Quanta Magazine · Science

The Joy of Why

“The Joy of Why” is a Quanta Magazine podcast about curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. The mathematician and author Steven Strogatz and the cosmologist and author Janna Levin take turns interviewing leading researchers about the great scientific and mathematical questions of our time. New episodes are released every other Wednesday. Quanta Magazine is a Pulitzer Prize–winning, editorially independent online publication launched and supported by the Simons Foundation to illuminate big ideas in science and math through public service journalism. Quanta ’s reporters and editors focus on developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences, emphasizing timely, accurate, in-depth and well-crafted articles for its broad discerning audience. In 2023, Steven Strogatz received a National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications partly for his work on “The Joy of Why.”

Episodes

This podcast episode introduces the concept of quantum teleportation and explores its implications in quantum computing and information. It discusses the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing, quantum entanglement, and the correlation between parts of a quantum system. The episode explains the process of...

What Is the Nature of Time?

29 Feb 2024

30m

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This podcast episode explores the concept of time from various perspectives, including the personal experience of time, the physics of time travel, the arrows of time, the flow of time, the measurement of time in scientific advancements, the impact of Einstein's theories of relativity on our understanding of time, and ...

How Did Altruism Evolve?

15 Feb 2024

34m

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This podcast episode explores the concept of altruism from a scientific and evolutionary perspective. It discusses the definition of altruism and distinguishes it from related terms such as selflessness and empathy. The episode delves into the neurobiological basis of altruism and its evolutionary benefits, highlightin...

What Makes for ‘Good’ Math?

01 Feb 2024

35m

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This podcast episode explores the concept of "good mathematics" and its connection to the real world. Renowned mathematicians Terry Tao and John von Neumann discuss the objective standard of excellence in mathematics and the tension between the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject. They also delve into the ...