Latest Interviews

What is consciousness? | The Economist

Leading neuroscientists and philosophers such as Francis Crick, Christoph Koch, David Chalmers, and Daniel Dennett continue to debate whether consciousness is an objective neural mechanism or a subjective "hard problem" that resists reductionist explanation. Recent breakthroughs, including the discovery that electrical stimulation of the claustrum can temporarily induce unconsciousness, are helping researchers identify specific neural correlates to solve the binding problem of integrating sensory inputs. Despite these advances in mapping brain mechanics and evolutionary theories regarding self-awareness, the scientific community has not yet bridged the gap between explaining physical processes and accounting for the subjective experience of being.

Why does time pass?

John Archibald Wheeler, Albert Einstein, Hermann Minkowski, Arthur Eddington, Ludwig Boltzmann

This discussion explores the dual nature of time as both a philosophical concept and a physical dimension governed by Einstein's relativity, where gravity and velocity fundamentally alter the flow of time relative to the observer. The event details how the Second Law of Thermodynamics establishes the unidirectional "arrow of time" through increasing entropy, distinguishing physical law from the human perception of a perpetual present. While theoretical physics permits future travel through extreme gravitational time dilation or speculative wormholes, practical constraints and the irreversibility of entropy currently prevent backward time travel or the stabilization of shortcuts in spacetime.

What caused the Cambrian explosion?

Approximately 542 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion marked a sudden diversification of animal life from simple marine organisms to complex, predatory ecologies following the Ediacaran period. While hypotheses for this trigger range from rising oxygen levels and mineral availability to ecological feedback loops driven by bilateral symmetry and the evolution of vision, significant debate persists regarding the specific role of sensory systems in initiating the event. Ultimately, this biological "big bang" established the evolutionary trajectory that led to modern humans, as primitive fish and other ancestral forms emerged from this rapid diversification.

What is the universe made of?

Current cosmological models indicate that the universe is composed of approximately 5% normal matter, with dark matter forming 27% of its mass-energy content and dark energy comprising the remaining 68%. While dark matter acts as the gravitational "master builder" through invisible halos that allow galaxies to form, dark energy serves as a uniform force driving the accelerating expansion of the cosmos, a discovery first made by observing distant supernovae in the late 1990s. Ongoing research at facilities like the Large Hadron Collider and various direct detection experiments seeks to identify the nature of these components, which could ultimately determine whether the universe faces a Big Rip, a Big Crunch, or indefinite expansion.

Do we live in a multiverse?

Dr Tegmark, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, Max Tegmark

MIT physicist Max Tegmark categorizes multiverse hypotheses into four distinct levels, ranging from distant regions of an infinite universe to separate quantum branches and self-sustaining bubble universes with different physical laws. While proponents argue that observational evidence for cosmic inflation makes the multiverse a logical extension of modern cosmology, the hypothesis remains controversial due to the fundamental inability to empirically verify structures beyond our cosmic horizon. Accepting this framework would necessitate a profound paradigm shift in our understanding of reality, comparable to the historical transition from geocentrism to heliocentrism.

Life in the universe

Frank Drake, Martin Rees, Stephen Hawking, Yuri Milner, Jack Szostak

Recent astronomical data reveals billions of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way, prompting expanded searches for extraterrestrial intelligence through projects like Breakthrough Listen and the upcoming James Webb Telescope. Researchers are simultaneously investigating local habitability on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus while laboratories such as Jack Szostak's attempt to synthesize life from primordial chemicals. These dual efforts aim to determine whether life is a cosmic inevitability or a rare phenomenon by analyzing biosignatures and achieving spontaneous self-replication in protocells.