Can quantum mechanics cure my eczema? Will it let me time travel to fix a mistake I made in the past? Does it explain why my remote control keeps disappearing, or what happens to the other socks in the dryer? What does “quantum” even mean, anyway?

In the first episode of a two-part series, Jocelyn and Bradley take on another of the most misunderstood words in science. This time, they’re traveling deep into the mysterious and ineffable realm of atoms and subatomic particles to cut through the technical jargon and hype surrounding the word “quantum.” The hosts explain the basic tenets of quantum mechanics, showing how the existence of discrete or quantized energy levels yields non-intuitive results like entanglement, non-locality, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, and superposition. Based on this foundation, they also discuss what “quantum” definitely does not mean, from quantum medicine and healing crystals to mysticism and more.

References:

EPR Paper: https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.47.777
Crash Course on Quantum Mechanics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kb1VT0J3DE
Quantum Entanglement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvK-od647c
Nature article on quantum entanglement: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00120-6?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=aad996b639-briefing-dy-20200117&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-aad996b639-43388869

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Science! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/

Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl