Carl Bender, an applied mathematician and physicist, discusses complex numbers, PT-symmetric quantum systems, and the link between mathematics and reality. He explores the history and practical applications of numbers, the evolution of quantum mechanics, PT symmetry, Lorentz transformations, and collaborative research with Feynman. The conversation also touches on beauty in mathematics, decision-making strategies, dating dilemmas, and partnerships in mathematics and physics.

What role should Nuclear Power play in energy production? This episode of the podcast explores the case for Nuclear Energy. I speak with Rachel Slaybaugh, who was an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Division Director at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She also served as a Program Director at the Department of Energy’s ARPA‑E, where she created the nuclear fission program. She is currently a partner at DCVC. We discuss three of the main problems that people have with nuclear power: (i) The risk of plant meltdowns, (ii) the storage of nuclear waste, and (iii) the expense of setting up new nuclear plants. We also cover the environmental benefits of nuclear as a low carbon energy source, as well as some of the exciting new advanced reactor designs that are coming online right now. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BIMj1-GAE4E ►You can find out more about Rachel Here: https://www.dcvc.com/team/rachel-slaybaugh/ ►Follow rachel on twitter: @RachelSlaybaugh These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests.  

Economist Steve Keen challenges modern economic theory, criticizes neoclassical economics, explores China's economic transformation, discusses building a sustainable economy on Mars, contrasts subjective and objective value in economic theory, critiques economists for missing the 2007 crisis, examines the interplay of energy, value, and sustainability, and advocates for Universal Basic Income and valuing human life.

On this episode of the Podcast I speak with economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs. Jeffrey is Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He served as Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General for almost two decades, and is co-founder and chief strategist of the Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and hunger. In this conversation we cover the question: "Is Capitalism Responsible For the Environmental Destruction We are Seeing Today?" These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. ►Watch on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/kNv94Ggf9YI   ►Find out more about Jeffery's work:  https://www.jeffsachs.org/ https://sdgs.un.org/panelists/mr-jeffrey-d-sachs-29781 https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/communities-connections/faculty/jeffrey-sachs https://csd.columbia.edu/sachs   ►Watch more of Jeffery on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@JeffreySachsOfficial2023    

In this episode of the podcast I speak with David Shapiro about some of the threats associated with AI development. We discuss the impact that generative AI will have on truth, trust in evidence, and divisive narratives. Who will pay for AI, and how will that determine the path of its development? Will artificial relationships and generated adult content lead to new forms of sexual addiction and social isolation? What impact will AI have on cyber security, and what will weaponized AI look like? How will AI eventually escape our control?  We close with a brief discussion of UBI, and why humans matter. ►Watch on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/pCtbdYQm16s ►Visit David's Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@DavidShapiroAutomator ►Join David's Discord:  https://discord.com/invite/32kNMc2Pqt ►Support David's work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/daveshap  These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests.  

What is narcissism, and why do so many successful people seem to be narcissists? In this conversation I speak with Professor Mitja Back from the university of Muenster, who is one of the worlds leading experts on the topic of Narcissism. We discuss narcissism as a personality trait, how narcissistic traits develop (nature vs nurture), relationship breakdown, narcissism on social media, and the link between narcissism and success. ►Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/JXDs3TbIiEk   ►For more information about Mitja's work see: https://www.uni-muenster.de/PsyIFP/AEBack/members/mitja-back.html https://www.mitjaback.de/buecher/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.mitjaback/ https://www.youtube.com/@MitjaBack   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun Foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and/or those of my guests. 

In this conversation I speak with Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, who works at Heidelberg University at the Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), and who is also leading the Max Planck Research Group for the Biophysical Engineering of Life. Kerstin is attempting to construct living cells from scratch, piece by piece from non-living materials. So far she has created cell membranes, cytoskeletons, linkers for connecting cytoskeletons to the cell membrane, a mechanism for cell division, microscopic channels for ion transport in and out of cell membranes, an artificial 'mitochondria' analog, and more. The goal is eventually to put together all of these elements into a self replicating, and autonomous model 'cell'. We discuss her progress, and what it teaches us about the origins of life on earth. We also touch on the ethics of bringing an entirely new branch of life into existence.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JBnlKY-9f5c   ►For more information about Kerstin's work see: https://goepfrichgroup.de/kerstin-gopfrich/ https://www.mr.mpg.de/person/53539/14181493   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun Foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests.    

Evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson discusses the history of life on Earth, exploring the transformation of life forms over time and the 5 energy epochs. Topics include the influence of organisms on Earth, the formation of eukaryotes, the origins of predation and multicellularity, and the benefits and consequences of sexual reproduction. The speakers also touch on DNA structure and evolution, debunk the oxygen holocaust theory, consider the possibility of life on Mars and the Moon, and discuss the Fermi Paradox and the search for intelligent life.

NOTE: From 0:01:07-0:02:36 the sound quality is lower than the rest of the episode as you are hearing the backup recording.    This conversation is about democracy and scientific literacy. In 2023 Germany shut down the last of its nuclear plants, and is now bringing back several mothballed coal plants to keep the lights on over winter. Was this a smart decision given the scientific consensus that we need to cut carbon emissions? Similar questions can be asked about the banning of GMO crops, or government handling of Covid. More and more, the decisions being made in western democracies have a scientific basis. Can our democracies thrive (or even survive) without a well informed, engaged, and scientifically literate population? In this conversation I speak with Johannes Vogel, who is the Director General of the Natural Science Museum in Berlin, and a Professor of Biodiversity and Public Science at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. We discuss the role of museums in society, the unglamorous side of science, open and citizen science, scientific spending, ownership of museum items, the war in Ukraine, preserving museum specimens, the effectiveness of political protest and marches, scientists as politicians, AI and misinformation, and much more. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KT_p26a_d_M ►For more information about Johannes work: https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en/about/team/johannes.vogel   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun Foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode focuses on the sustainability of western democracies in the face of anti-scientific sentiment.

In this conversation I speak with Dr. Gary Linkov about the ethics and practice of plastic surgery. Gary is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in lip lift surgeries and hair restoration. He is also renowned for carrying out complex nasal surgery for US war veterans in need, and for teaching rhinoplasty procedures to the NYU head and neck surgery residents.   Plastic surgery is controversial. On the one hand critics claim that it leads to unhealthy beauty standards, and that aggressive marketing preys upon people who are already under enormous pressure the alter who they are to conform with societies view of beauty. On the other hand our society values personal agency and individual choice, and plastic surgery can help improve self image and quality of life. This is particularly apparent in cases where patients have suffered from physical trauma, or cancer, or who were born with congenital defects. We discuss some of the ethics behind plastic surgery, including who might be an appropriate candidate. We also touch on the technical aspects of the job, including how certain procedures are done.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8iOLX1_LbRU ►For more information about Gary's research and work: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_O-qmfUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao https://cityfacialplastics.com/dr-gary-linkov/ ►Follow Gary on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drgarylinkov These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun Foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests.