Physical Attraction

Occasionally, in the world, we observe empirical laws – the laws of experiment - that seem to be spookily accurate. There's no theoretical reason why they should be obeyed, but they just happen to describe the world remarkably well. Perhaps the best example of this, that has changed and will change the world the most, is Moore's Law. But there's another example - one that will render every Green warrior happy to think about. The price of solar energy is dropping off a cliff. Tweet us @physicspod Listener Questions sought for Upcoming Listener Question Episode Read old scripts on Medium Like and review on iTunes for your chances at a PRIZE DRAW Tell one friend and in thirty episodes we'll have a trillion listeners. Regular apocalyptic service will be resumed next Saturday.

Occasionally, in the world, we observe empirical laws – the laws of experiment - that seem to be spookily accurate. There’s no theoretical reason why they should be obeyed, but they just happen to describe the world remarkably well. Perhaps the best example of this, that has changed and will change the world the most, is Moore’s Law. But there's another example - one that will render every Green warrior happy to think about. The price of solar energy is dropping off a cliff.

Tweet us @physicspod
Listener Questions sought for Upcoming Listener Question Episode
Read old scripts on Medium
Like and review on iTunes for your chances at a PRIZE DRAW

Tell one friend and in thirty episodes we'll have a trillion listeners.

Regular apocalyptic service will be resumed next Saturday. 

We know that a great deal of our critical national infrastructure depends on complex cyber-systems; but in the fast-changing world of the internet and computer systems, it's become impossible for slow-moving legislators to catch up to the shifting goalposts. Hackers and similar groups have had major impacts on society. But most of what's been visibly done so far has been limited to what you might call petty crime; theft, extortion, exposure of secret or sensitive information. But, as our systems increasingly depend on these complex networks, there is a disturbing question we can't answer. How much could a determined group of cyber-criminals disrupt society? Could they find a way to compromise highly sensitive weapons systems? Could they trigger a nuclear war? Coming in at number 8: Cyberwarfare. I'm not an expert in this field, so if you have any opinions, thoughts, or facts I should be aware of - please, get in touch with the show @physicspod and we'll shoutout to you!

We know that a great deal of our critical national infrastructure depends on complex cyber-systems; but in the fast-changing world of the internet and computer systems, it's become impossible for slow-moving legislators to catch up to the shifting goalposts. Hackers and similar groups have had major impacts on society. But most of what's been visibly done so far has been limited to what you might call petty crime; theft, extortion, exposure of secret or sensitive information.


But, as our systems increasingly depend on these complex networks, there is a disturbing question we can't answer. How much could a determined group of cyber-criminals disrupt society? Could they find a way to compromise highly sensitive weapons systems? Could they trigger a nuclear war?

Coming in at number 8: Cyberwarfare. 


I'm not an expert in this field, so if you have any opinions, thoughts, or facts I should be aware of - please, get in touch with the show @physicspod and we'll shoutout to you!

It's easy to forget that we are on a pale, blue dot - the one habitable place we know of in the whole, wide, Universe. Fragile. Perhaps too fragile. It's not that the Universe wants to kill us; it's just that astrophysics doesn't care too much whether a planet is inhabited, or whether the inhabitants have feelings - or not. Asteroid strikes. Impact from a giant comet. Gamma ray bursts, supernovae, and black holes. Any one of these has the potential to destroy our civilisation. But how likely is that to happen? And what is there that anyone can do about it? If you enjoyed this episode, Death From Above - by Phil Plait - is an excellent resource. Join me as we talk about the potential for an apocalypse... from outer space!

It's easy to forget that we are on a pale, blue dot - the one habitable place we know of in the whole, wide, Universe. Fragile. Perhaps too fragile.

It's not that the Universe wants to kill us; it's just that astrophysics doesn't care too much whether a planet is inhabited, or whether the inhabitants have feelings - or not.

Asteroid strikes. Impact from a giant comet. Gamma ray bursts, supernovae, and black holes. Any one of these has the potential to destroy our civilisation.

But how likely is that to happen? And what is there that anyone can do about it?

If you enjoyed this episode, Death From Above - by Phil Plait - is an excellent resource.

Join me as we talk about the potential for an apocalypse... from outer space!

Let's talk about earthquakes. As we know, the Earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates – vast plates of rock that shift around due to convection and the motion of fluid in Earth's mantle. They, roughly speaking "join together" at fault-lines. But in reality, the plates can't slide past each other frictionlessly; what tends to happen is that they "catch" on each other, stick for a while – with pressure building, because whatever predominant force is pushing them along is building up pressure and elastic strain energy. Then, eventually, it all becomes too much, and they slip dramatically, releasing all that built-up energy quickly and causing vibrational waves to propagate, which we feel as Earthquakes. For this reason, they occur predominantly around faultlines, like the San Andreas fault that runs through California, and others in Japan, South America, and the middle east. But do earthquakes have the power to destroy the world or even wreak major damage on human civilization as a whole? Let's find out.

Let’s talk about earthquakes. As we know, the Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates – vast plates of rock that shift around due to convection and the motion of fluid in Earth’s mantle. They, roughly speaking “join together” at fault-lines. But in reality, the plates can’t slide past each other frictionlessly; what tends to happen is that they “catch” on each other, stick for a while – with pressure building, because whatever predominant force is pushing them along is building up pressure and elastic strain energy. Then, eventually, it all becomes too much, and they slip dramatically, releasing all that built-up energy quickly and causing vibrational waves to propagate, which we feel as Earthquakes. For this reason, they occur predominantly around faultlines, like the San Andreas fault that runs through California, and others in Japan, South America, and the middle east.


But do earthquakes have the power to destroy the world or even wreak major damage on human civilization as a whole? Let's find out.

We're going to be presenting a very special series of episodes over the next few months. The end of the world. Is it going to end in fire, or ice? And is there anything we can do about it? Get ready for the apocalypse.

We're going to be presenting a very special series of episodes over the next few months.

The end of the world. Is it going to end in fire, or ice? And is there anything we can do about it?

Get ready for the apocalypse.