#468 – Janna Levin: Black Holes, Wormholes, Aliens, Paradoxes & Extra Dimensions

This episode explores the nature of black holes, space-time, and the quest for a theory of everything with theoretical physicist Janna Levin. The conversation begins with the formation of black holes, highlighting the event horizon as a region of spacetime rather than a dense object, and touches on the limitations of general relativity near a singularity, where quantum mechanics becomes crucial. Against the backdrop of Oppenheimer's work on black holes and nuclear weapons, the discussion pivots to the ethical responsibilities of scientists and the importance of intellectual freedom. More significantly, the conversation delves into the information paradox, exploring potential resolutions such as fuzzballs, soft hair, and ER=EPR, with Levin favoring the idea of quantum entanglement and microscopic wormholes embroidering the event horizon. As the discussion progresses, it considers the possibility of extra dimensions, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the potential for life on other membranes, and the conversation concludes with reflections on the human element in scientific discovery, the importance of childlike curiosity, and the transient nature of human achievements in the face of cosmic timescales.