logo
episode-header-image
Aug 16
1h 2m

164. Unravelling the Universe, Again

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

More than two decades ago, Adam Riess’s Nobel Prize-winning work fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe. His new work is reshaping cosmology for a second time.

 

  • RESOURCES:
    • Adam Riess, astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University.

 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Up next
Sep 27
167. The Secret of Humanity? It’s Common Knowledge.
Steven Pinker’s new book argues that all our relationships depend on shared assumptions and “recursive mentalizing” — our constant efforts to understand what other people are thinking. He and Steve talk about the psychology of eye contact, the particular value of Super Bowl ads, ... Show More
58m 45s
Sep 20
How to Have Great Conversations (Update)
The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses. SOURCES:Charles Duhigg, journalist and author. RESOURCES:Supercommunicators: How to Unl ... Show More
44m 24s
Sep 13
166. The World’s Most Effective Public Health Intervention Is Under Attack
Seth Berkley used to run the world's largest vaccine funding organization. He and Steve talk about the incredible value of vaccines, the economics of immunizing the developing world, and the current attacks on public health. SOURCES:Seth Berkley, epidemiologist at Brown Universit ... Show More
1h 1m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
A Cosmic Conversation with Kip Thorne
Could you travel back in time through a wormhole? Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne to reflect on discovering gravitational waves with LIGO, the science in the movie Interstellar, black holes, and many more mysteries still yet ... Show More
1h 41m
Sep 9
Cosmic Queries - Black Hole Universe
Are we closer in size to an atom or the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Paul Mecurio answer grab-bag questions about Hawking Radiation, power on the moon, and whether our universe is inside a black hole.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free h ... Show More
43m 32s
Sep 16
Gravity’s Cosmic Symphony with Kelly Holley-Bockelmann
Could LISA detect primordial black holes or gravitational waves from the Big Bang? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice explore LISA and the future of gravitational wave astronomy with astrophysicist Kelly Holley-Bockelmann.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire ... Show More
53m 42s
May 2025
The Language of the Universe with Grant Sanderson (3blue1brown)
Why can’t you divide by zero? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice discuss higher dimensions, dividing by zero, and math’s unsolved questions with math YouTuber Grant Sanderson (3blue1brown).NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:https://star ... Show More
55m 57s
Apr 2025
Brian Schmidt on Nobel Prize-winning supernovae and the joys of making wine
Have you ever pondered the fact that the universe is expanding? And not only that, it's expanding at an increasing speed - meaning everything around us is getting further and further away? If that isolating thought makes you feel slightly panicked, don't worry: this programme als ... Show More
28m 39s
Sep 2024
Our Mathematical Universe with Grant Sanderson (3Blue1Brown)
Is math discovered or invented? Neil deGrasse Tyson & Chuck Nice explore information theory, talking to aliens with prime numbers, Mandelbrot sets, and why math is often called the "language of the universe" with Grant Sanderson, the math educator behind YouTube channel 3Blue1Bro ... Show More
56m 56s
Jun 2025
Cosmic Queries – Dimensional Leaking
Is the whole universe actually a jinn particle? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly hang out with astrophysicist Charles Liu to answer questions about the nature of gravity, dark matter, and why we don’t actually know how the solar corona gets hot. NOTE: ... Show More
44m 44s
Apr 2025
When Black Holes Collide with Nergis Mavalvala
How do we detect ripples in spacetime? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Harrison Greenbaum explore black hole collisions, quantum tricks, and how gravitational waves can help us uncover the early universe with MIT physicist and LIGO researcher Nergis Mavalvala.NOTE: StarTalk+ Pat ... Show More
45m 42s
Jul 22
Searching for Alien Worlds with Anjali Tripathi
Could a new telescope one day spot city lights on exoplanets? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen answer questions about the frontiers of exoplanet science with astrophysicist and NASA Exoplanet Science Ambassador, Anjali Tripathi. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to ... Show More
54m 26s
Jun 2025
The Philosophy of Physics with Elise Crull
What happens when physics meets the big questions of philosophy? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice sit down with Elise Crull, philosopher of physics at CUNY and author of The Einstein Paradox, to explore physics, philosophy, and how thought experiments shape real s ... Show More
49m 53s