So, how about all that social distancing due to the growing pandemic, eh? There is a lot more staying-at-home these days than we’re normally used to, and I think it’s important to keep our brains active as well as our hands washed and our homes stocked with toilet paper.
To that end, I’m doing a little experiment: a series of informal videos I’m calling The Biggest Ideas in the Universe. (Very tempted to put an exclamation point every time I write that, but mostly resisting.) They will have nothing directly to do with viruses or pandemics, but hopefully will be a way for people to think and learn something new while we’re struggling through this somewhat surreal experience. Who knows, they may even be useful long after things have returned to normal.
The idea will be to have me talking about one Big Idea in each video, hopefully with a new installment released each week. I’ll invite viewers to leave questions here (where I’ll be linking to each video), and at YouTube. Then I’ll pick out some of the most interesting questions and make another short video addressing them.
Full set of videos will be available here on the blog, or directly on YouTube.
Here’s the introductory announcement:
Before anyone jumps in to tell me — yes, I am very amateur at this! My green-screen usage could definitely use an upgrade, for one thing. Happy to take suggestions as to how to improve the quality of the video production (quality of the substance is what it is, I’m afraid).
Consider this a very tiny gesture in the direction of sticking together and moving forward during some trying times. I hope everyone out there is staying as safe as possible.
somewhere, years ago, i read an interview with you where you said, something like : a universe could be forming in this room even as we are talking… i’ve never forgotten that and i sometimes say it to people when i’m drunk… 🙂
could you explain this idea?
many thanks…
Thanks Sean. Very much appreciated and looking forward to the videos.
From Adelaide, South Australia.
Sean, please do a video on energy. There’s so much nonsense online about energy, I feel that if you make simple explanation available it would be a big help.
I’m looking forward to these videos, as I’m a long time fan of your work, thanks.
So, when you dive into the so-called multiverse, could you please expand your explanation of those theories, and/or what you prefer to focus on?
Of such, I’m most interested in so-called parallel realities, with your take on the idea that “everything that could happen, has happened”, whereas our actions seamlessly (and unwittingly) take us on a journey to infinite (or near infinite) possibilities, waiting for us in our various futures.
Max Tegmark, Brian Greene, and you have touched upon such thinking, but I think more could be said, if you dare.. ha..
For example, as to how such would involve the idea of consciousness and freewill, and/or how those terms may fall short in explaining our journey in such a multiverse.
I know this is crazy talk in most scientific circles, but I find it very interesting, at least on a theoretical level that likely relates more to philosophy.
Also, if you could try explaining the delayed-choice quantum eraser experiment (and such), that would be great.
Hi Sean. Great idea, looking forward to it.
My “big question” would focus on the rare earth theory: that is, that the earth is perhaps the one and only place at the moment which harbours intelligent life. And by intelligent, I mean capable of creating little artificial probes to send out into the universe.
After all, the earth does seem to have a number of rarities: a rocky core that generates a magnetic field which shields us from dangerous solar radiation, an ozone layer, the fact that we are not tidally locked, a substantial moon which creates tides, tectonic forces which shuffles around plates… I could go on.
It’s my hypothesis that, at this time, we just might be the only ones, at least in our galaxy, that has the physical and intellectual capability of building robots to further explore the universe. And we’re one species on a planet that has around 9 million species.
Frankly, I really want to be wrong on this. I really want to discover that the universe is teeming with intelligent life. But the evidence so far seems to so otherwise (Fermi paradox, etc.)
Would be interested in your thoughts on that.
Thank you Sean,
I’m interested in the transition between neutron stars and black holes. Can a black hole evaporate enough to pop back into a neutron star? Sounds daft I know but I thought I’d ask anyhow. Best wishes.
A question I always wanted to ask. If the universe was created from a point and expanded outward that suggests that looking back in time has a direction. That is, you would have to look back toward the origin and not outward toward the expanding boundary. Is that correct ?
What a great idea, thank you so much! This is something I will look forward to every week.
Excellent idea! Looking forward to the videos. I’d love to see a video on the size of the non-observable universe. Thanks and keep safe and busy.
Audio on left side only for me also.
A trio of related questions:
Is there life elsewhere in the universe? Could a civilisation realistically last for billions of years? What are most robust solutions to the Fermi paradox?
Great gesture. Will look forward to it. Here is my question.
Some time ago (~5 years?) someone proposed an idea that our universe is located on event horizon of four-dimensional black hole. What supports that idea and what contradicts it?
Thank so much. Well done!
Looking forward to each and every installment.
Thank you Sean. I just watched your video “The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Introduction”. It was very good. Where can I get a wall mural like the one you have as a background at the start of this video ?
We appreciate all you do to inform us with good information, theories , video’s and your books. Wouldn’t we all like to be an excellent communicator of Cosmology and the Sciences.
Sean, thanks for the opportunity to here your thoughts.
For me, the Universe is infinite in in x, y and z.
And I suspect there are “Big Bangs” occurring all the time, although many par secs from here.
Carryon.
UCLA grad in Math, minor in Physics, software engineer.
I look forward to hearing you explain more about the Many Worlds hypothesis and wonder whether you could answer a question on that subject.
If at every point in which a quantum event either occurs or doesn’t causes a split in worlds, doesn’t that mean that an infinite number of splits are possible even from a single particle subject to decay? For instance, a lone neutron has the potential to decay: right now and in the next moment and the next, the next, the next and so on. How fine grained in time is it possible to go? Infinitesimally fine grained? In which case there are an infinite number of world splits each with the decay occurring at every possible moment.
I’ve been pondering this ever since first hearing your After On interview with Rob Reid.
Thank you sir. A beacon of sanity in an insane world is much appreciated. I have read all your books as well as those of Max Tegmark. I really enjoyed your Mindscape episode with Prof. Tegmark. However, I was hoping for a more technical discussion with respect to the fundemental nature of reality being composed of nothing but mathematical structures.
It would be great if you could expound upon his hypotheses and discuss how one would contemplate and construct a universe consisting of nothing but platonic abstract objects (Tegmark’s mathematical structures).
Than you in advance for considering my topic.
What a fantastic idea! Thank you so much for this. Can’t wait!
Awesome idea! Looking forward to watching . . .
I’d like to hear your take on recent cosmological studies that cast doubt on the acceleration of expansion based on reanalysis of supernova observations. This could be part of a video on the very Big Idea of dark energy. This is also a great way to discuss the scientific process and the relationship between observation and theory.
oh go with the exclamation point!
Thank you so much Sean. 😊Looking forward for your videos. Stay safe ✌️
Is the evolution of human consciousness so laden with mystical memes as to be stagnating or morphing into something malignant!?
Great initiative Dr Carroll!! Great fan and follower of all your divulgación work.
I prefer cosmology topics like alternatives to Big Bang inflationary model and superstring vs LQG debate.
Hello Sean,
I am a big fan of your lectures on the channels of the Royal institution and the Cambridge lectures o.a. I did not find an answer to my question what the nature of matter is inside a black hole. Is it known ? Is it particles ? It has mass, that is sure.
Also I have a question about quantum fields. If I as a human walk around, can you say I am taking the electrons and quarks the atoms I consist of are made of go with me or is that an oldfashioned classical way of thinking of matter ? For instance The age of a tree can be measured using the c14 method so an atom stays in a tree I suppose. How does that relate to the concept that quarks are not more than ripples in a field that is anywhere in the universe ? I am interested if you could tell us about thes things in one of your posts.