Season 2016

2016 · 27 episodes

Episodes

1Leslie Valiant: Searching for the Algorithms Underlying LifeLeslie Valiant explains the term "ecorithm."
2Are We Alone in the Universe?David Kaplan explores the best ways to search for alien life on distant planets.
3Michael Atiyah's Imaginative State of MindMichael Atiyah discusses beauty in mathematics.
4David Deamer: How We’re Studying the Origins of LifeDavid Deamer explains how his laboratory mimics the extreme conditions found on volcanoes in the early Earth.
5Is That 'Bump' a New Particle?David Kaplan explains how a curious signal in the Large Hadron Collider's latest data could upset the Standard Model of physics — or mean nothing at all.
6Tiny Tests Seek the Universe's Big MysteriesDavid Moore explains why we might expect to find strange things when we study gravity at small scales.
7David Moore: Tabletop PhysicsStanford University physicist David Moore explains how his team’s tabletop experiment uses lasers and tiny glass spheres to test gravity.
8Janna Levin on Science and CultureJanna Levin talks about her roles as scientific director at a “center for art and innovation” in Brooklyn and as a physicist and writer.
9Ken Ono: A Life Inspired by an Unexpected GeniusKen Ono explains how Ramanujan has served as his “guardian angel” throughout his life and career.
10Suchitra Sebastian: An Explorer of Quantum BorderlandsSuchitra Sebastian talks about how extreme conditions can create unexpected quantum behavior.
11How Does Life Come From Randomness?David Kaplan explains how the law of increasing entropy could drive random bits of matter into the stable, orderly structures of life.
12Miranda Cheng: A Moonshine Master Toys with String TheoryMiranda Cheng explains what umbral moonshine is and how it might illuminate string theory.
13Tracy Slatyer: A Seeker of Dark Matter’s Hidden LightTracy Slatyer explains why she’s not disappointed when a mysterious cosmic signal turns out to be something other than dark matter.
14Peter and Rosemary GrantPeter and Rosemary Grant explain how our understanding of evolution has changed in their lifetimes.
15Pencils Down: The Art of Teaching Math and ScienceWhat can we learn from the best teachers on the front lines? To shine a spotlight on this linchpin of our education system, Quanta Magazine followed four master science and math teachers into their classrooms.
16Pencils Down: Channa Comer of Baychester Middle SchoolChanna Comer teaches 6th-grade science. She focuses on engagement so kids will want to keep learning.
17Pencils Down: Mike Zitolo of School of the FutureMichael Zitolo is turning the way science is approached in the classroom upside down.
18Pencils Down: Soni Midha of East Side Community High SchoolIn school or in life, Soni Midha wants her math students to be able to prove why something is correct.
19Pencils Down: Aaron Mathieu of Acton-Boxborough Regional High SchoolStudents need a chance to fail at science to learn about its process, says Aaron Mathieu.
20Pencils Down: Channa Comer Teaching About Scientific ControlsWhat's a control? Channa Comer challenges her students to explain and work things out for themselves.
21Helen Quinn: A Wormhole Between Physics and EducationA Wormhole Between Physics and Education
22Michael Costanzo: Giant Genetic Map Reveals Life’s Hidden LinksMichael Costanzo, a biologist at the University of Toronto and a lead author on the new study, explains why it’s important to understand how genes interact.
23Richard Lenski: A Conductor of Evolution’s Subtle SymphonyRichard Lenski discusses how he has been surprised by evolution.
24Cynthia Dwork: How to Force Our Machines to Play FairCynthia Dwork explains how to conduct a survey that asks people if they do embarrassing — or even illicit — things.
25Erik Verlinde: The Case Against Dark MatterErik Verlinde describes how emergent gravity and dark energy can explain away dark matter.
26Janet Conrad: On a Hunt for a Ghost of a ParticleJanet Conrad explains how sterile neutrinos might help physicists move past the Standard Model.
27Elena Aprile: In the Deep, a Drive to Find Dark MatterElena Aprile explains how she hunts for dark matter in the world’s largest underground laboratory.