Hi,

Is a transcript for the Colors episode available?

Thanks,

David

Very intriguing and thought provoking (sorry for the lateness of response - I'm working through the archives after discovering RadioLab). But I have an issue with the discussion of gravity and reverse gravity. I recall reading that the "force of gravity" as we all understood it in the past is an illusion. We had thought that gravity was a power, a property of mass, and the larger the mass the greater the force (power). But a new understanding is that what we observe as a gravitational force is actually the result of the mass bending space-time. The larger the mass, the greater the bend in space-time. So a massive body creates a warp in space-time (like a ball resting on an elastic sheet) and a smaller body, say a moon, orbits it not because the larger mass has a gravitational "power" but because the smaller mass is following the curvature of space-time created by the larger mass. Wouldn't this go against the theory that gravity is a force in itself and could exist as a reverse force?

After having taken some quantum physics, I can say that again and again throughout history we've had big, generally accepted 'theories' that end up only being true within limited boundaries (disproven by larger, more inclusive theories/models). While there is some mathematical basis for these theories, they are just equations. Every equation we have is a generalization of something's behavior. There are virtually an endless number of new equations/relationships we've overlooked. This trigger/black hole/mini universe theory is fun to think about, but all we are doing here is playing with ideas. I'd even go so far as to say it is completely absurd to say that crossing over to another universe means not being able to come back, or that we can cross over at all, or that anything crosses over anywhere. We just don't know enough about our own universe to make conclusions about another. It's putting the cart before the horse. All this theoretical nonsense is a mental exercise and not much more.

Some of the other comments have touched on this a little bit but as a Christian I find it wrong that so many Christians could deny God using scientific processes to create our universe and everything in it, but I find it just as disheartening that so many scientists think they can create a universe, but lack the ability to imagine that our universe and all in it was created by a creator.

I listened to this tonight as I walked my dog. Absolutely intriguing! Walked the dog's legs off it was so good. I just discovered this podcast and I just can't enough. I can't wait to work my way through your archives.

great show! But - "None of us have experienced any of those things"??? Hmmm, have you talked to any schizophrenics lately? heheh. seriously. But why are their testimonials discounted apriori? Isnt that unscientific? It is a classic example of blinkered thinking that science has encountered so many times in history. Anyway, some are more articulate about it, like the Mahayana Buddhists. If there is one thing that religion can be said to have truly discovered before science, it would seem to be the many-worlds theory. All you have to do is to stop thinking! But, 'if I am so smart, why can't I stop thinking'? heheh, like, "How can I be in two places at once, when I am really nowhere at all?"

You really need to make Robert's "Can you make a universe out of a raspberry? Can you make a universe out of a blueberry?" into a ringtone, guys.

Loved it! The physics shows are my favorite.

Have you guys created your own universe? Brian said that you would never be able to come back once you passed through. Based upon how short the shows have become I think this is where you have been spending the majority of your time (in your kitchen sink). If there isn't another show after March 25 I will know you went through. Good luck.

So is this how our universe got going?

Some life-form somewhere/somewhen came home tired, stewed and hungry, looked through the fridge, didn't notice the "Danger --Possible Big Hazard/Experimental Universe Starter" notice in Small Print on the White Container that looked like Chinese Take-out and -- without a clue that anything was happening -- started our universe when it placed its dinner in the mini-black hole/reverse gravity oven . . .

Who knew?

Three thumbs up !!!

Reminds me of the line from Jurassic Park by Jeff Goldblum's character, "God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs."

Listen I love me some Brian Greene, but this episode was not RL's best.

It was confusing and short.

The laws of physics in _our_ universe were defined at the big bang, right?

Is it then possible in theory to influence the laws of physics in the new universe by controlling the way it comes into being?

Hmm... wish we'd heard more about this "trigger." Wish I were an astrophysicist, too. Maybe in the next universe.

Like several of the posts, the universe trigger is really interesting because it pushes the problem of "what got the big bang started" back another level, so we could theoretically say that "something" in another universe triggered our universe. But then we're left with another question: "what started the universe that then started OUR universe?" and so on and so on... until we get all the way back to the original parent universe. And if we had an idea of how the parent universe could be triggered on it's own... that would be cool:)

I too would be interested to hear about the 'trigger'. I'm no physics expert, but it sounds like a magnetic monopole to me, which I though was banned by one of Maxwell equations . . .

Ah man. I was hoping to learn how to make an apple pie from scratch.

When is radiolab?!?! I never hear it anymore...it used to be on Friday at 3...where did it go!!?

When is radiolab?!?!

Amir, this isn't the first Radiolab episode like this. These are my favorite, but it's always hard to choose.

I was going to ask the same question as Megg. If you created a universe and entered it, wouldn't you just asphyxiate instantly? Or be burned alive by super-hot forces or ... any combination of awful awful fates?

Really cool stuff but I would really like to get into the sticky complicated stuff like the trigger.

if you did manage to create a universe in your kitchen, wouldn't you have to wait something like 13 billion years before it was at the point where you could step through into without being instantly annihilated? ;p

absolutely the worst episode ever. I recommend this show to everyone, and I hope that the people who listen to me dont tune into this one as their first one. Ironic that after re-listening to the ep about the couple in chicago brought together by RL's ability to make science understandable and interesting and beautiful to the average person, I listen to this one, about something completely theoretical and pointless. Sleep. Music. Morality. Time. Fake Universes you can maybe make in your kitchen. One of these things is not like the other.
(It's the last one. The boring one.)

I don't know if it would be ironic. If the universe has a creator, it wouldn't necessarily alter the theory of evolution (since evolution is just a minute function of the universe). If the creator is anything like us, he's probably much more worried about how those supernovi are fucking up his sink.

Wouldn't it be ironic if after all the trouble biologist are having to defend evolution, astronomers got to the conclusion that there WAS a creator after all. Just he didn't do it in seven days, but in half an hour in his kitchen sink.

But i don't think even prayers can escape the gravitation pull of the black hole, so he is not very much caring anyway.

I'd really like to hear Brian Greene's discussion of the 'trigger'. Even if, at the end, I'm baffled.

Maybe Fred-Allan Wolf & Brian Greene are on to the same thing here. If there is such a thing as 'multi-verses' what says we can't create these with our own mind- living in our own little universes? (ahem… Jad)
A controlled experiment with the LHC certainly would be more logical and straight forward, but maybe we shouldn't be separating ourselves from this phenomena.

Anything with Brian Greene is superb!

Terrific as ever – certainly a good way to start the working day too!

But what's a wine cup?