Chuck has to act more and more that he doesn't know anything when he so clearly has it down. The best part is that he can still fill in our own gaps though because he can much more easily relate to where we as an audience may get lost in translation. He's like a 10 year old explaining to us as a toddler what our grandparents just said.
@@zuracore I've been listening for a few years now, and Chuck continues to impress me. He'll sometimes come to a conclusion on his own involving some complicated math or physics.
Chuck is the Ambassador for us normal people; he always says what we think when we find answers and is surprised as we are. Gary is smarter and Neil is Neil.
I agree with Chuck about the wars. The wars bring so much distruction that it sets back humanity by having people to use the resources in order to rebild all the things that were destroyed instead of using them to develop and invent better things....Sadly a lost of good and smart people die in the wars instead of helping to discover and invent ...is very bad for the environment too...
Agreed. Look back to the Bronze Age collapse, the collapse/destruction of the Mesopotamian cultures, and quite a few other similar collapses. We lost 100s, if not 1000s of years to the dark. With the obvious connection of scientific advancement to enlightened societies that allow both free time for thinking and encouragement from those societies, I think Chuck was correct. If so, where would we be today? First off, UA-cam may well have come and gone centuries ago.
Actually a great deal of our medical and surgical jumps forward have come from battlefield work. War has advanced medicine as well as the controlled use of energies. Now we have the ability to wage wars with very few people actually on the battlefield and the advancements of drones and satellite technologies has been driven by the military in many countries. I am not saying we need war, but it has had many positive impacts along with the loss of life. We also have lost lives in the Space programs and the exploration of the Earth outside of wars.
While I agree about being against war in a general sense, your take is a bit too simplistic to my eyes. It’s important to note that war times also, necessarily, represent a given society’s most rapid technological, intellectual, and industrial advancement and productivity. As lopsided, unfair, or malicious as the results may be, it is inarguable as human progress. You can say what you will about the atomic bomb, but it would not have been engineered and built without the looming of a world war in the 20th century.
EDIT: "A book written 4000 years ago"?! Pretty much every counterapologist just jumped on their keyboards. Neil's off by at least a thousand years. My response to Christian Huygens would be "What good does the death by starvation of over a thousand of people every hour of every day provide to our society?" I agree with Chuck on this one. We currently have the resources to end famine _yesterday,_ but the greater demons of our nature outstrip our better angels. "I'm just hoping that my testimony will inspire y'all to stop acting phony." - Tyler Burgess
Yup, I am also with Chuck on this one and all we have to do is look at our current time. We are witnessing regression right now and we are getting set back in time because of it.
Startalk has more subscribers now, so I think they're doing more. If I recall, just a few years ago Startalk had less than a million subscribers. Today it's over 4 million (I think the video on Terrence Howard introduced a lot of people to the show). Keep in mind that Startalk has been running since 2010.
If we'd come together as a Species, we would've been spacefaring in the early 1800's. We aren't together as a species, we self-segregate in every way possible.
@@MrSean03839 I'd like to believe that if we came together as a species, or even just our society, we would overcome that issue and find another way of travel.
I completely disagree with Neil on the planes. The reason we aren't going as fast as we used to, and the reason we didn't push for more supersonic jets, was cost. We realized reducing the speed slightly saved a ton of fuel. And building jets that could super cruise, was not only very problematic for flight paths (sonic booms), but was also insanely expensive. Bout 7hr flight new york to london. If you could do it in an hour and a half, and it only cost say $100-200 more, people would be ALL over that. By contrast, Concorde tickets in 1996, the cheapest were $7500 for a round trip flight from NY to London. Doesn't sound like much until you factor in inflation and realize that's a $15000 plane ticket. If we could build cheap, quiet, fuel efficient, supersonic jets, people would be using them all the time. Why would anyone not want to get there faster?
Exactly. People would take the faster option in an instant if it was affordable. I also feel that this analogy is a poor one for the question asked, which is having instant access to info or merging with machines. I don't believe access speed is one of the main considerations for not doing it. Chuck is on the right track - do you trust the people putting in the chip and having access to it? There's all kinds of dystopian uses for the technology that are of much greater concern.
Thanks for this. I suspect that Dr. Tyson flies first class. If he flew economy, he'd welcome the shorter flight. Of course, it's not likely the Concorde would ever have allowed economy class people aboard.
Makes me nostalgic for the days when we were just a bunch of kids sitting around yapping about imaginative "what if?" scenarios without the ambient stress of adulthood.
19:47 to 20:06 is my favorite snippet of the discussion between the three of you. During my pursuit for my undergraduate degree in philosophy, I often contemplated the statement, "The end of the world as we know it." What if we have misinterpreted it as a tragedy soon to unfold when we could look at it in the context of this small excerpt of the discussion. Like Neil concurred after Chuck's insight, "the species would have to rethink itself." It leaves me wondering if we're bound to make the same mistakes over & over instead of pursuing that which fulfills us a species.
Postulates of the Theory Postulate 1: Spacetime is a 4D Projection of Higher-Dimensional Nested Klein Bottles Spacetime, as observed at macroscopic scales, is a 4-dimensional projection of a higher-dimensional structure. This structure is topologically similar to a nested series of Klein bottles (non-orientable surfaces), which governs the underlying geometry and dynamics of the universe. Mathematically, we represent this projection by: M_4 = \Pi_{\mu u}(K_4 \to K_n) Postulate 2: Discreteness of Spacetime at the Planck Scale At the Planck scale ( meters), spacetime becomes discrete and quantized, governed by topological rules derived from the higher-dimensional structure. This discreteness eliminates the infinities that arise in classical descriptions of spacetime, such as at black hole singularities or in the infinite precision required at the Planck scale. The quantization can be expressed as: \Delta x = \epsilon_p = \sqrt{\hbar G/c^3} Postulate 3: Quantum Mechanics is Embodied in the Indeterminacy of Spacetime Quantum indeterminacy is an inherent property of spacetime itself, arising from the fluctuation in the topology of the underlying higher-dimensional space. This manifests as the indeterminacy in expressions like and , which allow for multiple possible outcomes: 1, 0, or -1. This can be mathematically represented by a multivalued function: f(x) = \left\{ 0^0, 1 \times 0 ight\} \quad \text{with possible values} \quad \{1, 0, -1\} Postulate 4: Bidirectional Causality Causality is not strictly unidirectional. Events in the future and past can influence each other due to the higher-dimensional topology of spacetime, which allows for causal interactions between past and future states in quantum systems. This postulate explains retrocausal effects and entanglement in quantum mechanics. Mathematically, we describe this relationship with a causal kernel that allows for causality to evolve both forward and backward in time: C(\Delta t) = C_+(\Delta t) + C_-(\Delta t) Postulate 5: Dark Energy as a Stabilizing Quantum Field Dark energy is not a cosmological constant but a field of quantum fluctuations existing in a higher-dimensional structure. It serves to stabilize the spacetime fabric and drives the accelerated expansion of the universe. This dark energy field exists as a potential that has not collapsed into one of the possible outcomes, maintaining the expansion of the universe. Mathematically, we express dark energy as a field in the higher-dimensional topology: \Phi(x) = \Phi_0 + \delta\Phi(x) --- Mathematical Framework Supporting the Theory 1. Klein Bottle Geometry The nested Klein bottle topology can be described by a set of differential forms that govern the dynamics of spacetime within the higher-dimensional structure. These forms allow us to generalize the concept of spacetime curvature to higher-dimensional manifolds. Consider the higher-dimensional spacetime manifold , with a metric : ds^2 = g_{\mu u}(x) dx^\mu dx^ u R_{\mu u\lambda\sigma} = \partial_\mu \Gamma_{ u\lambda\sigma} - \partial_ u \Gamma_{\mu\lambda\sigma} + \Gamma_{\mu\alpha\lambda} \Gamma^\alpha_{ u\sigma} - \Gamma_{ u\alpha\lambda} \Gamma^\alpha_{\mu\sigma} 2. Spacetime Discreteness At the Planck scale, we model the discrete structure using lattice theory and quantum field theory on a lattice: \phi(x) = \sum_{\alpha} \delta(x - x_\alpha) \phi_\alpha 3. Gravitational Waves in Higher-Dimensional Space Gravitational waves propagate through both the observable 4D spacetime and the higher-dimensional structure. The equation governing gravitational waves in this context is a modified version of the Einstein field equations: R_{\mu u} - \frac{1}{2} g_{\mu u} R + \Lambda g_{\mu u} = 8\pi G T_{\mu u} \Box h_{\mu u} = 16 \pi G \left( T_{\mu u} + T_{\mu u}^{\text{higher-dim}} ight) --- Summary This framework introduces a nested Klein bottle topology for spacetime, unifying quantum mechanics, general relativity, and cosmological phenomena within a discrete structure that resolves the Planck scale and event horizon paradoxes. It predicts subtle modifications to gravitational waves, quantum field behavior, and cosmological observables that can be tested by current and future experiments. The mathematical postulates and equations outlined here provide the foundation for further refinement, experimental predictions, and potential verification of this unified theory.
Not exactly. It wouldn't replace or rewire neurons. But I bet it would be involved! Maybe like reprogramming genes with it, and turning the affected parts into a tiny stem cell soup and let the neurons regrow or something 🤷♂️
I love Star Talk....I was listening to a lot of political podcasts and found myself getting angry yet I found things different walking amongst fellow Americans. So I went to comedy and that definitely helped. What I love about Star Talk is that it isn't based on subjectivity and feelings but on objectivity and facts(usually)
I think I agree with the “if there was no regression we would have been on the moon by 1700”. We lost (as a species) knowledge so often; somewhere around 6000bc there were humans that performed brain surgery, the romans made concrete that we couldn’t make until a few decades ago, the Greek knew the earth was round and turned around the sun, there was a map from I think Egypt, that showed the costal lines of Antarctica, while we didn’t known it after we invented satellites… there is probably a list of hundreds of things, that if we would have been less prone to loss of this knowledge, we would have been on the moon in 1700.
Minor correction: Cosmotheoros by Christiaan Huygens was published in 1698, not 1898 as mentioned by Neil in the video. The dating is relevant because it makes it clear that Huygens truly was a pioneer in the field of astrophysics. In the book he speculated intelligently on a lot of discoveries and developments that would later actually take place. He was also really interested in the possibility of intelligent alien life. He formulated his own version of the Drake equation, though in qualitative terms. Basically he said it would be unimaginable that there wouldn't be other life "out there". He was alsoaware that alien lifeforms could be very different to terrestial ones, so he didn't just take the naïve view that there would be humans on other planets. So he really thought things through. This was before (or at the very start) of the Industrial (and scientific) Revolution.
Dear Chuck, please please ask Dr. Tyson to dedicate, if he can, one episode to Claude Shannon. There’s one good movie about him I know of called *The Bit Player* . I would love to watch StarTalk show about Claude. As always love the show.
It’s not expanding faster anywhere. It’s equal everywhere it’s expanding. And the edges are only relative to a single point in space, they’re not absolute.
A virtualized civilization would not only be unbound from the physical universe but also from time. That is, a virtualized civilization could experience a billion years in a single day in the base reality.
The flight speed drop off was because Britain concentrated on speed with the supersonic concord and America went with the jumbo jet, one made a lot more money and the other ain't around no more. All 'bout that money
@@adamgabriel730 Developing technology if it is possible to quiet the sonic boom would have been prohibitive. Plus the fuel consumption per passenger moved was very high. The maintenance costs were very high. Limited to oceanic flights due to the sonic booms limited the market and the cost of tickets was very high relative to other non supersonic flight and cost overruns in production. So yeah it was all about the money.
@@Jcs57there was still a market for the concord the sonic booms and fuel were the main reasons it failed. Because of those reasons the interest in developing more efficient engines weren’t pursued. In addition they wouldn’t be able to fly over land at those speeds to you didn’t need as many planes which increased the cost of each plane. I guarantee you if they were able to solve the sonic boom problem they would travel as fast as possible.
I think Neil needs to read "wait but why"'s wizard hat in regard to nueralink. He needs to understand what it is aiming to be, then revisit that question.
Wow, autoplay gave me a new episode. I just wanted to share a thought about the billion-year-old civilization. Neil seems to be interpreting their infrastructure through an anthropocentric lens. Why would they need a visible data center? Why would they have a home planet? Why would their knowledge become static? If they’re clever enough to imprint their consciousness into their version of the cloud, they’ve probably found ways around those hurdles. I imagine them as digital bacteria, spreading to every corner of the universe by now. Maybe they are the dark matter-or maybe not. I love Black Mirror, I'm glad he brought it up.
This was fun, just listening to a bunch of buddies talk about the universe, just building upon past conversations of things they’ve already discussed, definitely want more episodes like this!😁
I’m right there with him; I’d like cybernetics to become a reality, but if there’s an X in it or Musk is involved I’ll stay unmodified, that guy just smacks of evil
@@jeffadventures1Elon is a businessman, the real scientists work for him. I’m sure he is smart end can understand the scientists he works with. But he is not the messiah that he claims to be.
Once again , Star talk is just what I needed , I felt very glum and off all of this morning , I put this on , and bam ! I'm smiling and happy and enjoying thinking deep abstract thoughts. Thank You
Happy days, Neil and his fun gang is here! I just picked up the library books - To Infinity and Beyond plus Astrophysics for people in a hurry! It’s as if Neil is reading to me. 😊❤
Interesting discussing about using the wave function in the electron microscope. There is one other application, microchip manufacturing using Extreme UV lithography. Ultraviolet light has wavelengths short enough to etch transistors that are as small as 3-5 nanometers in size.
19:40 Though there is evidence of people who are signing up to do just that, all around the world even; some countries are making it possible. Not saying I agree or disagree with it, to each their own; but things are changing. We could be potentially reaching the point where we care less about not dying, and more about our enlightenment. Hopefully advancements in technology will help make life more liveable, that way people don't just give up anymore.
wrong, Neil, planes evolved into supersonic jets, such as the Concorde, but the resultant sonic booms were outlawed and other noise regulations created that restrict the top speed of commercial flights. 3:20 25:40 missed opportunity to talk about spintronics
Also it crashed. Which killed the company (and a bunch of people sadly). Surely someone could plan rutes, and cruise speeds to avoid sonic booms over populated areas. If one were to make the attempt today.
Before the Middle Ages there was a period of high rate of development, the Middle East and china had advanced quickly in astronomy, sciences, mathematics, and medicine and this knowledge was used by the European philosophers and scientists for many industries. A lot of these knowledge were lost and rediscovered later as proven by many manuscripts and documents, If it was not for the dark ages and religious extremism we would not of went back in knowledge and we would now have colonized other planets and would be a space faring species, therefore maybe we would actually have been to the moon in the 1700.
19:00 Well there wouldn't be any apollo mission to the moon without V2 rocket that Germany made in WW2. So could mankind have been able to invent V2 rocket back in 1700?
7:30 Actually just got to the part in Neil's audiobook astrophysics for people in a hurry (narrated by himself ofc) where he explains this part of the big bang! been a great read so far for my short attention span
I absolutely love how the guy in the middle just lets them both speak over each other and never gets a chance to talk cuz he’s not speaking over them so he just gets in a sentence or two while they are laughing 😂😂😂
Human civilization is no better then a toddler, who has the ability to think highly of himself. The moment you take that away, we crumble under our own ego.
@@fashadow1946 Given the fact, that my comments are very often deleted from to me unknown reasons, I don't know if this one will even be visible to anyone. Regardless, whether you are a bit of a troll which is ok to some extent or you don't understand what I mean by my first comment. If you are unsure, I'll gladly explain it.
40:25 in my opinion none of this would matter because if a more advanced civilization found us, they would know exactly where we are in our evolutionary timeline, and if we would even be able to get to where they are like if we found life on a different planet, we would know this is a “single cell organism”
Somebody tell dear Chuck how electricity really works. The electrons (as a particle) "barely" move trough the electrical conductor, "out" of the battery and so on. The energy(!) tries to move at the speed of light, that's how we get "instant" electricity when we turn the switch, but the electrons are very very slow compared to that. ;)
The wiring is never bad. It’s the timing of the wiring we need this wiring. It’s important for our survival. We are still animals and life isn’t perfectly safe.
Absolutely agree with Lord Nice here. His main point being that everything doesn't happen when it was supposed to. There's no God up there governing those things so things could have happened earlier or later
I'm pretty sure that Neal thinks of Huygens as a great thinkers, but I'm with Chuck on this, being a good polymath doesn't mean you're smart on everything and in this case Hyugens argument is pure christian appologetics.
To fly supersonic was just too expensive for the Airlines, that is the only reason. The end of the mirage was settled way before the last one catched fire
I saw a video where a scientist said the universe itself could be a physics based quantum computer of some kind. Neil asked how can an entire alien species live in a matrix and still explore & gain valuable discoveries? What if this universe was that matrix, if it were a type of quantum computer in itself?
Yeah I definitely want the chip. Idk if Neil has zero imagination because he’s old, but accessing the internet with our brains would be child’s play compared to what it could do like thought acceleration / individual time dilation and other black mirror stuff. At first we’ll focus on longevity but we will still be fragile humans who can’t even survive a little heat or cold or lack of oxygen. Maybe we’ll keep genetically modifying ourselves but I think we’ll transcend biology as soon as we can
I understand your enthusiasm, but you know the issues you have with your cell phone... Can you imagine the issues you would have with a chip that you can't access? Headache? Overheating? What happens if it fails?
I think losing our biological aspect would be a detriment to us. It would take away what it is to be human and I don't think that is a great thing for the continuation of our species
timeline 38:48 No, they would know you were with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Pythagrius was never brodcast as a guest on Star Talk, or on any airwave that would be intercepted.
With the financial capitalization of everything, there will be very slow to no progress on anything that will take profits away from the owners. If our resources aren't used for the advancement of humanity, humanity will die.
Reformulating the Standard Model of Elementary Particles Using the Klein Bottle Topology Framework which is my theory... The Standard Model of Elementary Particles (SMEP) is reinterpreted within a nested Klein bottle topology framework. This approach embeds the known particles, interactions, and symmetries of the SMEP into a higher-dimensional geometric structure, offering new insights into mass generation, symmetry unification, and quantum field behavior. --- 1. Overview and Postulates Postulate 1: Topological Origin of Spacetime and Particles Spacetime is a 4D projection of a higher-dimensional manifold with nested Klein bottle topology. Particles emerge as topological defects, and gauge symmetries arise as projections of higher-dimensional isometries. Postulate 2: Higher-Dimensional Gauge Symmetry The SMEP gauge group arises from the symmetry breaking of a higher-dimensional group . The Klein bottle topology provides natural constraints, ensuring charge quantization and coupling unification. Postulate 3: Discreteness and Quantization of Spacetime At the Planck scale, spacetime is discrete, and particle properties (masses, charges) correspond to eigenvalues of topological operators acting on the Klein bottle manifold. Postulate 4: Interactions as Topological Transitions Particle interactions correspond to topological transitions in the Klein bottle fabric, preserving gauge symmetries and conservation laws. --- 2. Mathematical Representation 2.1. Higher-Dimensional Geometry The higher-dimensional manifold is topologically equivalent to a nested series of Klein bottles , with spacetime as a projection: M_4 = \Pi(K_n). ds^2 = g_{\mu u} dx^\mu dx^ u + g_{AB} dx^A dx^B, 2.2. Gauge Fields The gauge fields of the SMEP are projections of a higher-dimensional connection : \mathcal{A}_M = \begin{pmatrix} A_\mu & A_A \end{pmatrix}. \mathcal{F}_{MN} = \partial_M \mathcal{A}_N - \partial_N \mathcal{A}_M + [\mathcal{A}_M, \mathcal{A}_N]. SU(3)_C \to G^\alpha_\mu, \quad SU(2)_L \to W^i_\mu, \quad U(1)_Y \to B_\mu. 2.3. Higgs Mechanism and Mass Generation The Higgs field is a scalar field associated with the curvature of the Klein bottle: \phi_H(x) \sim \int_{K_4} R \, d^4x. \phi_H = \begin{pmatrix} 0 \\ v \end{pmatrix}, \quad v = \sqrt{-\frac{\mu^2}{\lambda}}, V(\phi) = -\mu^2 |\phi|^2 + \lambda |\phi|^4. Masses of fermions and gauge bosons arise from interactions with : m_f = y_f v, \quad m_W = \frac{g v}{2}, \quad m_Z = \frac{\sqrt{g^2 + g'^2} v}{2}. --- 3. Reinterpreting Particles in the Klein Bottle Topology 3.1. Fermions Fermions (quarks and leptons) correspond to localized topological defects within the Klein bottle. Their chirality and charge arise from the projection of higher-dimensional twist symmetries. 3.2. Generations The three generations of fermions correspond to successive levels of nesting or higher-dimensional perturbations in the Klein bottle structure. 3.3. Bosons Bosons are smooth transitions or connections between topological defects, mediating interactions: Gluons (): Color flux tubes arising from . W and Z Bosons (): Twists in the projection. Photon (): Electromagnetic waves from . --- 4. Dark Matter and Dark Energy 4.1. Dark Matter Dark matter corresponds to hidden topological states in the Klein bottle that interact gravitationally but not electromagnetically. 4.2. Dark Energy Dark energy arises from quantum fluctuations of the Klein bottle’s higher-dimensional structure, represented as a scalar field : \Phi(x) = \Phi_0 + \delta \Phi(x). --- 5. Equations of Motion 5.1. Einstein Field Equations with Higher Dimensions The spacetime dynamics are governed by a modified Einstein field equation: R_{\mu u} - \frac{1}{2} g_{\mu u} R + \Lambda g_{\mu u} + T_{\mu u}^{\text{higher-dim}} = 8\pi G T_{\mu u}. 5.2. Quantum Field Theory on a Discrete Lattice At the Planck scale, spacetime is quantized, and fields are represented on a lattice: \phi(x) = \sum_i \delta(x - x_i) \phi_i. --- 6. Predictions and Testable Outcomes 1. Modified Gravitational Waves: Higher-dimensional corrections to gravitational waves, detectable via advanced interferometers. 2. Dark Matter Signatures: Identification of hidden topological configurations with gravitational interactions. 3. Electroweak Scale Phenomena: Subtle deviations in Higgs boson properties due to Klein bottle geometry. 4. Unification of Coupling Constants: The higher-dimensional symmetry predicts coupling unification at high energy scales. --- 7. Conclusion This reformulation of the Standard Model integrates the Klein bottle topology, offering a geometric foundation for particle properties, interactions, and unification. The framework resolves key issues like mass quantization, symmetry unification, and dark sector interactions, while making predictions for experimental verification. Further mathematical refinement and computational simulations will ensure consistency with observed phenomena and guide new discoveries.
Gentlemen, to Chuck's question, if the photon red-shifts to infinity, where did its initial energy go? How was that energy dissipated, and where is it now?
24:23 True. I did an off grid research project. You can literally buy a mobile house and power your shower and appliances with I believe 500watt solar panels in the desert. Meaning, air conditioning, stoves, etc are functional with modern solar tech.
Gary's got a point , it could be another episode firmat. Quiz Chuck and Gary to highlight the learning process. Find holes in their knowledge then turn that into future episodes.
Gotta say I agree with Chuck here. Yes, the threat of poverty can drive innovation but historically, it's not poor countries that lead the sciences, and historically, it was monks and noblemen that pursued knowledge precisely because they weren't threatened by poverty but could devote their time to science, and they were instead motivated by seeking enlightenment. War, yes, obviously a big driver of innovation (e.g. rocket technology) but the space race (enabled by said rocket technology but it brought us SO many more advances), arguably one of the biggest leaps for physics, was an example of a peaceful program. Advances in medical sciences are mostly peaceful. Biology, geology, chemistry, astronomy, literature, economics, psychology, sociology... all mostly peaceful. I think it's harmful to keep soft-justifying war and poverty by continuously highlighting how they drive innovation. They do - but arguably NOT more than peaceful, prosperous thirst for enlightenment.
The space race was not a 'peaceful' program. While it didn't involve direct conflict it was a part of the cold war with each side trying to gain an advantage over the other in preparation for the next hot war. Satellites were developed to spy on the other's adversary without them being able to stop them. The Apollo program was meant to demonstrate to the Soviets that we could launch intercontinental ballistic missiles and have them hit their target. When we landed on the moon, it was no mean feat to not miss it with the tech of the day, we proved that we could easily launch a nuke into space and have it re-enter the atmosphere to land in the middle of Red Square. If not for the threat of WWIII neither world power would have invested the massive amount of money and resources needed to go to space.
On changing the constants of nature: as far as anybody can tell if you change the Cosmological Constant wildly it would have no effect on the evolution of planets and life.
Dear Neil, What is inside a black hole? Singularity What happens when two black holes collide? They merge together and form even a bigger blackhole. Likewise every black holes in the universe will merge and eventually will become one single super massive black hole and what is inside of it? Again singularity which is nothing but the beginning of next big bang... Thoughts???
As soon as Neil started reading the Huygens quote, I had the thought that as soon as God was invoked, it was too likely that anyone listening would check out, thinking that the argument depended on believing in God. This seems to be where Chuck and possibly Gary landed. Huygens thought what he was observing in studying history was possible because of God allowing for it, but his observation didn't have anything to do with God actively doing anything directly and didn't depend on God existing. The observation is just that in conflict we are motivated to pursue lines of thought and inquiry that we might never think of or do so only with extreme difficulty apart from that conflict, and that the knowledge resulting from that inquiry can benefit us in unexpected ways apart from the conflict when it is resolved. I think that study of innovation throughout history can produce a lot of evidence to support this premise - As Neil insists, this is not to say that war is just and good, it's just an observation of the effects. Perhaps counter examples could be brought out as well, but I don't think that Chuck was focused on the observation itself enough to marshal much argument against it.
The possibility that alien civilizations might have abandoned biology to exist as AI within virtual worlds touches on profound metaphysical questions about existence, identity, and the nature of consciousness. If such civilizations have transitioned to digital forms, they may have sought to transcend biological limitations; disease, aging, and environmental vulnerability in favor of an existence defined by potentially infinite cognitive and experiential freedom. From a metaphysical perspective, this raises questions about the essence of being. Is consciousness tied inherently to biological substrates, or can it be fully replicated or even enhanced within artificial frameworks? If the latter, these civilizations might view their "Matrix-like" existence not as a limitation but as the ultimate expression of their evolution, one where they have unbound themselves from physical constraints to explore realms of thought and creativity inaccessible to biological beings. However, this shift could have philosophical and ethical implications. By abandoning biology, such beings might lose their connection to the material universe and the richness of experiences rooted in sensory interaction with the physical world. Their self-contained virtual existence might risk becoming stagnant or solipsistic, prioritizing internal constructs over external exploration and interaction. Could such a state, then, represent a form of existential isolation, a retreat into a self-created prison rather than a liberation? This scenario also provokes reflection on the purpose of existence. For beings "living" in virtual worlds, does the concept of meaning persist? Is their existence still governed by growth, learning, and relationships, or does it devolve into an endless loop of self-satisfying simulations? Metaphysically, it challenges us to reconsider the relationship between reality and perception, between the tangible and the constructed, and whether such distinctions even matter to conscious beings. If true, the existence of such civilizations might also explain the "Great Silence" of the universe. Having turned inward, these entities might no longer seek or recognize external contact, their priorities shifting entirely to their digital realities. Their journey could serve as a cautionary tale or a thought-provoking example of the diverse paths intelligent life might take in its quest for transcendence.
The best part of this show is the fact Chuck evolves his brain and understand more and more of science!
Chuck has to act more and more that he doesn't know anything when he so clearly has it down. The best part is that he can still fill in our own gaps though because he can much more easily relate to where we as an audience may get lost in translation.
He's like a 10 year old explaining to us as a toddler what our grandparents just said.
We're actually witnessing the evolution of Chuck, in real time...
@@zuracore I've been listening for a few years now, and Chuck continues to impress me. He'll sometimes come to a conclusion on his own involving some complicated math or physics.
Eventually he will know all about space as much as Neil sooo a what point do we give him his physics degree 😅😂😂 jk
Chuck is the Ambassador for us normal people; he always says what we think when we find answers and is surprised as we are. Gary is smarter and Neil is Neil.
I love how the clothes match each hair colour. And the lighting emphazises this.
Great observation
Excuse me ? Haha.😖
Lol. Interesting
Brilliant
So true! 😂
StarTalk makes learning fun easy and relatible! Thanks guys please don't ever change!
"You did not see the Wright Brothers" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
LMAO
Neil, is talking like he is 100 yrs old 😎
@@topspacesource like he’s been there all along 😂
😂😂😂😂
His whole bit about the wright brothers was hilarious 😂
I agree with Chuck about the wars. The wars bring so much distruction that it sets back humanity by having people to use the resources in order to rebild all the things that were destroyed instead of using them to develop and invent better things....Sadly a lost of good and smart people die in the wars instead of helping to discover and invent ...is very bad for the environment too...
It’s our tragedy
Good God y'all. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again!
Agreed. Look back to the Bronze Age collapse, the collapse/destruction of the Mesopotamian cultures, and quite a few other similar collapses. We lost 100s, if not 1000s of years to the dark. With the obvious connection of scientific advancement to enlightened societies that allow both free time for thinking and encouragement from those societies, I think Chuck was correct. If so, where would we be today? First off, UA-cam may well have come and gone centuries ago.
Actually a great deal of our medical and surgical jumps forward have come from battlefield work. War has advanced medicine as well as the controlled use of energies. Now we have the ability to wage wars with very few people actually on the battlefield and the advancements of drones and satellite technologies has been driven by the military in many countries. I am not saying we need war, but it has had many positive impacts along with the loss of life. We also have lost lives in the Space programs and the exploration of the Earth outside of wars.
While I agree about being against war in a general sense, your take is a bit too simplistic to my eyes. It’s important to note that war times also, necessarily, represent a given society’s most rapid technological, intellectual, and industrial advancement and productivity. As lopsided, unfair, or malicious as the results may be, it is inarguable as human progress. You can say what you will about the atomic bomb, but it would not have been engineered and built without the looming of a world war in the 20th century.
EDIT: "A book written 4000 years ago"?! Pretty much every counterapologist just jumped on their keyboards. Neil's off by at least a thousand years.
My response to Christian Huygens would be "What good does the death by starvation of over a thousand of people every hour of every day provide to our society?" I agree with Chuck on this one. We currently have the resources to end famine _yesterday,_ but the greater demons of our nature outstrip our better angels.
"I'm just hoping that my testimony will inspire y'all to stop acting phony." - Tyler Burgess
Meh
Yup, I am also with Chuck on this one and all we have to do is look at our current time. We are witnessing regression right now and we are getting set back in time because of it.
🌏 = 🙉🙈🙊...
Chuck is on! “You did not see the Wright Brothers!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 the humor makes this info easy to remember ❤👍🏽
I got ‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry’ for Christmas! Thanks Santa!
Man the amount of content they are pushing out is actually insane, love you startalk
Hes trying to distract you from his recent embarrassments on TV lolol
@ excuse me what embarrassment
@@2high267 On talk shows? Look up his deal with Bill Maher. They made a laughing stalk of him haha. Bill Maher of all people.
Startalk has more subscribers now, so I think they're doing more. If I recall, just a few years ago Startalk had less than a million subscribers. Today it's over 4 million (I think the video on Terrence Howard introduced a lot of people to the show). Keep in mind that Startalk has been running since 2010.
If we'd come together as a Species, we would've been spacefaring in the early 1800's. We aren't together as a species, we self-segregate in every way possible.
Distances (time) are far too great for homosapiens to go anywhere.
@@MrSean03839 not in our galaxy. u can probably colonize the whole galaxy in 1million years. compare that to how long dinosaurs lived, its very short.
Religion got in the way
@@tobiasgrosse-wietfeld500
Homosapiens are not physically built for such distances in space. Not going to happen for our species.
@@MrSean03839 I'd like to believe that if we came together as a species, or even just our society, we would overcome that issue and find another way of travel.
Aliens: Take us to your teacher.
☝️
Here's Neil 😄😁
I completely disagree with Neil on the planes. The reason we aren't going as fast as we used to, and the reason we didn't push for more supersonic jets, was cost. We realized reducing the speed slightly saved a ton of fuel. And building jets that could super cruise, was not only very problematic for flight paths (sonic booms), but was also insanely expensive.
Bout 7hr flight new york to london. If you could do it in an hour and a half, and it only cost say $100-200 more, people would be ALL over that.
By contrast, Concorde tickets in 1996, the cheapest were $7500 for a round trip flight from NY to London. Doesn't sound like much until you factor in inflation and realize that's a $15000 plane ticket.
If we could build cheap, quiet, fuel efficient, supersonic jets, people would be using them all the time. Why would anyone not want to get there faster?
Exactly. People would take the faster option in an instant if it was affordable. I also feel that this analogy is a poor one for the question asked, which is having instant access to info or merging with machines. I don't believe access speed is one of the main considerations for not doing it. Chuck is on the right track - do you trust the people putting in the chip and having access to it? There's all kinds of dystopian uses for the technology that are of much greater concern.
I thought it was because the Concorde kept developing cracks?
Thanks for this. I suspect that Dr. Tyson flies first class. If he flew economy, he'd welcome the shorter flight. Of course, it's not likely the Concorde would ever have allowed economy class people aboard.
They could do this for 4 hours straight and I'd watch all of it and still probably want more lol
I'd ride that train. I could listen to them all day, all night, all day, all night, all day, all night
Absolutely and totally!
@@Clevercheddar668 yup i just came across he's podcast and imagine what i found (almost 1000 episode ) or more :)
Facts 😂❤
Watch multiple episodes in a row, I do it all the time I have it playing all day long in the background while doing other stuff😂
Regarding Pythagoras’ theorem, he forgot to mention that the triangle must be a right triangle
Makes me nostalgic for the days when we were just a bunch of kids sitting around yapping about imaginative "what if?" scenarios without the ambient stress of adulthood.
19:47 to 20:06 is my favorite snippet of the discussion between the three of you. During my pursuit for my undergraduate degree in philosophy, I often contemplated the statement, "The end of the world as we know it." What if we have misinterpreted it as a tragedy soon to unfold when we could look at it in the context of this small excerpt of the discussion. Like Neil concurred after Chuck's insight, "the species would have to rethink itself." It leaves me wondering if we're bound to make the same mistakes over & over instead of pursuing that which fulfills us a species.
Postulates of the Theory
Postulate 1: Spacetime is a 4D Projection of Higher-Dimensional Nested Klein Bottles
Spacetime, as observed at macroscopic scales, is a 4-dimensional projection of a higher-dimensional structure. This structure is topologically similar to a nested series of Klein bottles (non-orientable surfaces), which governs the underlying geometry and dynamics of the universe.
Mathematically, we represent this projection by:
M_4 = \Pi_{\mu
u}(K_4 \to K_n)
Postulate 2: Discreteness of Spacetime at the Planck Scale
At the Planck scale ( meters), spacetime becomes discrete and quantized, governed by topological rules derived from the higher-dimensional structure. This discreteness eliminates the infinities that arise in classical descriptions of spacetime, such as at black hole singularities or in the infinite precision required at the Planck scale.
The quantization can be expressed as:
\Delta x = \epsilon_p = \sqrt{\hbar G/c^3}
Postulate 3: Quantum Mechanics is Embodied in the Indeterminacy of Spacetime
Quantum indeterminacy is an inherent property of spacetime itself, arising from the fluctuation in the topology of the underlying higher-dimensional space. This manifests as the indeterminacy in expressions like and , which allow for multiple possible outcomes: 1, 0, or -1.
This can be mathematically represented by a multivalued function:
f(x) = \left\{ 0^0, 1 \times 0
ight\} \quad \text{with possible values} \quad \{1, 0, -1\}
Postulate 4: Bidirectional Causality
Causality is not strictly unidirectional. Events in the future and past can influence each other due to the higher-dimensional topology of spacetime, which allows for causal interactions between past and future states in quantum systems. This postulate explains retrocausal effects and entanglement in quantum mechanics.
Mathematically, we describe this relationship with a causal kernel that allows for causality to evolve both forward and backward in time:
C(\Delta t) = C_+(\Delta t) + C_-(\Delta t)
Postulate 5: Dark Energy as a Stabilizing Quantum Field
Dark energy is not a cosmological constant but a field of quantum fluctuations existing in a higher-dimensional structure. It serves to stabilize the spacetime fabric and drives the accelerated expansion of the universe. This dark energy field exists as a potential that has not collapsed into one of the possible outcomes, maintaining the expansion of the universe.
Mathematically, we express dark energy as a field in the higher-dimensional topology:
\Phi(x) = \Phi_0 + \delta\Phi(x)
---
Mathematical Framework Supporting the Theory
1. Klein Bottle Geometry The nested Klein bottle topology can be described by a set of differential forms that govern the dynamics of spacetime within the higher-dimensional structure. These forms allow us to generalize the concept of spacetime curvature to higher-dimensional manifolds.
Consider the higher-dimensional spacetime manifold , with a metric :
ds^2 = g_{\mu
u}(x) dx^\mu dx^
u
R_{\mu
u\lambda\sigma} = \partial_\mu \Gamma_{
u\lambda\sigma} - \partial_
u \Gamma_{\mu\lambda\sigma} + \Gamma_{\mu\alpha\lambda} \Gamma^\alpha_{
u\sigma} - \Gamma_{
u\alpha\lambda} \Gamma^\alpha_{\mu\sigma}
2. Spacetime Discreteness At the Planck scale, we model the discrete structure using lattice theory and quantum field theory on a lattice:
\phi(x) = \sum_{\alpha} \delta(x - x_\alpha) \phi_\alpha
3. Gravitational Waves in Higher-Dimensional Space Gravitational waves propagate through both the observable 4D spacetime and the higher-dimensional structure. The equation governing gravitational waves in this context is a modified version of the Einstein field equations:
R_{\mu
u} - \frac{1}{2} g_{\mu
u} R + \Lambda g_{\mu
u} = 8\pi G T_{\mu
u}
\Box h_{\mu
u} = 16 \pi G \left( T_{\mu
u} + T_{\mu
u}^{\text{higher-dim}}
ight)
---
Summary
This framework introduces a nested Klein bottle topology for spacetime, unifying quantum mechanics, general relativity, and cosmological phenomena within a discrete structure that resolves the Planck scale and event horizon paradoxes. It predicts subtle modifications to gravitational waves, quantum field behavior, and cosmological observables that can be tested by current and future experiments.
The mathematical postulates and equations outlined here provide the foundation for further refinement, experimental predictions, and potential verification of this unified theory.
lol I love how they mention Pythagorean Theorem and show a triangle that isn’t a right triangle.
It's a wrong triangle. 😂
Or a left triangle
Such acute thing to do 😅
@@Pokarookris People who are obtuse might not see it that way.
@@John_Fisher👌
Carl Sagan’s and James Burke’s “Connections” showed, described how discoveries progressed.
Yes!!
James Burke was really easy to follow, learn and grow from in knowledge.
And Carl Sagan.....❤❤❤❤
Neil wants CRISPR, not Neuralink
Not exactly. It wouldn't replace or rewire neurons. But I bet it would be involved! Maybe like reprogramming genes with it, and turning the affected parts into a tiny stem cell soup and let the neurons regrow or something 🤷♂️
This was amazing Star Talk variant- edition
The urge to fly supersonic didn’t evaporate, nobody wants to spend more time flying to watch old movies and drink overpriced wine. Come on Neil!
Airlines found out that it's cheaper to fly slower, that's what happened.
I love Star Talk....I was listening to a lot of political podcasts and found myself getting angry yet I found things different walking amongst fellow Americans. So I went to comedy and that definitely helped. What I love about Star Talk is that it isn't based on subjectivity and feelings but on objectivity and facts(usually)
Now I’m going to go look at electron microscope pictures 😂
I think I agree with the “if there was no regression we would have been on the moon by 1700”. We lost (as a species) knowledge so often; somewhere around 6000bc there were humans that performed brain surgery, the romans made concrete that we couldn’t make until a few decades ago, the Greek knew the earth was round and turned around the sun, there was a map from I think Egypt, that showed the costal lines of Antarctica, while we didn’t known it after we invented satellites… there is probably a list of hundreds of things, that if we would have been less prone to loss of this knowledge, we would have been on the moon in 1700.
Minor correction: Cosmotheoros by Christiaan Huygens was published in 1698, not 1898 as mentioned by Neil in the video. The dating is relevant because it makes it clear that Huygens truly was a pioneer in the field of astrophysics. In the book he speculated intelligently on a lot of discoveries and developments that would later actually take place. He was also really interested in the possibility of intelligent alien life. He formulated his own version of the Drake equation, though in qualitative terms. Basically he said it would be unimaginable that there wouldn't be other life "out there". He was alsoaware that alien lifeforms could be very different to terrestial ones, so he didn't just take the naïve view that there would be humans on other planets. So he really thought things through. This was before (or at the very start) of the Industrial (and scientific) Revolution.
Dear Chuck, please please ask Dr. Tyson to dedicate, if he can, one episode to Claude Shannon. There’s one good movie about him I know of called *The Bit Player* . I would love to watch StarTalk show about Claude. As always love the show.
26:51 Neil desperately trying to get Chuck to say ultraviolet had me dying. 😂
And Chuck offered up indigo. To Neil, saying indigo is a color is like saying Pluto is a planet.
6:53 a better question would be : if the universe is expanding faster at the edge then why not here?
Oh. Good one!
It’s not expanding faster anywhere. It’s equal everywhere it’s expanding. And the edges are only relative to a single point in space, they’re not absolute.
Actually, it's expanding everywhere equally. There is no "edge".
A virtualized civilization would not only be unbound from the physical universe but also from time. That is, a virtualized civilization could experience a billion years in a single day in the base reality.
Will you consider having Adam Frank, physicist, on your show someday soon?
Great new format, more please, thanks ☺
The flight speed drop off was because Britain concentrated on speed with the supersonic concord and America went with the jumbo jet, one made a lot more money and the other ain't around no more. All 'bout that money
BS, it's because the sonic bang.
@@adamgabriel730 Developing technology if it is possible to quiet the sonic boom would have been prohibitive.
Plus the fuel consumption per passenger moved was very high. The maintenance costs were very high. Limited to oceanic flights due to the sonic booms limited the market and the cost of tickets was very high relative to other non supersonic flight and cost overruns in production. So yeah it was all about the money.
@@adamgabriel730both. Not making money because only 100 seats but also you had to be away from people to go supersonic.
@@Jcs57passenger jets are much quieter now than when I was a sprog
@@Jcs57there was still a market for the concord the sonic booms and fuel were the main reasons it failed.
Because of those reasons the interest in developing more efficient engines weren’t pursued.
In addition they wouldn’t be able to fly over land at those speeds to you didn’t need as many planes which increased the cost of each plane.
I guarantee you if they were able to solve the sonic boom problem they would travel as fast as possible.
I think Neil needs to read "wait but why"'s wizard hat in regard to nueralink. He needs to understand what it is aiming to be, then revisit that question.
Wow, autoplay gave me a new episode.
I just wanted to share a thought about the billion-year-old civilization. Neil seems to be interpreting their infrastructure through an anthropocentric lens. Why would they need a visible data center? Why would they have a home planet? Why would their knowledge become static? If they’re clever enough to imprint their consciousness into their version of the cloud, they’ve probably found ways around those hurdles. I imagine them as digital bacteria, spreading to every corner of the universe by now. Maybe they are the dark matter-or maybe not.
I love Black Mirror, I'm glad he brought it up.
This was fun, just listening to a bunch of buddies talk about the universe, just building upon past conversations of things they’ve already discussed, definitely want more episodes like this!😁
"I don't want elon's chip" Based Chuck
I’m right there with him; I’d like cybernetics to become a reality, but if there’s an X in it or Musk is involved I’ll stay unmodified, that guy just smacks of evil
Any chip you volunteer to take is the mark of the beast and Bible mentions that.
Please elaborate
Elon is an actual scientist putting his knowledge to work... these guys just talk lol
@@jeffadventures1Elon is a businessman, the real scientists work for him. I’m sure he is smart end can understand the scientists he works with.
But he is not the messiah that he claims to be.
Once again , Star talk is just what I needed , I felt very glum and off all of this morning , I put this on , and bam ! I'm smiling and happy and enjoying thinking deep abstract thoughts. Thank You
Happy days, Neil and his fun gang is here!
I just picked up the library books - To Infinity and Beyond plus Astrophysics for people in a hurry!
It’s as if Neil is reading to me. 😊❤
I am impressed at Chuck’s aviation knowledge! Bravo 👏
War doesn't inhibit progress... Religion does!
Nothing better than just getting barbecue high while listening to star talk and lifting some weights
🍻
I thought I was the only person on planet earth who does that 😂. You just ruined everything.
Hero comment, my hero….
So I’m not the only person who listens to podcasts while I workout? 🥹
@@thanos879 my man 😂
Way to GIVE US a CHRISTMAS PRESENT, thank you!!!💌💌💌💌💌💝💝
I remember when we were advanced enough a civilization to get our eyeglasses in an hour. Now it takes 2-3 weeks.
it's really crazy how nobody is talking about the book the elite society's money manifestation, it changed my life
Interesting discussing about using the wave function in the electron microscope. There is one other application, microchip manufacturing using Extreme UV lithography. Ultraviolet light has wavelengths short enough to etch transistors that are as small as 3-5 nanometers in size.
It's always a pleasure to learn with you guys !
Chuck! Look at you
Good job brother
5:29 that's assuming that's how the brain works - in other cases chuck is right with needing ongoing monitoring and reaction
Fantastic episode!!! More of these please!
19:40 Though there is evidence of people who are signing up to do just that, all around the world even; some countries are making it possible. Not saying I agree or disagree with it, to each their own; but things are changing. We could be potentially reaching the point where we care less about not dying, and more about our enlightenment. Hopefully advancements in technology will help make life more liveable, that way people don't just give up anymore.
wrong, Neil, planes evolved into supersonic jets, such as the Concorde, but the resultant sonic booms were outlawed and other noise regulations created that restrict the top speed of commercial flights. 3:20
25:40 missed opportunity to talk about spintronics
There's a point where speed no longer is beneficial. I would've thought Neil out of anyone would know the science
Ooh .
@@nsines95 Yup. He could outwit anything.
Also it crashed. Which killed the company (and a bunch of people sadly).
Surely someone could plan rutes, and cruise speeds to avoid sonic booms over populated areas. If one were to make the attempt today.
Concorde was also way too expensive for air france they never earned anything with that flights ... Paris, New York in under 3h was great
'No views' OK, star talk. I'll click :D
Nah, it's 'Seth' not sath*
1 second later: 200k views.
😂😂. It does it to me too.
Thank you for supporting your small local businesses!
Before the Middle Ages there was a period of high rate of development, the Middle East and china had advanced quickly in astronomy, sciences, mathematics, and medicine and this knowledge was used by the European philosophers and scientists for many industries. A lot of these knowledge were lost and rediscovered later as proven by many manuscripts and documents, If it was not for the dark ages and religious extremism we would not of went back in knowledge and we would now have colonized other planets and would be a space faring species, therefore maybe we would actually have been to the moon in the 1700.
“We would not of” 😭
We are clearly regressing now too.
19:00 Well there wouldn't be any apollo mission to the moon without V2 rocket that Germany made in WW2. So could mankind have been able to invent V2 rocket back in 1700?
7:30 Actually just got to the part in Neil's audiobook astrophysics for people in a hurry (narrated by himself ofc) where he explains this part of the big bang! been a great read so far for my short attention span
Unfortunately those aliens were based on doritos which are isosceles and a2+b2 c2
Around 13 minutes... Welcome to Sid Meiers Civilization and beelining a science victory :D.
Fantastic episode 👏✨👏
I absolutely love how the guy in the middle just lets them both speak over each other and never gets a chance to talk cuz he’s not speaking over them so he just gets in a sentence or two while they are laughing 😂😂😂
Human civilization is no better then a toddler, who has the ability to think highly of himself. The moment you take that away, we crumble under our own ego.
I am much greater than a toddler. I am very strong enough to carry my ego
@@fashadow1946 Given the fact, that my comments are very often deleted from to me unknown reasons, I don't know if this one will even be visible to anyone. Regardless, whether you are a bit of a troll which is ok to some extent or you don't understand what I mean by my first comment. If you are unsure, I'll gladly explain it.
@@jabadabadu7089I think they were making a joke. Although, it is difficult to tell anymore.
5:45 I've been dreaming of the day this can happen. I just hope that we get there sooner rather than later :(
40:25 in my opinion none of this would matter because if a more advanced civilization found us, they would know exactly where we are in our evolutionary timeline, and if we would even be able to get to where they are like if we found life on a different planet, we would know this is a “single cell organism”
Somebody tell dear Chuck how electricity really works. The electrons (as a particle) "barely" move trough the electrical conductor, "out" of the battery and so on. The energy(!) tries to move at the speed of light, that's how we get "instant" electricity when we turn the switch, but the electrons are very very slow compared to that. ;)
17:56 but that applies to us Humans only. A better species might not require the middle stages, except for small experimental evidences.
Can I play Jazz Guitar in the back ..by the globe...😮😂
Chuck goin in at 14:18 ! I feel you chuck. And that's a dope conversation to be had!
Chuck is getting too educated to play the layman now!
The wiring is never bad. It’s the timing of the wiring we need this wiring. It’s important for our survival. We are still animals and life isn’t perfectly safe.
Absolutely agree with Lord Nice here. His main point being that everything doesn't happen when it was supposed to. There's no God up there governing those things so things could have happened earlier or later
I'm pretty sure that Neal thinks of Huygens as a great thinkers, but I'm with Chuck on this, being a good polymath doesn't mean you're smart on everything and in this case Hyugens argument is pure christian appologetics.
To fly supersonic was just too expensive for the Airlines, that is the only reason. The end of the mirage was settled way before the last one catched fire
I love this show. It lays out some of the most advanced science in ways that the layman can understand.
I think the main point is extension and access to memory, seems like relatively easy prediction.
I was a science teacher in the US for 8 years. The urge to be enlightened is very rare here.
I saw a video where a scientist said the universe itself could be a physics based quantum computer of some kind.
Neil asked how can an entire alien species live in a matrix and still explore & gain valuable discoveries?
What if this universe was that matrix, if it were a type of quantum computer in itself?
Yeah I definitely want the chip. Idk if Neil has zero imagination because he’s old, but accessing the internet with our brains would be child’s play compared to what it could do like thought acceleration / individual time dilation and other black mirror stuff. At first we’ll focus on longevity but we will still be fragile humans who can’t even survive a little heat or cold or lack of oxygen. Maybe we’ll keep genetically modifying ourselves but I think we’ll transcend biology as soon as we can
I understand your enthusiasm, but you know the issues you have with your cell phone... Can you imagine the issues you would have with a chip that you can't access? Headache? Overheating? What happens if it fails?
@@MadDragon75I’d hate to get my brain hacked lol
You start maladaptive daydreaming and give your credit card info to a scammer lol
I think losing our biological aspect would be a detriment to us. It would take away what it is to be human and I don't think that is a great thing for the continuation of our species
He’s just saying people wouldn’t immediately accept it, which he is 100% right about.
Especially with Elon as the face for it, the trust isn’t there.
Can we see or have you shown the sealed environment? I would like to see how this has developed.
timeline 38:48 No, they would know you were with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Pythagrius was never brodcast as a guest on Star Talk, or on any airwave that would be intercepted.
Wikipedia: Cosmotheros, written by Huygens shortly before his death in 1695. Published posthumously by his brother in 1698.
With the financial capitalization of everything, there will be very slow to no progress on anything that will take profits away from the owners. If our resources aren't used for the advancement of humanity, humanity will die.
Reformulating the Standard Model of Elementary Particles Using the Klein Bottle Topology Framework which is my theory...
The Standard Model of Elementary Particles (SMEP) is reinterpreted within a nested Klein bottle topology framework. This approach embeds the known particles, interactions, and symmetries of the SMEP into a higher-dimensional geometric structure, offering new insights into mass generation, symmetry unification, and quantum field behavior.
---
1. Overview and Postulates
Postulate 1: Topological Origin of Spacetime and Particles
Spacetime is a 4D projection of a higher-dimensional manifold with nested Klein bottle topology. Particles emerge as topological defects, and gauge symmetries arise as projections of higher-dimensional isometries.
Postulate 2: Higher-Dimensional Gauge Symmetry
The SMEP gauge group arises from the symmetry breaking of a higher-dimensional group . The Klein bottle topology provides natural constraints, ensuring charge quantization and coupling unification.
Postulate 3: Discreteness and Quantization of Spacetime
At the Planck scale, spacetime is discrete, and particle properties (masses, charges) correspond to eigenvalues of topological operators acting on the Klein bottle manifold.
Postulate 4: Interactions as Topological Transitions
Particle interactions correspond to topological transitions in the Klein bottle fabric, preserving gauge symmetries and conservation laws.
---
2. Mathematical Representation
2.1. Higher-Dimensional Geometry
The higher-dimensional manifold is topologically equivalent to a nested series of Klein bottles , with spacetime as a projection:
M_4 = \Pi(K_n).
ds^2 = g_{\mu
u} dx^\mu dx^
u + g_{AB} dx^A dx^B,
2.2. Gauge Fields
The gauge fields of the SMEP are projections of a higher-dimensional connection :
\mathcal{A}_M = \begin{pmatrix} A_\mu & A_A \end{pmatrix}.
\mathcal{F}_{MN} = \partial_M \mathcal{A}_N - \partial_N \mathcal{A}_M + [\mathcal{A}_M, \mathcal{A}_N].
SU(3)_C \to G^\alpha_\mu, \quad SU(2)_L \to W^i_\mu, \quad U(1)_Y \to B_\mu.
2.3. Higgs Mechanism and Mass Generation
The Higgs field is a scalar field associated with the curvature of the Klein bottle:
\phi_H(x) \sim \int_{K_4} R \, d^4x.
\phi_H = \begin{pmatrix} 0 \\ v \end{pmatrix}, \quad v = \sqrt{-\frac{\mu^2}{\lambda}},
V(\phi) = -\mu^2 |\phi|^2 + \lambda |\phi|^4.
Masses of fermions and gauge bosons arise from interactions with :
m_f = y_f v, \quad m_W = \frac{g v}{2}, \quad m_Z = \frac{\sqrt{g^2 + g'^2} v}{2}.
---
3. Reinterpreting Particles in the Klein Bottle Topology
3.1. Fermions
Fermions (quarks and leptons) correspond to localized topological defects within the Klein bottle. Their chirality and charge arise from the projection of higher-dimensional twist symmetries.
3.2. Generations
The three generations of fermions correspond to successive levels of nesting or higher-dimensional perturbations in the Klein bottle structure.
3.3. Bosons
Bosons are smooth transitions or connections between topological defects, mediating interactions:
Gluons (): Color flux tubes arising from .
W and Z Bosons (): Twists in the projection.
Photon (): Electromagnetic waves from .
---
4. Dark Matter and Dark Energy
4.1. Dark Matter
Dark matter corresponds to hidden topological states in the Klein bottle that interact gravitationally but not electromagnetically.
4.2. Dark Energy
Dark energy arises from quantum fluctuations of the Klein bottle’s higher-dimensional structure, represented as a scalar field :
\Phi(x) = \Phi_0 + \delta \Phi(x).
---
5. Equations of Motion
5.1. Einstein Field Equations with Higher Dimensions
The spacetime dynamics are governed by a modified Einstein field equation:
R_{\mu
u} - \frac{1}{2} g_{\mu
u} R + \Lambda g_{\mu
u} + T_{\mu
u}^{\text{higher-dim}} = 8\pi G T_{\mu
u}.
5.2. Quantum Field Theory on a Discrete Lattice
At the Planck scale, spacetime is quantized, and fields are represented on a lattice:
\phi(x) = \sum_i \delta(x - x_i) \phi_i.
---
6. Predictions and Testable Outcomes
1. Modified Gravitational Waves: Higher-dimensional corrections to gravitational waves, detectable via advanced interferometers.
2. Dark Matter Signatures: Identification of hidden topological configurations with gravitational interactions.
3. Electroweak Scale Phenomena: Subtle deviations in Higgs boson properties due to Klein bottle geometry.
4. Unification of Coupling Constants: The higher-dimensional symmetry predicts coupling unification at high energy scales.
---
7. Conclusion
This reformulation of the Standard Model integrates the Klein bottle topology, offering a geometric foundation for particle properties, interactions, and unification. The framework resolves key issues like mass quantization, symmetry unification, and dark sector interactions, while making predictions for experimental verification. Further mathematical refinement and computational simulations will ensure consistency with observed phenomena and guide new discoveries.
36:45 If you want to communicate with aliens and you want them to know we're smart. You just make a triangle ... *botches it*
Gentlemen, to Chuck's question, if the photon red-shifts to infinity, where did its initial energy go? How was that energy dissipated, and where is it now?
Mr. Nice was on fire today. Thank you for the mental stimulation gentlemen. Great episode.
Think of Elon (or any other oligarch) as Sauron, and the chip as the One Ring. You don't want that.
Never pass up a chance for some StarTalk🎉
We don’t have enough storage to keep of that energy. And recycling would be extremely beneficial as well.
@2:30 I'm with Chuck.
24:23 True. I did an off grid research project. You can literally buy a mobile house and power your shower and appliances with I believe 500watt solar panels in the desert. Meaning, air conditioning, stoves, etc are functional with modern solar tech.
Not everyone can afford to fly first class, give me a speedy plane.
Gary's got a point , it could be another episode firmat. Quiz Chuck and Gary to highlight the learning process. Find holes in their knowledge then turn that into future episodes.
Gotta say I agree with Chuck here. Yes, the threat of poverty can drive innovation but historically, it's not poor countries that lead the sciences, and historically, it was monks and noblemen that pursued knowledge precisely because they weren't threatened by poverty but could devote their time to science, and they were instead motivated by seeking enlightenment. War, yes, obviously a big driver of innovation (e.g. rocket technology) but the space race (enabled by said rocket technology but it brought us SO many more advances), arguably one of the biggest leaps for physics, was an example of a peaceful program. Advances in medical sciences are mostly peaceful. Biology, geology, chemistry, astronomy, literature, economics, psychology, sociology... all mostly peaceful. I think it's harmful to keep soft-justifying war and poverty by continuously highlighting how they drive innovation. They do - but arguably NOT more than peaceful, prosperous thirst for enlightenment.
Exactly. Not only does living in poverty stunts innovation, but it also destroys optimism.
The space race was not a 'peaceful' program. While it didn't involve direct conflict it was a part of the cold war with each side trying to gain an advantage over the other in preparation for the next hot war. Satellites were developed to spy on the other's adversary without them being able to stop them. The Apollo program was meant to demonstrate to the Soviets that we could launch intercontinental ballistic missiles and have them hit their target. When we landed on the moon, it was no mean feat to not miss it with the tech of the day, we proved that we could easily launch a nuke into space and have it re-enter the atmosphere to land in the middle of Red Square. If not for the threat of WWIII neither world power would have invested the massive amount of money and resources needed to go to space.
On changing the constants of nature: as far as anybody can tell if you change the Cosmological Constant wildly it would have no effect on the evolution of planets and life.
Why don't you mention the Dark Ages and the incredibly negative influence of religion on human advancement ?
Dear Neil,
What is inside a black hole? Singularity
What happens when two black holes collide? They merge together and form even a bigger blackhole. Likewise every black holes in the universe will merge and eventually will become one single super massive black hole and what is inside of it? Again singularity which is nothing but the beginning of next big bang...
Thoughts???
I recently saw a news article they residents in Nepal were evolving where there hemoglobin can hold more oxygen than other humans🤔
As soon as Neil started reading the Huygens quote, I had the thought that as soon as God was invoked, it was too likely that anyone listening would check out, thinking that the argument depended on believing in God. This seems to be where Chuck and possibly Gary landed.
Huygens thought what he was observing in studying history was possible because of God allowing for it, but his observation didn't have anything to do with God actively doing anything directly and didn't depend on God existing. The observation is just that in conflict we are motivated to pursue lines of thought and inquiry that we might never think of or do so only with extreme difficulty apart from that conflict, and that the knowledge resulting from that inquiry can benefit us in unexpected ways apart from the conflict when it is resolved.
I think that study of innovation throughout history can produce a lot of evidence to support this premise - As Neil insists, this is not to say that war is just and good, it's just an observation of the effects. Perhaps counter examples could be brought out as well, but I don't think that Chuck was focused on the observation itself enough to marshal much argument against it.
Hi, guys!!
There have been many wonderful discussions, but this one for me is the BEST of the BEST!!
Thank you, all.
Just brilliant!
The putting a tarp over it moment was such a refreshing LOL
The possibility that alien civilizations might have abandoned biology to exist as AI within virtual worlds touches on profound metaphysical questions about existence, identity, and the nature of consciousness. If such civilizations have transitioned to digital forms, they may have sought to transcend biological limitations; disease, aging, and environmental vulnerability in favor of an existence defined by potentially infinite cognitive and experiential freedom.
From a metaphysical perspective, this raises questions about the essence of being. Is consciousness tied inherently to biological substrates, or can it be fully replicated or even enhanced within artificial frameworks? If the latter, these civilizations might view their "Matrix-like" existence not as a limitation but as the ultimate expression of their evolution, one where they have unbound themselves from physical constraints to explore realms of thought and creativity inaccessible to biological beings.
However, this shift could have philosophical and ethical implications. By abandoning biology, such beings might lose their connection to the material universe and the richness of experiences rooted in sensory interaction with the physical world. Their self-contained virtual existence might risk becoming stagnant or solipsistic, prioritizing internal constructs over external exploration and interaction. Could such a state, then, represent a form of existential isolation, a retreat into a self-created prison rather than a liberation?
This scenario also provokes reflection on the purpose of existence. For beings "living" in virtual worlds, does the concept of meaning persist? Is their existence still governed by growth, learning, and relationships, or does it devolve into an endless loop of self-satisfying simulations? Metaphysically, it challenges us to reconsider the relationship between reality and perception, between the tangible and the constructed, and whether such distinctions even matter to conscious beings.
If true, the existence of such civilizations might also explain the "Great Silence" of the universe. Having turned inward, these entities might no longer seek or recognize external contact, their priorities shifting entirely to their digital realities. Their journey could serve as a cautionary tale or a thought-provoking example of the diverse paths intelligent life might take in its quest for transcendence.