Episodes

  • Why I Worry Every Time Someone Says to “Follow the Science” w/ Georgia Howe

    Why I Worry Every Time Someone Says to “Follow the Science” w/ Georgia Howe
    Sep 19 2024
    I’m a scientist. But every time someone says to “follow the science,” I worry. Why? Find out in my conversation with Georgia Howe from The Daily Wire. The Daily Wire is a news website and media company founded in 2015 by political commentator Ben Shapiro and film director Jeremy Boreing. Enjoy! Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 01:08 Knowledge vs. wisdom 02:42 Follow the science 08:42 Politics and science 11:23 Integrity in science 14:07 Outro Additional resources: ➡️ Check out PragerU: 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PragerU ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast ✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 mins
  • Are We Living in a Simulation? Nick Bostrom (2022)

    Are We Living in a Simulation? Nick Bostrom (2022)
    Sep 17 2024
    What if everything you know is just a simulation? In 2022, I was joined by the one and only Nick Bostrom to discuss the simulation hypothesis and the prospects of superintelligence. Nick is a Professor at Oxford University, where he heads the Future of Humanity Institute as its founding director. He is the most-cited professional philosopher in the world aged 50 or under and is the author of some 200 publications, including Anthropic Bias (2002), Global Catastrophic Risks (2008), Human Enhancement (2009), and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), a New York Times bestseller. With a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence, there is no one better to answer this question than him! Tune in. — Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:44 Judging a book by its cover 00:05:22 How could an AI have emotions and be creative? 00:08:22 How could a computing device / AI feel pain? 00:13:09 The Turing test 00:20:02 The simulation hypothesis 00:22:27 Is there a "Drake Equation" for the simulation hypothesis? 00:27:16 Penroses' orchestrated objective reality 00:34:11 SETI and the prospect of extraterrestrial life 00:49:20 Are computers really getting "smarter"? 00:53:59 Audience questions 01:01:09 Outro — Additional resources: 📚 Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom: https://a.co/d/fYC5DH0 — ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • What Do Our Genes Reveal About Our Past? w/ Richard Dawkins

    What Do Our Genes Reveal About Our Past? w/ Richard Dawkins
    Sep 17 2024
    What do our genes reveal about our past? Richard Dawkins, one of the world’s most influential and thought-provoking scientists, explored the most profound principles of evolutionary history in his new book, The Genetic Book of the Dead. Dawkins is a renowned evolutionary biologist, zoologist, and author. He is also a prominent figure in New Atheism alongside Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens and is well known for his criticisms of creationism and intelligent design. I had the extraordinary privilege of discussing his new book in our two-part interview. In addition to judging his book, we explored the evolution of sex drive and aesthetic appreciation, genetics, the intersection of theoretical and experimental science, the potential of artificial intelligence, and more. Tune in to learn about genes from one of the most prominent evolutionary biologists of our time! P.S. Don’t forget to check out part one of our interview: https://youtu.be/BdiOFaMUASU Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 01:30 Judging a book by its cover 06:01 Do genes die? 07:53 Can genes predict the future? 11:26 The extended phenotype 22:42 The hypothetical scientist of the future 28:53 A colony of symbiotic vertical viruses 32:51 Final exit to the future 36:10 What evolutionary purpose does music serve? 43:25 The palimpsest 49:38 AI, pain, and evolutionary processes 56:25 Outro Additional resources: ➡️ Learn more about Richard Dawkins: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/RichardDawkins/ 💻 Website: https://richarddawkinstour.com/ ➡️ Join Richard Dawkins and me in Canada on October 6, 2014 https://admitone.com/events/richard-dawkins-vancouver-9488912 ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast ✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Brian Keating Discusses Cosmic Origins and Simulation Hypothesis With George Noory

    Brian Keating Discusses Cosmic Origins and Simulation Hypothesis With George Noory
    Sep 13 2024
    I was recently invited on Coast to Coast AM to discuss topics ranging from cosmic origins and the simulation hypothesis to religion and the Nobel Prize. Enjoy! Coast to Coast AM is a late-night radio talk show covering various topics. Most often, the topics relate to paranormal phenomena or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by its creator, Art Bell, from its inception in 1988 until 2003 and is now hosted by George Noory. — Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 01:02 Simulation hypothesis 05:36 The multiverse theory 08:56 How I lost the Nobel Prize 17:28 Discussing the Big Bang 20:03 Giant telescopes and observatories 25:56 Science vs. religion 28:18 Audience questions 47:00 Outro — Additional resources: ➡️ Check out Coast to Coast AM: 💻 Website: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/ — ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Is Earth Unique? Mario Livio and Jack Szostak on the Odds of Alien Life [Ep. 457]

    Is Earth Unique? Mario Livio and Jack Szostak on the Odds of Alien Life [Ep. 457]
    Sep 10 2024
    Does life exist beyond Earth, or is our planet genuinely unique? Can we recreate the origins of life in a lab? And what role does Mars play in the quest for cosmic life? I had the extraordinary honor of discussing this with two outstanding scientists, Mario Livio and Jack Szostak. Mario and Jack just released their new book, Is Earth Exceptional?, which seeks to answer whether life is a freak accident or a chemical inevitability. Tune in and join us for this mesmerizing exploration! Mario Livio is an astrophysicist and author known for his work in cosmology and his popular science books. Livio has significantly contributed to our understanding of dark energy, black holes, and other cosmic phenomena. Jack Szostak is a prominent biologist and Nobel Laureate known for his significant contributions to understanding life's fundamental processes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009, along with Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider, for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:33 “Life existing only on Earth is arrogant.” 00:04:09 Miller–Urey experiment 00:08:35 Does extraordinary evidence exist? 00:10:12 Judging a book by its cover 00:14:11 The origin of life 00:22:18 Thoughts on Rare Earth by Ward and Brownlee 00:24:59 The role of magnetite in the origin of life 00:31:30 Life on Mars? 00:55:15 Drake equation 00:58:54 Outro Additional resources: ➡️ Learn more about Mario Livio: 💻 Website: https://www.mariolivio.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Jack Szostak: 💻 Website: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2009/szostak/facts/ ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast ✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Sara Walker: How the Origin of Life Could Guide Our Search for Aliens [Ep. 456]

    Sara Walker: How the Origin of Life Could Guide Our Search for Aliens [Ep. 456]
    Sep 1 2024
    What is the connection between the origin of life on Earth and the search for extraterrestrial life? Could a revolutionary new theory guide us in our search for aliens? And is consciousness an inevitable outcome of life’s complexity, or is it something more mysterious? I had the pleasure of discussing these fascinating issues with the incredible astrobiologist and theoretical physicist Sara Walker. Sara has greatly contributed to our understanding of how life emerges from non-living matter and how information processing in biological systems differs from that in non-living systems. Her work often explores the intersections of physics, biology, and information theory, seeking to uncover the fundamental principles that govern the transition from chemistry to biology. In this episode, we dive deep into the mysteries of life, assembly theory, consciousness, and life beyond Earth. Tune in! — Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:40 The origin of life and our search for aliens 00:05:31 Judging a book by its cover 00:10:04 Assembly theory and consciousness 00:15:33 What’s the testable hypothesis? 00:21:25 Is life a miracle? 00:30:47 Criticisms of assembly theory 00:43:35 Intelligent design 00:46:35 The concept of time in physics 00:51:08 The future of assembly theory 00:58:30 Predicting life on other planets using assembly theory 01:04:05 What if life didn’t originate on Earth? 01:07:19 Issues with assembly theory and Johannes Jäger 01:21:19 The day after aliens 01:26:44 Outro — Additional resources: ➡️ Connect with Sara Walker: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/Sara_Imari/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alien_matter/ — ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Do We Need New Laws of Physics to Explain the Origins of Life? Brian Keating & Lee Cronin

    Do We Need New Laws of Physics to Explain the Origins of Life? Brian Keating & Lee Cronin
    Aug 30 2024
    Do we need new laws of physics to explain the origins of life? I had an amazing discussion about this with the one and only Lee Cronin on Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal. We talked about life, consciousness, physics, chemistry, assembly theory, the Drake equation, and more! Lee Cronin is a chemist and the Regius Chair of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on synthetic life forms, the self-assembly of molecules, and the origin of life. He’s also a leading expert in the field of digital chemistry, pushing the boundaries of chemistry using advanced robotics and AI. Curt Jaimungal is the host of the popular podcast and YouTube channel "Theories of Everything," known for exploring theoretical physics, consciousness, Ai, and God in a technically rigorous manner. Tune in! — Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:43 My opening statements 00:04:07 Lee’s opening statements 00:09:26 Why defining "life" is difficult 00:19:50 Disagreements on the origin of life 00:31:51 Is the definition of entropy wrong? 00:50:45 Order that doesn’t involve entropy 00:56:22 Abundance of life in the universe 01:10:36 An answer to the Fermi Paradox 01:19:17 Assembly theory explained 01:36:32 Searching for UFOs 01:50:14 Lee's gripes against the Galileo Project and Avi Loeb 02:08:27 Audience questions 02:15:39 Should UAP data be given to scientists? 02:25:56 Do we need new laws for life? — Additional resources: ➡️ Follow Lee Cronin: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/leecronin/ 💻 Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/ ➡️ Check out Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal: 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w 💻 Website: https://www.curtjaimungal.org/ — ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 40 mins
  • Confessions of an Alien Hunter with Seth Shostak (2021)

    Confessions of an Alien Hunter with Seth Shostak (2021)
    Aug 27 2024
    What is the current state of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)? Why do scientists often raise their eyebrows at UFO sightings? And what might the future of SETI look like with ongoing technological advancements? I had the privilege of diving into these fascinating topics with the professional alien hunter Seth Shostak! Seth Shostak is an astronomer and author who directs the search for extraterrestrials at the SETI Institute in California—trying to find evidence of intelligent life in space. He is also committed to getting the public, especially young people, excited about astrobiology and science in general. Seth hosts “Big Picture Science,” the SETI Institute’s weekly radio show. The one-hour program uses interviews with leading researchers and lively and intelligent storytelling to tackle big questions like: What came before the Big Bang? How does memory work? Will our descendants be human or machine? What’s the origin of humor? Big Picture Science can be found on iTunes and other podcast sites. — Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 02:05 Judging a book by its cover 06:49 The Carl Sagan Directors Award and the reorganization of the SETI Institute 09:45 Area 51, Harry Reid and the resurgence of interest in UAPs 11:59 What do you think about new scientific pursuits around UAPs and SETI? 16:47 What do you think about the Drake Equation? 21:18 When can we stop looking? 24:52 What technology could alien civilizations be using? 30:34 How do you handle the criticisms that you are anti-alien? 33:26 What are the latest SETI projects? 37:22 Final questions 44:09 Outro — Additional resources: ➡️ Learn more about Seth Shostak: 💻 Website: https://sethshostak.com/ ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/SethShostak 📚 Confessions of an Alien Hunter: https://a.co/d/da0IGpk — ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins