Featured image: John Wheeler gives one of his infamous lectures, full of art and impossible ideas about the universe (some of which turn out to be true). (Courtesy ScienceMag)
Today, we interviewed Paul Halpern, science author and professor of physics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, to talk about his new book The Quantum Labyrinth. This story starts right here in Princeton in 1939, detailing the meld of minds between famed physicists Richard Feynman and John Wheeler. The two scientists worked together on pioneering quantum electrodynamics; both participated in the Manhattan Project in very different ways; and later collaborated on pushing modern physics toward where we are today. Listen to hear the full story on quantum fluctuations, wormholes, quantum computers, black holes, and how one electron might travel back and forth in time and make up the whole universe (or not).
Also recently in science:
- The “brazil nut effect” where big objects tend to rise to the surface above smaller ones seems to be helpful in preventing river erosion.
- Humans learn to see certain colors only when their language gives them the means to do so: for example, very few cultures could see blue until the modern era.
- The Moon’s origin story just got more complicated, as scientists have new evidence that the early magma-moon was too liquidy for the mineral on its surface to float to the top.
The playlist can be found on WPRB.com or below.
In this episode of These Vibes, Stevie welcomes three members of the Prototype G girls’ robotics team to tell us about their work together on robotics. They get in to the details of how they build their robots and why! This is the Princeton, NJ area team, but there are groups all around the country. If you’re interested in joining them or starting a team in your area, check out their site!
Featured image from a cartoon mocking the shape of a Massachusetts gerrymandered district.
In this episode of These Vibes, Professor Sam Wang visited the studio. He’s founder of the Princeton Election Consortium blog, co-host of WooCast’s Politics & Polls, and professor of molecular biology and neuroscience. We discuss his expertise in gerrymandering — what it is, how it came to be such an issue, the current state in elections and the Supreme Court, and what is and can be done to remedy our system.
Featured image: A random number generator at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab, purported to change behavior when you push it with your mind. (courtesy PEAR)
In this Halloween show, we examine a question fundamental to science: what is rigorous enough to be real science? Pseudoscience, or fringe science, is difficult to pin down and sometimes yields revelations in scientific understanding. However, in its worst forms it misleads and distracts from real discovery. Learn from Ingrid Ockert how “In Search Of” became a hit show in the 60s and 70s to Carl Sagan’s chagrin, and how the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory studied the influence of minds over matter on the Princeton campus for 28 years. All this closes with musings adapted from Princeton’s Michael Gordin, and a discussion on how fringe science only exists as a shadow of the scientific enterprise.
In other news:
The full playlist can be found on WPRB.com or below.