Don Lincoln: Did Einstein Waste The Last 30 Years of His Life? [Ep. 439]

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For centuries, we have observed the night sky and wondered about the laws of nature, matter, and our place in the universe. 

Once rooted in theology and philosophy, these questions are now being explored through the prism of high-energy particle physics with one goal in mind - to discover the final, definitive theory - the theory of everything. But what is a theory of everything? And does it even exist?

Here today, to explore these questions with me, is none other than Don Lincoln, a renowned experimental physicist and host of the Fermilab YouTube channel! Don has recently published Einstein's Unfinished Dream, a book in which he explores the cutting-edge research of modern particle physicists that is slowly pushing us towards a theory of everything. 

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:20 Did Einstein waste the last 30 years of his life?
• 00:01:49 Israel presidency 
• 00:02:37 Judging a book by its cover
• 00:05:47 The grand unified theory and the theory of everything 
• 00:14:56 Is there anything significant about the Planck length? 
• 00:19:13 The path to discovery nowadays 
• 00:24:17 Why do theorists get all the attention? 
• 00:28:35 Is there a fascination with symmetry? 
• 00:39:36 Is space-time a metaphysical concept? 
• 00:43:53 Alternatives to string theory 
• 00:53:44 LHC and its discoveries 
• 01:02:04 Muon collider 
• 01:10:45 Dark matter, neutrinos and quark mysteries 
• 01:21:05 Science communication 
• 01:28:25 Audience questions 
• 01:45:12 Outro

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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