The Quanta Podcast
Quanta Magazine
Exploring the distant universe, the insides of cells, the abstractions of math, the complexity of information itself, and much more, The Quanta Podcast is a tour of the frontier between the known and the unknown. In each episode, Quanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math. Quanta specifically covers fundamental research — driven by curiosity, discovery and the overwhelming desire to know why and how. Join us every Tuesday for a stimulating conversation about the biggest ideas and the tiniest details.(If you've been a fan of the Quanta Science Podcast, it will continue here. You'll see those episodes marked as audio edition episodes every two weeks.)
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 1, 2015 • 33min
Visions of Future Physics
Nima Arkani-Hamed is championing a campaign to build the world’s largest particle collider, even as he pursues a new vision of the laws of nature. The post Visions of Future Physics first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Sep 25, 2015 • 31min
How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time
Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places they’re not. The post How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Sep 16, 2015 • 24min
Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity
Einstein refused to believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. Is the subatomic world insane, or just subtle? The post Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Sep 10, 2015 • 25min
A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box
A recent cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand. The post A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Sep 3, 2015 • 28min
How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease
Researchers are using a new understanding of viral swarms to predict the evolution and spread of viruses. The podcast explores the rapid evolution of RNA viruses, the concept of viral swarms and their impact on disease spread, and the advancements in DNA sequencing methods to study underground microbial life. It also discusses microbial communities in prairie and Arctic soils and the potential of soil microbes in pollution reduction and carbon sequestration.
Aug 27, 2015 • 34min
A Surprise Source of Life’s Code
Emerging data suggests the seemingly impossible — that mysterious new genes arise from “junk” DNA. The post A Surprise Source of Life’s Code first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Aug 20, 2015 • 34min
How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals
Did the minerals on our planet arise in a predictable fashion, or did they result from chance events? The answers could eventually help scientists identify planets likely to harbor life. The post How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Aug 6, 2015 • 20min
At Tiny Scales, a Giant Burst on Tree of Life
A new technique for finding and characterizing microbes has boosted the number of known bacteria by almost 50 percent, revealing a hidden world all around us. The post At Tiny Scales, a Giant Burst on Tree of Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Jul 30, 2015 • 24min
New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet
Scientists hope that new genetic letters, created in the lab, will endow DNA with new powers. The post New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Jul 30, 2015 • 22min
The New Laws of Explosive Networks
Researchers are uncovering the hidden laws that reveal how the Internet grows, how viruses spread, and how financial bubbles burst. The post The New Laws of Explosive Networks first appeared on Quanta Magazine
