (#403)

    Chris Hayward: Lerner and Gupta Are WRONG About the Big Bang (#403)
    Mar 31 2024
    Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN! When the JWST captured the first images of the earliest galaxies in our universe, scientists were shocked. The galaxies appeared to be way too bright, way too big, and way too mature to have formed so soon after the Big Bang. This discovery has, rightfully so, sparked a massive debate among astrophysicists. Some even started to question the standard model of cosmology. However, using new simulations, some astrophysicists decided to investigate this controversy. Among these extraordinarily talented and bright minds is today’s guest, Chris Hayward, founding member of the FIRE project. Tune in to discover the truth about the mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:02 What is a FIRE simulation? 00:03:11 The mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn 00:12:36 How FIRE provides information on the maturity of a galaxy 00:16:18 Galaxy dynamics and black holes 00:18:50 How FIRE simulations can help resolve tensions in cosmology 00:27:32 “I was made for science.” 00:34:09 The experimental minimum 00:39:54 What if the universe is actually 26 billion years old? 00:43:35 What's next for this type of research? 00:47:25 Outro — Additional resources: 📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! ➡️ Read more about the Mysterious Brightness at Cosmic Dawn https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2023/10/05/bursts-of-star-formation-explain-mysterious-brightness-at-cosmic-dawn/ ➡️ 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 subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins