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cover of episode Extraordinary Universe, with Daniel Whiteson

Extraordinary Universe, with Daniel Whiteson

2024/12/5
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Stuff To Blow Your Mind

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Daniel Whiteson介绍了其新播客《Daniel和Kelly的非凡宇宙》,该播客以轻松有趣的方式探讨宇宙的奥秘,涵盖了从粒子物理学到生物学的广泛主题。他强调了与Kelly Wienersmith合作的优势,Kelly的生物学背景为讨论带来了不同的视角,使讨论更加全面深入。他们还讨论了《火星上的城市》一书,该书并非简单地赞美火星殖民,而是深入探讨了火星殖民面临的诸多科学和技术挑战,例如在零重力环境下怀孕和分娩、进行手术等问题。他们认为,Elon Musk的火星殖民计划虽然雄心勃勃,但也存在承诺无法兑现以及可能忽视基础科学研究的风险。他们认为,削减基础科学研究经费可能会阻碍火星殖民等宏伟目标的实现,因为基础科学研究是技术进步和创新的基石。 在谈到基础物理学研究时,Daniel Whiteson指出,目前粒子物理学领域的主要讨论集中在大型强子对撞机之后的研究方向,以及是否值得投资建设新的粒子对撞机。他认为,应该为基础研究争取资金,即使无法预先知道研究成果,因为基础研究的价值在于探索未知,并可能带来突破性技术发展。他批评了那些对基础物理学进展提出批评的声音,认为这些批评部分源于反科学、反精英和反专业知识的思潮,并且这些批评往往是对基础物理学研究的误解和曲解。他认为,广义相对论和量子力学之间尚未统一的难题是基础物理学面临的主要挑战,但并不意味着没有取得任何进展。他呼吁加大对基础物理学等基础研究的投入,因为它对社会发展具有长期价值,是经济、军事和文化实力提升的关键。 在谈到宇宙大爆炸时,Daniel Whiteson指出,公众对宇宙大爆炸的理解与科学家的理解存在差异,公众普遍认为大爆炸是从一个微小的物质点爆炸到空的空间中,而科学家的理解则不同。他纠正了公众对大爆炸的两个主要误解:大爆炸并非宇宙的开始,而是我们目前能够追溯到的宇宙演化的一个阶段;大爆炸并非发生在一个微小的点上,而是发生在宇宙的每一个地方。他认为,大爆炸理论并不解释宇宙的起源,而是描述了宇宙从一个高温高密状态演化的过程。公众对大爆炸的误解可能源于早期科学报道中的错误描述,以及科学家在使用术语时存在歧义。他还探讨了公众对大爆炸的错误理解可能与宗教和神话中的创世模型相符,这使得这种错误理解更容易被接受。他强调了科学的重要性,它要求证据、逻辑和数学来确保我们不是在讲述自己想听的故事,而是揭示了关于宇宙的真相。 Robert Lamb对Daniel Whiteson关于宇宙大爆炸、火星殖民和基础物理学研究的观点表示赞同,并就相关问题与Daniel Whiteson进行了深入探讨。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did Daniel Whiteson and Kelly Wienersmith start their podcast 'Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe'?

They wanted to explore and discuss everything they find amazing, mysterious, and delightful in the universe, from tiny particles to big black holes, and have fun doing it.

What is the main difference between the public's understanding of the Big Bang and what scientists actually mean by it?

The public often thinks of the Big Bang as a tiny dot of matter exploding into empty space, while scientists describe it as a moment when the universe was very dense and then expanded, filling the entire universe, not just a single point.

What are some of the key controversies and open questions in particle physics as of 2024?

The main discussion is about what to build next after the Large Hadron Collider, including whether to invest billions in a new collider without knowing what it will discover, and how to defend such projects in an anti-science climate.

How does Daniel Whiteson feel about the criticism that fundamental physics hasn't made significant progress in decades?

He believes there is progress being made and that it's important to fund all ideas, including fringe ones, to avoid stagnation. He argues that basic research is a crucial investment for society's future.

What does Daniel Whiteson recommend for a first-time listener of 'Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe'?

He suggests starting with episodes about fundamental physics like 'What is Space?' or 'What is Time?' and upcoming episodes like 'Why Do Planes Fly?' and 'How Do You Grow Crops on Mars?'

Shownotes Transcript

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Daniel Whiteson, co-host of the new podcast "Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe" returns to the show to chat with Robert about physics, the universe and humanity's place in it all.

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