"Professor Brian Cox"

Podcast Introduction and Guest Reveal [00:00:00]

• The podcast hosts introduce the concept of their show, "Unsmart," and welcome their guest.
• The guest is revealed to be physicist Professor Brian Cox, known for his science documentaries and stadium shows.

  "i'm so excited you start with a pun there with starstruck good for you i did i did start"

Cox's Academic Journey and Musical Past [00:05:00]

• Brian Cox admits to receiving a "D" in math in high school.
• He explains this was due to prioritizing seeing the band New Order perform over studying for his math exam.
• Cox was initially pursuing a career in music and was part of a band that had a number-one hit.

  "i i did get a d in math and the reason was that um so i as you said grew up in manchester and new order were doing a gig at the house"

The Nature of Cox's Live Shows [00:10:00]

• Cox describes his live stadium shows as large-scale productions with massive LED screens.
• He discusses topics covered, including the origin, evolution, and future of the universe, and the Fermi Paradox.
• The shows explore fundamental questions about existence and the meaning of life.

  "they're basically big led screens as much as we can get in so you know 100 foot across kind of led and um the current show i just got back yesterday actually from australia new zealand singapore"

The Universe's Beginning and the Concept of Time [00:15:00]

• Cox clarifies that the universe's beginning is not definitively known, referencing the Big Bang theory.
• He explains that the Big Bang might not be an origin in time but rather an event within a potentially eternal, pre-existing universe.
• The fundamental nature of time itself remains a deep question in physics.

  "so we don't even know if the universe had a beginning so but but what about the big bang theory and people are like so we know there was a big bang which is that we know that the universe was hot and dense 13.8 billion years ago"

Space, Time, and Emergence [00:20:00]

• The discussion touches on Einstein's concept of spacetime and the idea that space and time might emerge from something deeper.
• Consciousness is used as an analogy for emergent phenomena, suggesting that space and time could arise from fundamental building blocks.
• The difficulty in defining a "beginning" without understanding these deeper structures is highlighted.

  "so it's very difficult to speak about a beginning so the answer the question why well it's a question to you really does that if the universe is infinite and has always existed is it possible to ask the question why"

The Block Universe and Memory [00:25:00]

• Einstein's theory of relativity and the "block universe" concept are introduced, suggesting all moments exist simultaneously.
• In this model, past and future moments exist somewhere in spacetime, and our experience is akin to traveling across a map.
• The inability to retrieve a past event, like a winning lottery ticket, is contrasted with the block universe idea.

  "so relativity back from 1905 in 1915 there's this idea called the block universe which means that every moment is still there it's like a map"

Observing the Past Through Light [00:30:00]

• The concept of seeing into the past through light travel time is explained using examples like the sun's heat.
• The most distant galaxy observed, MOMZ14, is seen as it was 13.5 billion years ago due to light travel time.
• A hypothetical mirror near the sun is discussed as a way to potentially see Earth's past, though practical limitations are noted.

  "so if you're now one foot away from your computer screen let's say yeah then you're seeing it one nanosecond in the past right exactly so it's in that sense that if you look at a galaxy the most distance one we've seen at the moment is called mom z14 actually m-o-m-z 14."

Communication, Symbols, and Telepathy [00:35:00]

• The evolution of communication from symbols to language, texting, and emojis is discussed.
• The question is raised whether humanity is regressing towards symbols at a faster pace, possibly leading to telepathy or AI-driven understanding.
• The concept of "vibe" as a form of communication, observed in animals, is explored.

  "and then phones and texting and then we got tired of typing full words and went back to shorthand and emojis are we kind of like weirdly heading back towards symbols just as at a much faster speed"

Simulation Theory Explained [00:40:00]

• Cox introduces simulation theory, based on Nick Bostrom's ideas, which suggests we might be living in a highly advanced computer simulation.
• The argument hinges on the possibility that future civilizations could create simulations so realistic that inhabitants wouldn't notice.
• While finding the idea difficult to argue against, Cox personally doesn't believe we are in a simulation.

  "so a few years ago now and some and the the there's a guy called nick bostrom who thinks about this quite a lot in cambridge and he managed to convince everybody that we probably were living in a simulation"

The Brain as a Computer and AI Consciousness [00:45:00]

• The discussion explores whether a thought can be reduced to a mathematical formula or a series of electronic impulses.
• The concept of the Turing machine is introduced, suggesting that a sufficiently powerful computer could theoretically replicate human brain functions.
• The debate continues on whether AI can achieve consciousness and understand complex human emotions and experiences.

  "so all you're saying really is that a sufficiently powerful computer um could do precisely what you are doing now in fact that's the idea"

AI's Potential and Limitations [00:50:00]

• Cox expresses excitement about AI's potential to help answer fundamental scientific questions, like the origin of the universe or what happens inside black holes.
• He suggests AI could act as a collective of brilliant minds, merging and combining information to formulate new answers.
• A thought experiment is proposed: could AI, restricted to knowledge up to 1904, invent Einstein's theory of relativity?

  "to me if ai can be powerful enough to answer those questions right if it can be like not only a single einstein or stephen hawking but it can be a thousand einsteins which is not yeah it's not beyond the realm of possibility"

The Question of Extraterrestrial Life [00:55:00]

• Cox's initial fascination with science was driven by the question of life beyond Earth.
• He discusses the possibility of microbial life on Mars or moons like Europa, but expresses skepticism about complex alien civilizations.
• The Fermi Paradox is revisited, highlighting the "great silence" and the time it took for complex life to evolve on Earth.

  "the question is is there life beyond earth in the solar system yeah is there life beyond earth in the milky way galaxy"

The Milky Way and Exoplanets [01:00:00]

• The sheer scale of the Milky Way galaxy is emphasized, with 400 billion stars, most of which likely have planets.
• The discovery of exoplanets has transformed astronomy, allowing imagination to wander about other worlds.
• The distinction between stars (suns) and planets visible in the night sky is clarified.

  "so the milky way 400 billion stars so 400 000 so there's 400 billion suns just in our one galaxy i mean it's mind yeah our island right"

The Vastness of the Universe and Galactic Scale [01:05:00]

• The immense size of the universe is illustrated with an analogy of a library containing books on every imaginable subject, with infinite libraries stacked forever.
• The Milky Way galaxy itself is so large that it takes light 100,000 years to cross it.
• This scale challenges human comprehension and highlights the vastness of cosmic distances.

  "i mean 400 000 million stars it takes light a hundred thousand years to cross the milky way it's not possible yeah right to imagine"

Black Holes and Faster-Than-Light Travel [01:10:00]

• Cox clarifies that black holes don't "suck" everything in; objects in orbit would continue their path if the sun were replaced by a black hole of equal mass.
• He confidently states that traveling faster than light is impossible according to current physics (Einstein's theories), as only massless particles like light can reach that speed.
• The concept of acceleration versus speed is discussed, noting that while acceleration can be physically taxing, speed itself isn't inherently limited by the same factors.

  "so as far as we know this is einstein it's been known for 100 years um you you can't travel you you if if you've got any mass at all so unless you're light which has no mass"

Earth's Rotation and Spacecraft Propulsion [01:15:00]

• The consequences of Earth suddenly stopping its spin are described as catastrophic due to inertia.
• The concept of relative motion is explained using an airplane analogy: within Earth's atmosphere, objects travel at similar speeds due to the atmosphere moving with the planet.
• Spacecraft can maintain speed after shutting off engines in space because there is no air resistance (friction), not due to a lack of gravity.

  "so we're spinning let's say we're spinning from left to right a thousand miles an hour and if you get on a plane and you and the plane only goes 500 miles an hour and you're also going left to right on the plane in theory you'd never reach your destination"

The Expanding Universe and Cosmic Horizon [01:20:00]

• The universe's accelerating expansion means that in the far future, distant galaxies will recede so rapidly that they will become invisible.
• This phenomenon creates a cosmic horizon beyond which we cannot see, leading to a future where only darkness might be visible.
• Gravity within our galaxy holds it together, preventing it from being torn apart by the expansion, but distant galaxies are moving away.

  "so all the galaxies beyond will be so far apart that we won't even be able to see them wait because of why because the universe is expanding still expanding it's expanding and expanding faster and faster right"

Panspermia and the Search for Life [01:25:00]

• Cox discusses the theory of panspermia, suggesting life could have originated on Mars and been transferred to Earth via meteorites.
• While there's no direct evidence, it's not considered impossible.
• The question of how alien civilizations might communicate or exist in ways we can't perceive is explored, drawing parallels to invisible radio frequencies.

  "so there is so there is an idea that you know we know that there are martian meteorites on earth for example there are bits of mars that fall on earth bits of earth will have fallen on mars"

The Meaning of Existence and Scientific Progress [01:30:00]

• Cox finds the very fact of existence astonishing and emphasizes that progress in science comes from admitting what we don't know.
• He advocates for approaching the unknown with delight and excitement, viewing it as the key to discovery.
• The greatest fear, he suggests, would be to know everything, rendering existence pointless.

  "the most incredible thing of all is that anything exists right so ultimately it's the fact that just i mean it's a obviously an age-old philosophical question right but i that it astonishes me that anything exists"

What Happens After Death? [01:35:00]

• Cox's scientific view is that consciousness ceases when the brain (a complex computer) is turned off; there is no evidence of a soul or an afterlife.
• He finds the finite nature of life uplifting, providing a precious time to enjoy and explore the universe.
• The uncertainty of the future, rather than knowing everything, is seen as essential for the enjoyment and purpose of life.

  "my my view is that we die so we it's like and that's it it goes back to what we said earlier about if the brain is just this somehow i don't mean just right it's a remarkable computer that's evolved over four billion years but it's a computer"

Oldam Athletic and Cox's Tour [01:40:00]

• Cox discusses his former season ticket at Oldam Athletic, a football club with a history of being in the Premier League and then relegated to lower divisions.
• He mentions his upcoming tour, "Emergence," which will include dates in Los Angeles and across America.
• The conversation concludes with the hosts expressing gratitude for Cox's insights and the pleasure of the discussion.

  "so now we're in the lowest division of the football which is what four four divisions eight downs yeah eight wow we went all the way down into what we call non-league so that's kind of our claims of fame but we're on our way back"