The 7th Avenue Project: Thinking Persons' Radio

Show for May 6, 2012. George Dyson: The Dawn of the Digital Universe

Historian George Dyson tells the story of the Electronic Computer Project. Led by the brilliant polymath John Von Neumann in 1940’s and 50’s, the project laid the groundwork for much of modern computing. In doing so, Dyson says, it birthed a new, digital ecosystem, a world of self-reproducing, ever-evolving numbers that may be said to have a life of their own.

We talked about that and about Dyson’s own very personal connection to the story. He’s the son of famed physicist Freeman Dyson and grew up at the Institute for Advanced Study, where Von Neumann and crew did their pioneering work. He’s also an earth-loving outdoorsman, and has a foot in both the natural and technological worlds. 

John Von Neumann and the “MANIAC” computer at the Institute for Advanced Study. The cylinders at bottom house cathode ray tubes used as memory devices. Most present-day computers are descendants of this ancestral machine, as Dyson explains in his new book Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe.

Click the Play arrow above to listen to the show, or you can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As”; If using a PC, right-click and choose “Save Target As”).

Show for April 15, 2012: Astrophysicist Michael Turner

Michael Turner, of the University of Chicago and Kavli Institute, has had his hands in some of the biggest cosmological advances of recent years. He’s also contributed to the scientific lexicon, coining the term “dark matter” and presaging its discovery. We talked about that and some of the universe’s other big conundrums.

Click the Play arrow above to listen to the show, or you can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Show for March 25, 2012. Philosophy Fights Back.

In the age of science, what’s a philosopher to do? As physics, biology and other hard sciences advance, is philosophy left with only a few increasingly recherché questions? Nope, says philosopher Colin McGinn. McGinn argues that philosophy is a kind of science (though it could use some rebranding to that effect), and those other sciences would do well to pay it some mind. A dose of philosophy could help clear up many scientific confusions and save theorists from a mess of conceptual errors (homuncular fallacy, anyone?). Colin McGinn and I talk science vs. philosophy, different kinds of knowledge, the nature of objectivity, problems with the scientific study of consciousness, and his Campaign to Rename Philosophy (CRP), which he wrote about recently in the New York Times.

Click the Play arrow above to listen to the show, or you can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Show for Jan. 15, 2012. The Theory that Changed the Universe: Anthony Aguirre on General Relativity. Pt 2 of 2.

Cosmologist Anthony Aguirre and I continue our jaunt through General Relativity. Last week we presented some of the basics. This week, we talk about the evidence, the impacts and implications, including the cosmological constant, the expanding universe, gravity waves, time dilation, black holes, and spacetime singularities.

Show for Jan. 8, 2012. The Theory that Changed the Universe: Anthony Aguirre on General Relativity. Pt 1 of 2.

It was Einstein’s greatest idea, and one of the boldest leaps of scientific imagination ever. Much of what physicists know (or think they know) about space, time and the cosmos depends on it. But General Relativity is usually brushed over in pop sci accounts, because GR is considered too GD difficult for ordinary brains. Even on this scientifically-minded program, we’ve given it pretty cursory treatment. But not this time. I’m devoting two whole shows to the subject with physicist Anthony Aguirre. He’s taught relativity and applies it in his own cosmological research, and does a yeomanly job here of making some very alien concepts approachable.

Included in Pt 1: From Special to General Relativity, gravity reconsidered, the geometry of spacetime, practical implications of GR, and evidence for the theory.

I’m not sure what those equations are behind Anthony Aguirre, but here’s one version of Einstein’s field equation, which we discussed in the program:

Click the Play arrow above to listen to the show, or you can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Show for Nov. 27, 2011. Brian Greene on Black Holes.

First broadcast in Jan. 2009: physicist and master explainer Brian Greene on the space-, time-, and mind-bending properties of black holes. This originally aired as part 1 of a black hole double-header. You can hear the second installment, with the physicist Leonard Susskind, here.

You can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Show for Oct. 9, 2011. Evolutionary Biologist Marlene Zuk on Bugs and Us

We love biologists who can entertain as well as they explain, and Marlene Zuk is great at both. Last time we had her on the show, the subject was parasites (you can listen or download the mp3 here). This time, it’s insects, and what they do or don’t have in common with human beings. Our conversation took some fun and interesting turns into areas such as anthropomorphism and sexual politics in entomology.

Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Marlene Zuk’s latest book, Sex on Six Legs.

Show for July 17, 2011. The Machinery of Life.

Harry Noller has been doing molecular biology since before it was even called that, and he’s been doing it very well. His work has helped illumine some of the fundamental processes on which all life (at least all earthly life) depends. He speaks about his fascinating career and research on today’s show. We’ll hear about his meetings with remarkable scientists, his own brush with Nobel laureate-hood and the dizzying intricacies of his pet research subject, the microscopic machines known as ribosomes.

Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Harry’s lab has put together some ribosome animations, which you can view here. Have patience: some of these take a while to download.  Here’s another ribosome movie (very simplified), with music you can dance to:

Show for June 26, 2011. Jennifer Ouellette and The Calculus Diaries.

How one mathophobe conquered her fears, and others can, too. For years, science journalist Jennifer Ouellette made a living writing about subjects like physics, while avoiding the mathematics. Finally, she resolved to shed the dread and confront calculus, as she relates in her recent book The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse. We talked about her reconciliation with math, the history and uses of calculus (e.g., predicting rates of zombification), the sources of math anxiety and techniques for getting over it.

We also played an excerpt from this song, by Matthew Kaney:

Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)

Incidentally, Jennifer’s hubby is the physicist Sean Carroll, who we interviewed here on the subject of time.

Show for June 12, 2011. Carl Zimmer and Planet of Viruses

The last time we had science writer Carl Zimmer on the show, it was to discuss E Coli, the subject of his book Microcosm. The book is an eye-opener for anyone who would dismiss bacteria as rudimentary bugs. As Carl explained, E Coli have a social life, sex of a sort, seem to learn and may even be said to lie and cheat. Now he’s moved a notch down the biological yardstick, revealing the richness of life on the smallest scales. We talked about his latest book, A Planet of Viruses, and the huge role viruses play in human history, in the evolution of life on earth, the ecology and even the world’s climate.

Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here.

Show for Dec. 12, 2010: Sean Carroll—the Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time

Cal Tech theoretical physicist and Cosmic Variance blogger Sean Carroll considers various ideas of time, including Newton’s, Einstein’s and Sean’s own pet theory (think bubbles and baby universes). We also talk a lot about entropy—the basis of time’s arrow, Sean explains—and perforce about eggs.

You can download the MP3 here.

Show for Sunday, Nov 14: Particle Physics Primer, Pt. 2

Our adventures in subatomic wonderland with particle physicist Bruce Schumm continue.  We’ll pick up where we left off last week, searching for underlying order—maybe even simplicity—amidst all the quantum complexity. We’ll learn about the Feynman rules, symmetry and gauge theory. We’ll hear about the gaps in the Standard Model of particle physics, the search for missing pieces (like the Higgs field) and the possibility of grand unification (a “theory of everything”).

Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here.

While sailing into some deep waters, we’ll be sure to pass out life jackets. Even physicists need flotation devices, like Feynman diagrams (discussed on today’s show):

This is a simple electromagnetic interaction: two electrons meet, exchange a photon and go their separate ways. Below are some more diagrams, including examples of two other forces—the weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force:

Want to draw your own Feynman diagrams? Here are the rules.