pbsspacetime

Why Life On Mars Will DOOM Humanity

Recent findings have brought us closer than we’ve ever been to confirming life beyond the Earth. As we wait for this to be confirmed or otherwise, let’s think about what this will tell us about life everywhere, and also about our own imminent destruction.

Three and a half billion years ago, two warm and watery planets twirled about a young G-type star. On both of their surfaces, chemical soups bubbled and complexified and organized themselves into tiny lipid balls that learned harve...

At What Point Does Spacetime Become Quantum? (SCRIPT)

To observe the quantum nature of gravity and of spacetime itself, we need a particle collider the size of the solar system. Or we could just physics smarter and build one on a lab bench. Here’s how.

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The quantum world is certainly strange. Objects in multiple places or states at once, random transitions between states and places, weird instantaneous communication over large distances, all that good quantum weirdness. But perhaps the strangest thing about the quantum world is...

The Most Important Satellite You've (Probably) Never Heard Of (Script)

One of the most important reasons we go to space is to know our own planet better. Today I'm going to tell you about an orbiting facility that literally watches Earth's biosphere breath and grow and die with incredible resolution. I'll talk about its profound existential and economic importance, and about why it's in danger of being lost.

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. In 1990, Carl Sagan asked NASA to turn the Voyager I spacecraft around for one last snaps...

Don Lincoln Interview (Audio Only)

If you're more of podcast fan, we've got Matt's interview with Dr. Don Lincoln as an audio only that you can listen to!

The Top Unanswered Questions in Physics: Interview with Dr. Don Lincoln of Fermi Lab

Watch Matt's interview of Dr. Don Lincoln, where they discuss their favorite unanswered questions from across the fields of physics!

Is there a Simple Proof For a Vast Multiverse? (script)

In 1987, Steven Weineberg wrote a cute little paper entitled anthropic bound on the cosmological constant. I say cute and little because this work feels minor in comparison to say electroeak unification theory that won him the Nobel Prize. Weineberg was foundational in establishing the standard model of particle physics and represented an enormous leap in our understanding of how this universe works. But his little 1987 paper, although more obscure, may tell us something about how the multive...

Why The Multiverse Could Be Real (script)

The multiverse pops out of quite a few theories in physics, and has been proposed as a solution to certain vexing problems. But it’s also been argued that the very idea of a multiverse is just bad science. That it’s unfalsifiable and a dead-end to inquiry and as bad a violation of Occam’s razor as you could imagine. But the multiverse might also exist. Can something that exists be bad science?

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In recent episodes we’ve talked about how the fundamental parameters of our...

Interview with Don Lincoln Tomorrow!

Hello Space Timers,

This is just a reminder that Matt will be with Dr. Don Lincoln of Fermi Lab  on Wed,  August 13th at 5pm EST at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81176117888

Matt and Don will be discussing some of the great unanswered questions of physics! 

If you're a Hypernova, Quasar or Big Bang supporter make sure to join in with the same email that you received on the calen...

Live Stream with Dr. Don Lincoln!

Hello Space Timers,

We're excited to announce our next Space Time interview will be with Dr. Don Lincoln of Fermi Lab  on Wed,  August 13th at 5pm EST at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81176117888
 
Dr. Don Lincoln is the host of many excellent videos on the Fermi Lab YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@fermilab 2025-08-08 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Why Is All DNA Right Handed? (Script)

The molecular basis of all life is mysteriously asymmetric, only using molecules on one side of what should be the equivalent mirrored pairs. The universe has a similar mirror asymmetry, and it may be that our very DNA inherited its twist from the underlying handedness of reality.

Our universe is beautifully symmetric. For the most part, the laws of physics work the same if we swap left with right, positive with negative charge, and even the future with the past. But there are subtle vi...

Quantum Entanglement in Quantum Computing: Patreon Interview

Get a first look at Matt's interview with Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan of Looking Glass Universe.

Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan is the creator of the excellent YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/lookingglassuniverse. Matt interviewed her on the relationship between Quantum Entanglement and Quantum Computing as well as a lot of other fun topics. If you'd like a primer on that, please check out: 2025-06-17 18:16:54 +0000 UTC View Post

Livestream Interview with Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan on Tuesday June 3rd at 4pm EST

Hey Space Timers! Just a reminder our next Space Time interview will be with Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan of Looking Glass Universe on Tuesday, June 3rd at 4pm EST. If you'd like to join the actual live stream join us https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82324058720 or check your email for a calendar invite if you're Supernova or higher

Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan is the creator of the excellent YouTube channel: 2025-06-02 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Is Our Model of Dark Energy Wrong? (SCRIPT)

The biggest news in cosmology in recent years is that the mysterious universe-accelerating entity that we call dark energy may be fading away. The evidence for this is now strong enough that enormous effort is going into confirming the result. So what’s it going to take, and when are we going to know?

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In the 90s we thought cosmology was solved: the universe is expanding and slowing down under the influence of gravity. In an effort to nail down this result, astronomers tracke...

Upcoming: Interview Livestream with Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan (Tuesday June 3rd, 4pm EST)

Hey Space Timers! We're excited to announce our next Space Time interview will be with Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan of Looking Glass Universe on Tuesday, June 3rd at 4pm EST. If you'd like to join the actual live stream join us https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82324058720 or check your email for a calendar invite if you're Supernova or higher

Dr. Mithuna Yoganathan is the creator of the excellent YouTube channel: 2025-05-28 16:30:23 +0000 UTC View Post

Do Mitochondria Solve the Fermi Paradox? (Script)

Around 2 billion years ago, life had plateaued in complexity, ruined the atmosphere, and was on the verge of self-annihilation. But then something strange and potentially extremely lucky happened that enabled endless new evolutionary paths. The first eukaryote cell was born. This may also explain why there are no aliens.

Maybe you believe that the aliens are here. That they’re watching us waiting till we’re ready, or are in the government or are the government or saw us and just lef...

Patreon Livestream: How Black Holes Feast with Dr. Matt Caplan

See our first ever scientist on scientist interview with Dr. Matt Caplan. Dr. Caplan is computational nuclear astrophysicist and longtime Space Time writer. Matt and Matt discuss how real black holes feast on their surrounds and grow to such enormous sizes. We recommend this paper as primer: https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.07647

Quantum Energy Teleportation is REAL! (script)

The vacuum of space is a chaotic sea of quantum fluctuations. Some have said that this vacuum energy can be harvested to build our future starship engines, or manipulated to build warp drives. It can't. But it is technically possible to move real energy through the quantum vacuum without it passing through intervening space. Quantum energy teleportation may be as close as we get to transporter beams. But how close is that?

The laws of physics are pretty clear about a few things. Energy ...

IMMA FIRIN MAH' LAZER

Old meme are old, but pretty images are pretty.

Reminder: Livestream Interviews

Reminder to Everyone on the Patreon,

Our first ever interview with Dr. Matt Caplan will be officially happening on Wednesday, April 30th at 6pm EST. If you'd like to join the actual live stream join us on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86957193721

Dr. Matthew Caplan is computational nuclear astrophysicist and longtime Space Time writer. Matt and Matt will discuss how real black holes feast on their...

Why Didn’t Antimatter Destroy The Universe? (Script)

At one-one-thousandth of a second after the Big Bang, the great annihilation event should have wiped out all matter, leaving a universe of only radiation. Why still don't know why any matter survived. Well, a new finding from the LHC brings us one step closer to understanding why there's something rather than nothing.

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The job of physics is to understand the behavior of matter and energy and space and time—to understand the how and why of  “stuff”. But some would ar...

Earth Had Rings and Might Regain Them (script)

Planet Earth is the jewel of the solar system—the shimmery blue oceans, the verdant green forests, the wispy whimsical cloud formations. Saturn would be the only competitor for most gorgeous planet with that giant ring system. But you know what? If we could put the jewel of the Earth in its own ring? There'd be no contest. Well, there’s an extremely good chance that Earth once did have a ring system. And, you know, if  we had a ring once maybe we can have one again.

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March AMA

Here's a reupload of our March AMA with Matt, Graeme & Andrew. Apologies for the delay, there were some technical difficulties uploading the first time. Enjoy!

Interview Livestream w/ Dr. Caplan

Hello Space Timers,

We're excited to announce that our first ever interview with Dr. Matt Caplan will be officially happening on Wednesday, April 30th at 6pm EST. If you'd like to join the actual live stream join us on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86957193721

Dr. Matthew Caplan is computational nuclear astrophysicist and longtime Space Time writer. Matt and Matt will discuss how real black holes feas...

Here comes the sun. . .

And I say, "It's all right"—
Unless you're a vampire

Patreon Matt AMA Hangout: April 2nd, 6pm EST

Hey Everyone, 

It's time for next Patreon Space Time hangout with Matt and Andrew! It will be on Wednesday, April 2nd 6pm EST To join just click the zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83937869888

If you're a Hypernova, Quasar or Big Bang supporter make sure to join in with the same email that you received this message so we can bring you on as a video panelist.

If you can't attend, b...

How We Know 2024 YR4 (Almost Certainly) WON’T Wipe Us Out (SCRIPT)

Giant space rocks are definitely going to hit the Earth again. We actually do know how to deflect them, but only if we find them and correctly assess their risk firs. But the solar system is a chaotic place. How is it even possible to tell if a space rock will one day collide with the Earth?

To you this may look like a moving smudge. But it’s actually the asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Based on early observations, NASA calcu...

Your DNA (Almost Certainly) Comes From Space (Script)

Did you know that many of us have up to 4% neanderthal DNA? And that 100% of your DNA may come from outer space? No joke. At least the biochemistry that defined the coding system of your DNA may have happened off-world, and perhaps even long before Earth existed.

Life is the coolest thing to have happened in our universe. It would be nice to know if it happened anywhere else besides Earth—if nothing else to know just how badly we’re screwing up as we flirt with self-extinction. But ...

Where would you take a wormhole to?

I mean beyond your own annihilation. . .

Will the Big Bang Happen Again (And Again)? (Script)

How did the universe begin? How can something come from nothing? One way to “solve” this most difficult of philosophical conundrums is to avoid it altogether. Maybe the universe didn’t begin at all. Maybe the Big Bang was just one in an endless cycle.

On February 11th, 2015 a new show called PBS Space Time appeared on YouTube. In the 10 years since, together we've explored the insides of black holes and ventured across the edge of the universe and seen the beginning and end of ti...

The Final Barrier to Nearly Infinite Energy (Script)

They say fusion is 50 years away, and they've been saying that for 50 years. But if so why are billions suddenly being pumped into fusion startups? Well to train LLMs, but there's a reason the technobrats are bullish on fusion in particular. The fact is, the technological challenges have been chipped away and in many cases solved over the past decades, and there's really no one deal-breaker difficulty remaining. One of the final challenges is deciding on the physical vessel to contain our min...