An exploration of mathematics, including where it comes from and why it explains the physical world; and whether it’s a human invention or a hidden language of the universe.
Aired on 15 Apr 2015, on PBS network's NOVA program series, this is a collector's item!

Why is there something rather than nothing? And what does ‘nothing’ really mean? More than a philosophical musing, understanding nothing may be the key to unlocking deep mysteries of the universe, from dark energy to why particles have mass. Journalist John Hockenberry hosts Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, esteemed cosmologist John Barrow, and leading physicists Paul Davies and George Ellis as they explore physics, philosophy and the nothing they share.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.
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Original Program Date: June 12, 2009
MODERATOR: John Hockenberry
PARTICIPANTS: George Ellis, Frank Wilczek, John Barrow, Paul Davies

Introduction 00:00

John Barrow lecture on how nothing can be something. 03:52

Participant introductions. 28:57

Can the beginning be ranked a zero? 30:00

Empty space and virtual particles. 37:11

Does science want there to be nothing? 40:02

Zero may not be nothing. 49:16

What do you get when you test nothing? 58:48

How do you jump from there was nothing to now we can measure nothing? 01:05:01

What if there is evidence that time changes rate and direction. 01:08:30

Does consciousness change the testing of the observer? 01:12:10

What does string theory say about nothing? 01:17:40

It’s happened. The first children genetically engineered with the powerful DNA-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9 have been born to a woman in China. Their altered genes will be passed to their children, and their children’s children. Join CRISPR’s co-discoverer, microbiologist Jennifer Doudna, as we explore the perils and the promise of this powerful technology. It is not the first time human ingenuity has created something capable of doing us great good and great harm. Are we up to the challenge of guiding how CRISPR will shape the future?

PARTICIPANTS: Jennifer Doudna, Jamie Metzl, William Hurlbut

MODERATOR: Guy McKhann

MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND
PARTICIPANTS: https://www.worldsciencefestiv....al.com/programs/cris

TOPICS
0:00 - Introduction
1:55 - Jennifer Doudna introduction
2:25 - How do we learn to use CRISPR technology wisely?
3:29 - The basics of understanding CRISPR
6:04 - Genetic engineering explainer film
7:39 - How can CRISPR help the worldwide food chain?
9:57 - Genetic disease treatment
14:25 - Improving quality of life
15:55 - Designer babies
17:55 - The gene drive
19:25 - Confronting the ethical implications of CRISPR
23:55 - Jennifer’s childhood in Hawaii
28:25 - Patents
32:08 - Importance of accuracy
32:40 - Germ cells vs somatic cells
35:58 - He Jiankui controversy
40:05 - What makes CRISPR dangerous?
43:48 - How do we enforce regulation of CRISPR use?
53:50 - The aftermath of He Jiankui’s work
1:09:25 - How do we make CRISPR technology accessible globally?
1:14:00 - How do we balance natural biology and CRISPR?
1:18:44 - How will CRISPR impact our future as a species?

PROGRAM CREDITS
- Produced by Nils Kongshaug
- Associate Produced by Emmalina Glinskis
- Music provided by APM
- Additional images and footage provided by: Getty Images, Shutterstock, Videoblocks.
- Recorded at the Simons Foundation's Gerald D. Fishbaum Auditorium

The Kavli Prize recognizes scientists for their seminal advances in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. The series, “The Big, the Small, and the Complex,” is sponsored by The Kavli Foundation.

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Proposed a century ago to better explain the mind-bending behavior of the smallest constituents of the universe, quantum theory has implications far beyond the atom. This rich set of laws has applications both practical and extraordinary — from the technology that has revolutionized modern life to the possibility of parallel worlds.

Our audience joined Alan Alda as he accompanied Brian Greene, Nobel Laureate William Phillips and other leading thinkers at the vanguard of quantum research on an accessible multimedia exploration of the astounding weirdness of the quantum world.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all the latest from WSF.
Visit our Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldsciencefestival
Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldSciFest

Original Program date: May 30, 2008
MODERATOR: Alan Alda
PARTICIPANTS: David Z. Albert, Brian Greene, Max Tegmark, William Phillips

Brian Greene Introduces quantum physics 00:00

A throw of the dice dance performance. 21:15

Participant Introductions. 22:54

Are probability waves real? 25:55

Brian Greene on the accuracy of quantum mechanics 37:30

Einstein says that nothing is random. 47:56

Quantum entanglement 51:10

Not enough information in the universe for a 400 bit quantum computer 01:09:41

Is there something missing from Quantum Physics? 01:22:15

This statement is false. Think about it, and it makes your head hurt. If it’s true, it’s false. If it’s false, it’s true. In 1931, Austrian logician Kurt Gödel shocked the worlds of mathematics and philosophy by establishing that such statements are far more than a quirky turn of language: he showed that there are mathematical truths which simply can’t be proven. In the decades since, thinkers have taken the brilliant Gödel’s result in a variety of directions–linking it to limits of human comprehension and the quest to recreate human thinking on a computer. This program explores Gödel’s discovery and examines the wider implications of his revolutionary finding. Participants include mathematician Gregory Chaitin, author Rebecca Goldstein, astrophysicist Mario Livio and artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky.

This program is part of The Big Idea Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all the latest from WSF.
Visit our Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/
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Original Program Date: June 4, 2010
MODERATOR: Paul Nurse
PARTICIPANTS: Gregory Chaitin, Mario Livio, Marvin Minsky, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Paul Nurse's Introduction. 00:00

Who is Kurt Godel? 03:36

Participant Introductions. 07:22

What was the intellectual environment Godel was living in? 10:57

Godel's beliefs in Platonism. 19:45

Gregory Chaitin on the incompleteness theorem. 22:30

Platonism vs. Formalism. 27:18

The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the world. 40:53

The world is built out of mathematics... what else would you make it out of? 47:44

Mathematics and consciousness. 53:29

What are the problems of building a machine that has consciousness? 01:01:09

If math isn't a formal system then what is it? 01:07:40

Explaining math with simple computer programs. 01:18:33

Its hard to find good math. 01:25:40

"The infinite! No other question has ever moved so profoundly the spirit of man," said David Hilbert, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th century. A subject extensively studied by philosophers, mathematicians, and more recently, physicists and cosmologists, infinity still stands as an enigma of the intellectual world. Thinkers clash over questions such as: Does infinity exist? Can it be found in the physical world? What types of infinity are there? Through an interdisciplinary discussion with some of the world's leading thinkers, this program will delve into the many facets of infinity and address some of the deepest questions and controversies that mention of the infinite continues to inspire.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all the latest from WSF.
Visit our Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/
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Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldSciFest

Original Program Date: May 31, 2013
MODERATOR: Keith Devlin
PARTICIPANTS: Raphael Bousso, Philip Clayton, Steven Strogatz, W. Hugh Woodin

What is Infinity? 00:04

Philip Clayton and the history of Infinity? 2:34

Philosopher Mahavira's role in infinity. 7:22

Steven Strogatz and the mathematics of infinity. 14:16

Hilbert's infinite hotel 18:04

What is Cantor's diagonal proof? 25:05

Continuum hypothesis and what it means to infinity. 28:16

Hugh Woodin and solving the Continuum hypothesis 29:44

Raphael Bousso on infinity and its role in physics. 37:20

Using infinity to make accurate predictions. 47:35

Infinity: Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy. 53:04

Mathematical equivalence of full sentences. 57:10

What is infinity only works as a mental concept? 1:06:30

Final thoughts on infinity? 1:14:20

From a bee’s hexagonal honeycomb to the elliptical paths of planets, symmetry has long been recognized as a vital quality of nature. Einstein saw symmetry hidden in the fabric of space and time. The brilliant Emmy Noether proved that symmetry is the mathematical flower of deeply rooted physical law. And today’s theorists are pursuing an even more exotic symmetry that, mathematically speaking, could be nature’s final fundamental symmetry: supersymmetry. Join some of the world’s preeminent scientists to explore the core role symmetry plays in our unraveling of nature’s deepest secrets—and catch a glimpse of profoundly important symmetries that may be awaiting us just over the horizon.

MODERATOR: John Hockenberry
PARTICIPANTS: Robbert Dijkgraaf, David Gross, Alan Lightman, Maria Spiropulu
Original Program Date: June 4, 2016

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all the latest from WSF.
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The Predictive Power Of Symmetry 00:00

John Hockenberry's Introduction 3:10

Participant Introductions 7:18

What are the different types of symmetry? 8:48

The symmetry of the laws of nature 12:30

How has the discussion of symmetry evolve? 17:27

Why is nature so good with symmetry? 19:54

Math and symmetry go hand and hand 25:30

How your face needs to be non symmetrical 33:20

What kind of symmetry are fractals 40:05

Gage symmetry is influencing the Higgs 46:45

Scale symmetry and the vacuum 48:50

Einstein proposed symmetry of motion 55:07

How does the multiverse theory play in to symmetry? 1:01:20

Looking at breaking symmetry 1:06:40

Gravity may not come together with the other forces 1:11:23

Theorist and Experimentalist can get along 1:18:58

Super symmetry is an enlargement of space 1:20:47

What are experimental data can we expect in the next few years? 1:23:00

Visualizing the higgs and adding more energy 1:27:20

Physicist Brian Greene takes you on a visual, conceptual, and mathematical exploration of Einstein’s spectacular insights into space, time, and energy. In just 11.5 hours, using nothing more advanced than high school algebra, journey from Einstein’s earliest musings on the speed of light to his startling realization that time can tick at different rates to his revolutionary discovery of the world’s most famous formula, E = mc2.

This is a more in-depth and mathematical version of the WSU Master Class “Space, Time, and Einstein.” https://youtu.be/CKJuC5CUMgU

#WorldSciU

Watch the class in full or view in segments via the chapter links below.

Experience the associated free online course at World Science U: https://worldscienceu.com/cour....ses/special-relativi

0:00 - Introduction
01:43 - Scale
05:46 - Speed
18:19 - The Speed of Light
27:39 - Units
33:28 - The Mathematics of Speed
44:24 - Relativity of Simultaneity
54:25 - Pitfalls: Relativity of Simultaneity
1:03:32 - Calculating the Time Difference
1:18:42 - Time in Motion
1:28:48 - How Fast Does Time Slow?
1:46:32 - The Mathematics of Slow Time
1:57:11 - Time Dilation Examples
2:10:51 - Time Dilation: Experimental Evidence
2:19:58 - The Reality of Past, Present, and Future
2:34:01 - Time Dilation: Intuitive Explanation
2:37:57 - Motion's Effect On Space
2:55:11 - Motion's Effect On Space: Mathematical Form
3:00:47 - Length Contraction: Travel of Proxima Centauri
3:07:46 - Length Contraction: Disintegrating Muons
3:12:00 - Length Contraction: Distant Spaceflight
3:18:54 - Length Contraction: Horizontal Light Clock In Motion
3:27:17 - Coordinates For Space
3:36:37 - Coordinates For Space: Rotation of Coordinate Frames
3:48:36 - Coordinates For Space: Translation of Coordinate Frames
3:53:10 - Coordinates for Time
4:07:12 - Coordinates in Motion
4:26:08 - Clocks in Motion: Examples
4:35:02 - Clocks in Motion: Length Expansion From Asynchronous Clocks
4:38:42 - Clocks in Motion: Bicycle Wheels
4:45:01 - Clocks in Motion: Temporal Order
4:54:35 - Clocks in Motion: How Observers Say the Other's Clock Runs Slow?
5:08:50 - The Lorentz Transformation
5:16:52 - The Lorentz Transformation: Relating Time Coordinates
5:26:10 - The Lorentz Transformation: Generalizations
5:33:18 - The Lorentz Transformation: The Big Picture Summary
5:47:37 - Lorentz Transformation: Moving Light Clock
5:54:39 - Lorentz Transformation: Future Baseball
6:02:35 - Lorentz Transformation: Speed of Light in a Moving Frame
6:08:43 - Lorentz Transformation: Sprinter
6:10:44 - Combining Velocities
6:17:46 - Combining Velocities: 3-Dimensions
6:27:45 - Combining Velocities: Example in 1D
6:30:23 - Combining Velocities: Example in 3D
6:36:34 - Spacetime Diagrams
6:50:35 - Spacetime Diagrams: Two Observers in Relative Motion
7:01:16 - Spacetime Diagrams: Essential Features
7:11:42 - Spacetime Diagrams: Demonstrations
7:15:23 - Lorentz Transformation: As An Exotic Rotation
7:27:26 - Reality of Past, Present, and Future: Mathematical Details
7:39:00 - Invariants
7:43:55 - Invariants: Spacetime Distance
7:54:25 - Invariants: Examples
7:59:19 - Cause and Effect: A Spacetime Invariant
8:12:40 - Cause and Effect: Same Place, Same Time
8:22:37 - Intuition and Time Dilation: Mathematical Approach
8:29:46 - The Pole in the Barn Paradox
8:43:51 - The Pole in the Barn: Quantitative Details
9:04:43 - The Pole in the Barn: Spacetime Diagrams
9:08:25 - Pole in the Barn: Lock the Doors
9:20:50 - The Twin Paradox
9:29:28 - The Twin Paradox: Without Acceleration
9:46:34 - The Twin Paradox: Spacetime Diagrams
9:53:12 - Twin Paradox: The Twins Communicate
10:06:34 - The Relativistic Doppler Effect
10:19:00 - Twin Paradox: The Twins Communicate Quantitative
10:30:17 - Implications of Mass
10:40:06 - Force and Energy
11:00:12 - Force and Energy: Relativistic Work and Kinetic Energy
11:07:24 - E=MC2
11:26:28 - Course Recap

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Join a physicist, a neuroscientist, and a linguist as they explore the deep enigmas of time. Time feels like it flows, but does it? Time seems to have a built-in direction, from past to future, but is that real or merely a quality imposed by the human brain? Time on earth elapses at a uniform rate, so why does the human experience of time seem so varied? How do various neurological afflictions change the perception of time? And underneath it all, how does human language impact our ability to think about time and fully experience its rich and mysterious contours?

PARTICIPANTS: Lera Boroditsky, Dean Buonomano

MODERATOR: Brian Greene

MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND
PARTICIPANTS: https://www.worldsciencefestiv....al.com/programs/the-

This program is part of the BIG IDEAS SERIES, made possible with support from the JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION.

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Mathematical mysteries have challenged humanity’s most powerful thinkers and inspired passionate, lifelong obsessions in search of answers. From the strangeness of prime numbers and the nature of infinity, to the turbulent flow of fluids and the geometry of hyperspace, mathematics is our most potent tool for revealing immutable truths. The event was a vibrant tour to the boundaries of the mathematical universe, and explore the deep puzzles that have been solved, the masterminds who powered the breakthroughs, and the towering challenges that have shaken the confidence of some of today’s most accomplished mathematicians—even as they enlist new ways to pursue mathematical truths.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all the latest from WSF.
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Original Program Date: June 3, 2011
MODERATOR: Robert Krulwich
PARTICIPANTS: Jonathan Borwein, Keith Devlin, Marcus du Sautoy, Simon Singh

Welcome to the Mathematical Universe. 00:00

Participant Introductions. 01:50

What about math got you interested in the subject? 04:07

Is math an instinct in humans? 10:20

When in history did the number come into existence? 15:22

Math was key to ancient survival. 20:27

1+1=0 Adding in binary. 25:59

Why are some people better at math than others? 26:55

Nontransitive dice game. 33:44

What's the best story about math... Infinite primes? 38:05

Do all math problems have an answer? 44:33

The computer replacing the mathematician? 54:40

Can we mathematically understand the universe we are in without seeing it? 58:48

Perfect Rigour and Grigori Perelman solved the Poincare Conjecture 01:03:10

If you have determination math is easy. 01:09:09

Mathematics is hierarchical and you need to start from the beginning. 01:13:07