PBS Space Time

PBS

Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host: Matthew O’Dowd. For all business inquiries and sponsorship opportunities please reach out to: pbsspacetime@lighthouseagents.com Matt O'Dowd spends his time studying the universe, especially really far-away things like quasars, super-massive black holes, and evolving galaxies. He uses telescopes in space to do it. Matt completed his Ph.D. at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute, followed by work at the University of Melbourne and Columbia University. He's now a professor at the City University of New York's Lehman College and an Associate at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Previous host Gabe Perez-Giz is an astrophysicist who studies black hole physics. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and also hosted PBS Infinite Series. patreon.com/pbsspacetime

  1. What If Space is NOT Hollow?

    1 hr ago

    What If Space is NOT Hollow?

    To Learn More About Surfshark Check Out: http://surfshark.deals/spacetime PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Spacetime on its smallest scales is a seething ocean of black holes and wormholes flickering into and out of existence—or so many physicists think has to be the case. But why should we take this spacetime foam seriously if we’ve never seen any evidence of it? Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Christopher Pollack & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Sponsors Bryce Fort Peter Barrett David Neumann Sean Maddox Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal Quasar Sponsors Glenn Sugden Alex Kern Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Mark Heising Hypernova Sponsors Stephen Spidle Chris Webb Ivari Tölp Zachry Wilson Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Joe Moreira Bradley Voorhees Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков Robert Ilardi John R. Slavik Mathew Donal Botkin Edmund Fokschaner chuck zegar Jordan Young Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Nicolas Katsantonis Robin Bayley Piotr Sarnicki Massimiliano Pala Thomas Nielson Joe Pavlovic Ryan McGaughy Chuck Lukaszewski Edward Hodapp Cole B. Combs Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma Ryan Moser John Anderson David Giltinan Scott Hannum Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Vivaan Vaka Kane Holbrook Ross Story teng guo Mason Dillon Matt Langford Harsh Khandhadia Thomas Tarler Susan Albee Frank Walker Matt Quinn Michael Lev Terje Vold James Trimmier Jeremy Soller Andre Stechert Paul Wood Kent Durham Ramon Nogueira Ellis Hall John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Poljar Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Russ Creech Jeremy Reed David Johnston Michael Barton Andrew Mann Isaac Suttell Oliver Flanagan Bleys Goodson Robert Walter Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Nickolas Andrew Freeman Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Tonyface John Robinson Alex Gan David Barnholdt David Neal John Funai Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Cody Brumfield Thomas Dougherty King Zeckendorff Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Patrick Sutton John Griffith Dean Faulk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    20 min
  2. Can Space Time Keep Memory?

    2 hr ago

    Can Space Time Keep Memory?

    Thank you to Raycon for supporting PBS. Go to https://www.buyraycon.com/spacetime for up to 30% off your order, plus free shipping! Brought to you by Raycon. There are cosmic events so powerful that they leave permanent marks on the fabric of the universe itself. Imagine two colossal black holes spiraling into each other, yes they send ripples in the fabric of spacetime—gravitational waves that we’ve only recently learned to sense. Ripples pass, leaving the pond … or the universe … unchanged when they’re gone. But ripples aren’t the only type of wave. There’s another type of wave that leaves a permanent mark—a memory etched in the fabric of the universe. They’re akin to gravitational tsunamis, and we’re on the verge of being able to detect them. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Christopher Pollack & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2024 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Wojciech Szymski Bryce Fort Peter Barrett Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Mark Rosenthal Supernova Grace Biaelcki Glenn Sugden Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Mark Heising Hypernova Dean Galvin Michael Tidwell Robert DeChellis Stephen Spidle Chris Webb Massimiliano Pala Justin Lloyd David Giltinan Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Alex Kern Zubin Dowlaty Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков Robert Ilardi John R. Slavik Donal Botkin Edmund Fokschaner chuck zegar Gamma Ray Burst Satwik Pani Param Saxena John De Witt Nathaniel Bennett Sandhya Devi Michael Oulvey Arko Provo Mukherjee Mike Purvis Christopher Wade Anthony Crossland Grace Seraph Stephen Saslow Tomaz Lovsin Anthony Leon Lori Ferris Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Richard Steenbergen Joe Pavlovic Chuck Lukaszewski Cole B Combs Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma John Anderson Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story Harsh Khandhadia Michael Lev Rad Antonov Terje Vold James Trimmier Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Jeremy Reed David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Jim Hudson Alex Gan John Funai Adrien Molyneux Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Justin Waters Thomas Dougherty Zac Sweers Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Julien Dubois ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    18 min
  3. The FRESH SCIENCE of Moon Formation

    3 hr ago

    The FRESH SCIENCE of Moon Formation

    To Learn More Languages Check Out: https://speakly.app.link/Speakly PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Einstein once asked whether “the moon exists only when I look at it?". It was rhetorical objection to the idea that measurement in quantum mechanics causes reality to become real. But there was a time when the moon didn’t exist, and then hours later suddenly did. At least, according to the latest simulations of its formation. Check Out Matt on the Theories of Everything Podcast: https://youtu.be/T6xLFRHW-IY Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt Caplan & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Caique Oliveira, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Special Thanks to Our Patreon Supporters Big Bang Sponsors Tim O’Rourke Ryan Salsamendi Steffen Bendel Gautam Shine Bryce Fort Peter Barrett David Neumann Leo Koguan Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal Quasar Sponsors Glenn Sugden Alex Kern Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Christina Oegren Mark Heising Hank S Hypernova Sponsors Ryan Moser David Giltinan Ivari Tölp Vyce Ailour Ken S Kirk Honour drollere Joe Moreira Bradley Voorhees Marc Armstrong Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков John R. Slavik Mathew David S. Cerutti Donal Botkin John Pollock Edmund Fokschaner chuck zegar Jordan Young John Hofmann Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Joe Pavlovic Jswcp Ryan McGaughy Mark West Hypothasies Justin Lloyd Chuck Lukaszewski Edward Hodapp Kevin Tillery Cole Marc Forand D. Delair Walter Montalvo Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma Alexander Gruber Jonathan Cordovano John Anderson Scott Hannum Paul Widden Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story teng guo Mason Dillon Harsh Khandhadia Thomas Tarler bsgbryan Sean McCaul Susan Albee Frank Walker Matt Q MHL SHS Terje Vold James Trimmier Anatoliy Nagornyy comboy Andre Stechert Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh Nubble Ramon Nogueira The Mad Mechanic Ellis Hall John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Alex Edwards Ádám Kettinger MD3 Endre Pech Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Geoffrey Clarion Russ Creech Jeremy Reed David Johnston Web Browser Michael Barton Mr T Isaac Suttell Devon Rosenthal Oliver Flanagan Bleys Goodson Robert Walter Mirik Gogri Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Nickolas Andrew Freeman Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Robert Ilardi Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Graydon Goss Frederic Simon Tonyface John Robinson Jim Hudson A G David Barnholdt David Neal justahat John Funai Tristan Bradley Jenkins Daniel Stříbrný Luaan Cody Brumfield Thomas Dougherty King Zeckendorff Dan Warren Patrick Sutton John Griffith DFaulk Sam Long Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min
  4. Why Is All DNA Oriented Rightward?

    4 hr ago

    Why Is All DNA Oriented Rightward?

    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE The molecular basis of all life is mysteriously asymmetric, only using molecules on one side of what should be the equivalent mirrored pairs. The universe has a similar mirror asymmetry, and it may be that our very DNA inherited its twist from the underlying handedness of reality. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt Caplan & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2025 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Tj Steyn Peter Barrett Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Mark Rosenthal Supernova Daniel Muzquiz Grace Biaelcki Glenn Sugden Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Robert Ilardi Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke Mark Heising Hypernova Param Saxena Thomas Mouton Zachary Haberman Spencer Jones Dean Galvin Mike Purvis Michael Tidwell Stephen Saslow Stephen Spidle Massimiliano Pala Justin Lloyd David Giltinan Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Alex Kern Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков John R. Slavik Donal Botkin chuck zegar Gamma Ray Burst Michael Good Steven Giallourakis Ian Williams Łukasz Kuczera Ayden Miller Todd J Lerner Sound Reason Michael Clark Collin Dutrow Marion Lang Kurt Gottselig Bryan White Eric Raschke aaron pinto Kacper Cieśla Satwik Pani John De Witt Nathaniel Bennett Sandhya Devi Arko Provo Mukherjee Christopher Wade Robert DeChellis Tomaz Lovsin Anthony Leon Nick Hoffenstoffer III Lori Ferris Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Sean Owen Richard Steenbergen Chuck Lukaszewski Jerry Thomas John Anderson Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Steffen Bendel Ross Story Harsh Khandhadia Michael Lev Rad Antonov Terje Vold James Trimmier comboy Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Kent Durham Jim Bartosh John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Poljar Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Ben McIntosh David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Tonyface Alex Gan Matthew Johnson Michael Purcell John Funai Adrien Molyneux Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Walter Flinn Thomas Dougherty Zac Sweers Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Cal Stephens ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    25 min
  5. 5 hr ago

    Breaking The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

    Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Quantum mechanics forbids us from measuring the universe beyond a certain level of precision. But that doesn’t stop us from trying. And in some cases succeeding, by squeezing the Heisenberg uncertainty principle to its breaking point. Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Katie McCormick & Matt O'Dowd Graphics by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria GFX Visualizations: Katherine Kornei Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Assistant Producer: Setare Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRl6-nb4iOnsij-vnpAjp0Q BIg Bang Tiffany Poindexter Jason Verreault Leo Koguan Sandy Wu Matthew Miller Scott Gray Ahmad Jodeh Radu Negulescu Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal David Nicklas Quasar Stephen Wilcox Christina Oegren Mark Heising Hank S Hypernova william bryan Marc Armstrong Scott Gorlick Nick Berard Paul Stehr-Green MuON Marketing Russell Pope Ben Delo L. Wayne Ausbrooks Nicholas Newlin Adrian Posor Антон Кочков John R. Slavik Mathew Danton Spivey Donal Botkin John Pollock Edmund Fokschaner Joseph Salomone Matthew O'Connor chuck zegar Jordan Young m0nk Julien Dubois John Hofmann Daniel Muzquiz Timothy McCulloch Gamma Ray Burst Supporters Scott R Calkins Carl Scaggs Joshua Helms G Mack The Mad Mechanic Ellis Hall John H. Austin, Jr. Ben Campbell Lawrence Tholl, DVM Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Alex Edwards Nick Ádám Kettinger Sylvain Leduc MD3 Endre Pech Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Pratik Mukherjee Geoffrey Clarion Nate Darren Duncan Russ Creech Jeremy Reed Derek Davis Eric Webster Steven Sartore David Johnston J. King Michael Barton Christopher Barron James Ramsey Drew Hart Justin Jermyn Mr T Andrew Mann Jeremiah Johnson fieldsa eleanory Peter Mertz Kevin O'Connell Isaac Suttell Devon Rosenthal Oliver Flanagan Bleys Goodson Darryl J Lyle Robert Walter Bruce B Ismael Montecel Simon Oliphant Mirik Gogri Mark Daniel Cohen Brandon Lattin Nickolas Andrew Freeman Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Robert Ilardi Astaurus Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Martin Skans Michael Conroy Graydon Goss Frederic Simon Tonyface John Robinson A G Kevin Lee Adrian Hatch Yurii Konovaliuk John Funai Cass Costello Tristan Deloche Bradley Jenkins Kyle Hofer Daniel Stříbrný Luaan AlecZero Vlad Shipulin Cody Malte Ubl King Zeckendorff Nick Virtue Scott Gossett Dan Warren Patrick Sutton John Griffith Daniel Lyons DFaulk GrowingViolet Kevin Warne Andreas Nautsch Brandon labonte Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    15 min
  6. The Crisis In Physics: Are We Failing To Detect 17 Layers of Reality?

    5 hr ago

    The Crisis In Physics: Are We Failing To Detect 17 Layers of Reality?

    Remove your personal information from the web at https://joindeleteme.com/SPACETIME Big things are made of smaller things, and those smaller things are made of smaller things still. That’s reductionism in a nutshell, and digging our way to the smallest layer has been one of the primary goals of physics for ever. But what if, just before we reach the bottom, we find out that reductionism fails? Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2025 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Tj Steyn Bryce Fort Peter Barrett Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Mark Rosenthal Supernova Grace Biaelcki Glenn Sugden Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Robert Ilardi Mark Heising Hypernova Thomas Mouton Zachary Haberman Spencer Jones Dean Galvin Mike Purvis Michael Tidwell Stephen Saslow Stephen Spidle Massimiliano Pala Justin Lloyd David Giltinan Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Alex Kern drollere Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков John R. Slavik Donal Botkin chuck zegar Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Todd J Lerner Sound Reason Michael Clark Collin Dutrow Marion Lang Kurt Gottselig Bryan White Eric Raschke aaron pinto Kacper Cieśla Satwik Pani Param Saxena John De Witt Nathaniel Bennett Sandhya Devi Michael Oulvey Arko Provo Mukherjee Christopher Wade Anthony Crossland treborg777 Robert DeChellis Tomaz Lovsin Anthony Leon Nick Hoffenstoffer III Lori Ferris Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Sean Owen Richard Steenbergen Joe Pavlovic Chuck Lukaszewski Jerry Thomas John Anderson Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story Harsh Khandhadia Michael Lev Rad Antonov Terje Vold James Trimmier Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Ben McIntosh David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Tonyface Matthew Johnson Michael Purcell John Funai Adrien Molyneux Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Walter Flinn Thomas Dougherty Zac Sweers Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Cal Stephens ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    25 min
  7. Are The Fundamental Constants Delicately Tuned? | The Naturalness Problem

    6 hr ago

    Are The Fundamental Constants Delicately Tuned? | The Naturalness Problem

    Learn More About Anydesk: https://anydesk.com/spacetime Did God have any choice in creating the world? So asked Albert Einstein. He was being poetic. What he really meant, was whether the universe could have been any other way. Could it have had different laws of physics, driven by different fundamental constants. Or is this one vast and complex universe the inevitable result of an inevitable and unique underlying principle, perhaps expressible as a supremely elegant Theory of Everything. It certainly seems that Einstein thought this should be the case … that God had no choice in whether or how to create the world. It seems like a pretty arm-chair philosophical and perhaps unanswerable question, but the modern “problem” of naturalness may lead to an answer. Check Out Our Patreon Interview with Looking Glass Universe Here: https://youtu.be/QPuVtvIOYcM Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt O'Dowd & Andrea Quaranta Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2025 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Tj Steyn Bryce Fort Peter Barrett Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Mark Rosenthal Supernova Grace Biaelcki Glenn Sugden Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Robert Ilardi Mark Heising Hypernova Thomas Mouton Zachary Haberman Spencer Jones Dean Galvin Mike Purvis Michael Tidwell Stephen Saslow Stephen Spidle Massimiliano Pala Justin Lloyd David Giltinan Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Alex Kern drollere Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков John R. Slavik Donal Botkin chuck zegar Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Todd J Lerner Sound Reason Michael Clark Collin Dutrow Marion Lang Kurt Gottselig Bryan White Eric Raschke aaron pinto Kacper Cieśla Satwik Pani Param Saxena John De Witt Nathaniel Bennett Sandhya Devi Michael Oulvey Arko Provo Mukherjee Christopher Wade Anthony Crossland treborg777 Robert DeChellis Tomaz Lovsin Anthony Leon Nick Hoffenstoffer III Lori Ferris Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Sean Owen Richard Steenbergen Joe Pavlovic Chuck Lukaszewski Jerry Thomas John Anderson Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story Harsh Khandhadia Michael Lev Rad Antonov Terje Vold James Trimmier Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Ben McIntosh David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Tonyface Matthew Johnson Michael Purcell John Funai Adrien Molyneux Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Walter Flinn Thomas Dougherty Zac Sweers Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Cal Stephens ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    25 min
  8. How Will We (Most Probably) Discover Extraterrestrial Life?

    7 hr ago

    How Will We (Most Probably) Discover Extraterrestrial Life?

    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime The first discovery of extraterrestrial life will almost certainly NOT be when it visits us, nor when we visit it. It won’t be when we see it’s stray TV signals. It’ll be in the excruciatingly faint changes in the color of alien sunsets glimpsed hundreds of light years away. Today we’re going to talk about the first such hint, why it's probably not aliens, and why there’s a tiny chance that it still might not not be aliens. Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt Caplan & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Sponsors Bryce Fort Peter Barrett David Neumann Sean Maddox Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal Quasar Sponsors Glenn Sugden Alex Kern Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Mark Heising Hypernova Sponsors Stephen Spidle Chris Webb Ivari Tölp Zachary Wilson Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Bradley Voorhees Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков Robert Ilardi John R. Slavik Donal Botkin Edmund Fokschaner Chuck Zegar Jordan Young Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Billy Holland Leonardo Schulthais Senna Lori Ferris James Sadler Dennis Van Hoof Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Piotr Sarnicki Massimiliano Pala Thomas Nielson Joe Pavlovic Justin Lloyd Chuck Lukaszewski Cole B Combs Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma Ryan Moser John Anderson David Giltinan Scott Hannum Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story teng guo Mason Dillon Matt Langford Harsh Khandhadia Susan Albee Matt Quinn Michael Lev Terje Vold James Trimmier comboy Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Joe Moreira Kent Durham Jim Bartosh Ramon Nogueira John H. Austin, Jr. Diana S Poljar Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Russ Creech Jeremy Reed David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Oliver Flanagan Bleys Goodson Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon John Robinson Jim Hudson Alex Gan David Barnholdt John Funai Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Cody Brumfield Thomas Dougherty King Zeckendorff Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Patrick Sutton Dean Faulk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    23 min

About

Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host: Matthew O’Dowd. For all business inquiries and sponsorship opportunities please reach out to: pbsspacetime@lighthouseagents.com Matt O'Dowd spends his time studying the universe, especially really far-away things like quasars, super-massive black holes, and evolving galaxies. He uses telescopes in space to do it. Matt completed his Ph.D. at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute, followed by work at the University of Melbourne and Columbia University. He's now a professor at the City University of New York's Lehman College and an Associate at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Previous host Gabe Perez-Giz is an astrophysicist who studies black hole physics. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and also hosted PBS Infinite Series. patreon.com/pbsspacetime

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