Dr. Michel Barsoum is a materials scientist at Drexel University who is the champion of a controversial theory about the great pyramids of Giza, which says the pyramids were not fully carved from natural stone, but were cast from a geopolymer concrete mixture. For decades, Egyptologists have dismissed the notion that the pyramids incorporated any human-made cement-like materials. But Barsoum's team at Drexel University has uncovered startling new evidence from advanced microscopy analysis of pyramid samples. We talk to him about becoming entranced with the deep history of Egypt, the process of determining the true nature of a stone, and the open questions about this lost civilization that keep him up at night. What if these discoveries are enough to reshape our understanding of just how advanced and ingenious the ancient Egyptian builders were?

Sign up for a yearly Patreon membership for discounted conference tickets: https://bit.ly/3lcAasB

(00:00) Go!

(00:04:00) Who is Dr. Barsoum?

(00:12:29) The romance of differential equations

(00:18:47) Academic careers over the years

(00:28:12) Geopolymers in Egypt

(00:45:49) Visual vs. chemical analysis

(01:04:05) The Impossibility of Egyptian Construction

(01:17:25) Geometry of Pyramid Construction

(01:20:36) Casing Stones alone?

(01:25:07) Cast stone in other parts of the world

(01:32:45) Geochemistry & material properties

(01:44:45) Boundary conditions

#science #sciencepodcast #AncientEgypt #Pyramids #Giza #Archaeology#Egyptology #MaterialsScience #Geopolymers #Concrete#SyntheticStone #AncientTechnology #AncientEngineering#ConstructionMarvels #PyramidCode

Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience

AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics

Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S

PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.

- Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog

- RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss

- Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD

- Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y

SOCIAL:

- Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci

MUSIC:

-Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671