Welcome to a fascinating journey into the limits of imagination, geometry, and scientific discovery. In this premiere episode of "The Scientists," a new series on the Into The Impossible Podcast Network, host Brian Keating—Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego—dives deep into the curious world of "Flatland," Edwin Abbott Abbott's mind-bending Victorian novel. But this isn't just dusty literature; it's a geometric allegory that shaped some of the greatest scientific minds, including Albert Einstein himself.

Alongside surprising social commentary and a critique of rigid hierarchies, Keating unpacks the power of imagination in science, showing how boundary-pushing thinkers moved from heresy to genius. Sit back as you journey through dimensions with Brian Keating—plus a special segment from science communicator Carl Sagan—inviting you to rethink your own perspective on the universe and the unseen realities that might lie just beyond.

Ready to challenge what you believe about reality? Stay curious and let’s step into the impossible together.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 "Exploring Flatland's Timeless Influence"

06:26 "Dimensional Perception in Flatland"

09:45 "Exploring Influential Scientific Books"

13:11 "Revolutionary Thinking and Scientific Rebels"

15:54 "Flatland's Influence on Einstein"

20:44 "Flatland: Three-Dimensional Encounter"

24:38 Understanding the Tesseract's Dimensions

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Welcome to the debut episode of "The Scientists," a captivating new series from the Into the Impossible Podcast Network, hosted by Brian Keating, Chancellor's Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego.

Each week, Brian takes us on a journey into the extraordinary minds behind history’s greatest scientific breakthroughs—not just exploring what these giants of science discovered, but delving deep into who they were, what drove their relentless curiosity, and the very human obsessions that shaped their careers and our world.

If you’re curious about the messy, intensely human reality behind monumental discoveries—and how these stories can reshape your worldview—tune in as we venture into the lives, the questions, and the obsessions that made science possible.

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Key Takeaways:

00:00 Exploring Scientific Pioneers Podcast

06:08 Exploring Scientific Genius Insights

07:46 Visionary Inventors and Iconoclasts

12:48 Exploring Intellectual and Business Obsessions

14:35 Scientific Revolutions and Genius Insights

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Consensus is the AI powered results engine I use every day in my research. Visit https://bit.ly/ConsensusApp and sign up for one year for *FREE* with code KEATING25 just for listeners of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast!

What if the best person to solve the mystery of alien communication isn't a SETI researcher or a radio astronomer, but instead a theoretical physicist trained in the deepest notions of physical law, symmetries, and quantum field theory?

Well, today, I’m joined by Latham Boyle, a renowned theoretical physicist exploring the fundamental symmetries of the universe and developing new ideas to understand how the universe began. But his research goes beyond that—he’s also tackling one of the greatest mysteries of all time: the Fermi Paradox. After explaining everything we need to know about symmetries, Latham shares his bold theory of a mirror universe, where the cosmos is symmetric across the Big Bang, and how that could explain the strange silence from the stars. We explore how this radical idea might reshape our understanding of dark matter, the origin of the universe, and why advanced civilizations might be using quantum signals we’re simply not equipped to detect.

What if we’re not alone, just looking in the wrong way?

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Key Takeaways: 

00:00 Intro 

02:29 Explaining symmetries and CPT symmetry 

05:07 Theoretical framework and observational evidence 

09:49 Symmetry violations 

12:56 Possible alternative explanation of the early universe 

40:55 Quantum entanglement and the Fermi Paradox 

51:14 Technology of biological material? 

56:29 Outro

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Additional resources: 

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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Dr. Brian Keating joins Spencer Klavan to discuss one of the most brilliant, complicated, and misunderstood men in all of Western history. No, not Elon Musk. Galileo Galilei!

They cover Galileo's daring philosophy of science, his contributions to human knowledge, his devout Catholic faith, and his many, many mistresses and children.

Plus: what can believers learn from scientists, and vice versa?

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Brian Keating dives into some of the universe's biggest mysteries, from the search for extraterrestrial life and the nature of the Big Bang to cutting-edge discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope. Joined by Young and Alive, they explore how scientific beliefs are constantly evolving, how astronomers confront existential threats like asteroids, and why a sense of wonder drives the quest to understand our place in the cosmos.

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As a listener of Dr. Brian Keating, you get a special 20% off discount. 👉 Head over to The Economist's website at www.economist.com/Keating to get started.

What really happened during the controversy over the discovery of Haumea? Why was Pluto actually demoted? And is there a hidden Planet Nine lurking in the outer solar system?

I’m joined today by none other than the Pluto Killer himself, Mike Brown. Mike is an astronomer and professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His groundbreaking discoveries of dwarf planets like Eris, Haumea, and Makemake shook up the astronomy world and led to the controversial redefinition of what constitutes a planet.

In this gripping episode of Into the Impossible, Mike opens up about the ethical challenges he faced in his career, including the Haumea data theft that caused a massive controversy, the truth behind the demotion of Pluto, and the ongoing search for Planet Nine.

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Key Takeaways: 

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Additional resources: 

➡️ Learn more about Mike Brown:

💻 Website: https://mikebrown.caltech.edu/ 

📚 How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming: https://a.co/d/9jQp3nt 

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list 

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast 

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

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Dick Bond is a theorist who has helped reshape our understanding of dark matter, entropy, and quantum mechanics. Dick is a renowned astrophysicist known for his significant contributions to cosmology and the study of the universe's large-scale structure. He has worked extensively on topics such as dark matter, dark energy, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and quantum cosmology.

As a treat for all my members, Dick has graced us with a lecture titled Entropy in a Coherent Universe: Quantum Information Flows in the Cosmic SuperWeb. Don’t miss out!

Join my YouTube membership to watch the full 90-minute lecture recording: Join this channel

Additional resources:

➡️ Learn more about Dick Bond:

💻 Website: https://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~bond/

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

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Brian Keating explores the buzz around a possible sign of alien life on exoplanet K2-18 b, discussing the detection of dimethyl sulfide—a molecule that on Earth is linked only to biology. He urges caution, explaining that while the findings are exciting and headline-grabbing, the evidence is not yet conclusive and scientific skepticism is essential.

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Could entropy and coherence change everything we know about the universe? How does quantum information flow in the cosmic superweb? And will quantum mechanics reveal our universe’s deepest secrets? 

Today, I’m joined by the one and only Dick Bond, a theorist who has helped reshape our understanding of dark matter, entropy, and quantum mechanics, to discuss how every aspect of the universe could be a result of quantum mechanics. Dick is a renowned astrophysicist known for his significant contributions to cosmology and the study of the universe's large-scale structure. He has worked extensively on topics such as dark matter, dark energy, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and quantum cosmology. 

We also have a treat for you at the end of the episode, as Dick will grace us with a lecture titled Entropy in a Coherent Universe: Quantum Information Flows in the Cosmic SuperWeb. Don’t miss out!

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Key Takeaways: 

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Additional resources: 

➡️ Learn more about Dick Bond: 

💻 Website: https://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~bond/

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list 

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast 

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices