logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
28m 37s

Edward Witten on 'the theory of everythi...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

The Life Scientific returns with a special episode from the USA; Princeton, New Jersey, to be precise.

Here, the Institute for Advanced Study has hosted some of the greatest scientific minds of our time - Einstein was one of its first Professors, J. Robert Oppenheimer its longest-serving director - and today's guest counts among them.

Edward Witten is Professor Emeritus at the Institute and the physicist behind M-Theory, a leading contender for what is commonly referred to as ‘the theory of everything’, uniting quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of gravity.

He talks to Jim Al-Khalili about a career that’s spanned some of the most exciting periods in modern theoretical physics - and about one particular problem that's both obsessed and eluded him since his days as a student…

Produced by Lucy Taylor.

Up next
May 26
Dean Lomax on discovering ichthyosaurs and defying nay-sayers
Have you ever been told you aren't good enough to do something, then gone ahead and proved the naysayers wrong by doing it anyway - in glorious, headline-grabbing style? That is the satisfying story of Dr Dean Lomax. Dean grew up in Doncaster with a passion for fossils but after ... Show More
28m 24s
May 19
Helen Hastie on the future of human-robot relations
What if robots of the future weren’t just clever machines, performing tasks in isolation, but trusted teammates you could have a chat with? That could respond naturally to conversational cues and even explain their work? Making this relationship a reality is a focus for Helen Has ... Show More
28m 22s
May 12
Seth Berkley on the importance of vaccinating the world
Dr Seth Berkley is an epidemiologist and global health leader whose career has been shaped by one central problem: vaccines save lives, but only if people can actually get them.His 40-year career has spanned the global, from helping to build Uganda’s first HIV surveillance system ... Show More
28m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
The Life Scientific: Edward Witten
The Life Scientific returns with a special episode from the USA; Princeton, New Jersey, to be precise. Here, the Institute for Advanced Study has hosted some of the greatest scientific minds of our time - Einstein was one of its first professors, J. Robert Oppenheimer its longest ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 2019
The Universe Speaks in Numbers: Edward Witten interviewed by Graham Farmelo
Science writer Graham Farmelo in conversation with Edward Witten. Edward Witten is widely regarded as the pre-eminent theoretical physicist of the past four decades. Based at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he has made dozens of path-breaking contributions to both ... Show More
26m 50s
Apr 2021
170. Michio Kaku — The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything
Synthesizing relativity and quantum theory would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science. In this episode, Michael Shermer speaks with professor of t ... Show More
1h 36m
Dec 2019
Jim Gates: Supersymmetry, String Theory and Proving Einstein Right
Jim Gates (S James Gates Jr.) is a theoretical physicist and professor at Brown University working on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. He served on former President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He is the co-author of a new book titled ... Show More
1h 35m
Jan 2025
Einstein’s Genius with Ron Howard
<p>How did Einstein uncover so many fundamental theories of the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Harrison Greenbaum, and astrophysicist Janna Levin celebrate the life and legacy of Albert Einstein, accompanied by Neil’s interview with director Ron Howard.</p><p><i>(Or ... Show More
47m 56s
Mar 2018
Celebrating Einstein
<p>Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Chuck Nice, and astrophysicist Janna Levin as they celebrate the life and achievements of Albert Einstein and his impact on the scientific world around us including the detection of gravitational waves at LIGO.<br />NOTE: StarTalk All-A ... Show More
48m 42s
Nov 2019
The Universe Speaks in Numbers: Steven Weinberg interviewed by Graham Farmelo
Steven Weinberg is perhaps the most accomplished living theoretical physicist. Now based at the University of Texas at Austin, he has made substantial contributions to our understanding of all the fundamental forces of Nature. In this podcast, he reflects on his career in physics ... Show More
1h 5m
Sep 2019
Leonard Susskind: Quantum Mechanics, String Theory, and Black Holes
Leonard Susskind is a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University, and founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory and in general as one of the greatest physicists of our time both a ... Show More
57m 40s
Nov 2021
Einstein
'What! Einstein?', you say? 'Yuk, physics', you moan? Trust us. This one's a banger. Brain box eccentric and best-selling author David Bodanis is in the studio with Tom and Katie, and he's blowing their brains apart with his best E=MC2 facts and most enthralling Albert crazy-hair ... Show More
44m 5s