Episode
#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
2:30:09
Published: Sat May 29 2021
Description
Frank Wilczek is a Nobel Prize winning physicist at MIT. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - The Information: https://theinformation.com/lex to get 75% off first month - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Frank's Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankWilczek Frank's Website: https://www.frankawilczek.com/ Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality (book): https://amzn.to/3vLPyQB PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:39) - Are there limits to what physics can understand? (17:31) - Beautiful ideas in physics (25:59) - Space and time are really big (29:47) - There are billions of thoughts in a human life (37:09) - Big bang (45:31) - How life emerged in the universe (51:33) - Aliens (1:01:25) - Consciousness (1:08:53) - Limits of physics (1:14:29) - Complimentary principle (1:23:34) - Free will (1:29:47) - Particles (1:35:10) - Nobel Prize in Physics (1:48:24) - Axions and dark matter (2:03:50) - Time crystals (2:08:42) - Theory of everything (2:18:10) - Advice for young people (2:23:52) - Meaning of life
Chapters
Theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek explains the theory of asymptotic freedom, which suggests that when quirks come very close to each other, the attraction abates, and they behave like free particles, and how it affects strong interaction.
00:00 - 01:24 (01:24)
Summary
Theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek explains the theory of asymptotic freedom, which suggests that when quirks come very close to each other, the attraction abates, and they behave like free particles, and how it affects strong interaction.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The excitement of running a company stems from taking on engineering challenges, making big decisions, and not the bureaucracy that comes with it.
01:24 - 09:02 (07:37)
Summary
The excitement of running a company stems from taking on engineering challenges, making big decisions, and not the bureaucracy that comes with it. In-depth journalism, regardless of perspective, provides valuable context that can be easily accessed through reading tools like Blinkist.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
While advancements have been made in understanding fundamental physical processes and designing technology based upon these principles, the limitations of this knowledge become apparent when it comes to predictive chemistry.
09:02 - 18:21 (09:18)
Summary
While advancements have been made in understanding fundamental physical processes and designing technology based upon these principles, the limitations of this knowledge become apparent when it comes to predictive chemistry.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Symmetry is a fundamental concept that can be found in various fields such as physics, biology, and art.
18:23 - 27:37 (09:14)
Summary
Symmetry is a fundamental concept that can be found in various fields such as physics, biology, and art. It is a means of construction and a source of beauty that is deeply ingrained in human perception and cognition.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the human scale in relation to the size of the universe and the limitation of our imagination when trying to comprehend it.
27:37 - 33:08 (05:30)
Summary
Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the human scale in relation to the size of the universe and the limitation of our imagination when trying to comprehend it.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The universe began as a hot and dense plasma of different kinds of elementary particles, and through billions of years of social interaction and evolution of ideas, humans have been able to control and comprehend it through general principles of an operating system.
33:08 - 38:36 (05:28)
Summary
The universe began as a hot and dense plasma of different kinds of elementary particles, and through billions of years of social interaction and evolution of ideas, humans have been able to control and comprehend it through general principles of an operating system.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Scientists are exploring ways to detect the imprint of gravitational waves from the early universe on the photons in the microwave background radiation.
38:36 - 45:58 (07:22)
Summary
Scientists are exploring ways to detect the imprint of gravitational waves from the early universe on the photons in the microwave background radiation. Despite having diffused over long distances, they believe that gravitational waves that could have come from the early universe may be detected through advanced tools and technology.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The emergence of life on Earth happened quickly due to the perfect conditions of the right temperature, star, and liquid environment of water.
45:59 - 54:44 (08:44)
Summary
The emergence of life on Earth happened quickly due to the perfect conditions of the right temperature, star, and liquid environment of water. These conditions may be present on other planets and there is a possibility of finding primitive forms of life.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Physicists aim to discover universal laws that can define life, intelligence, and consciousness through states of matter.
54:44 - 1:05:44 (11:00)
Summary
Physicists aim to discover universal laws that can define life, intelligence, and consciousness through states of matter. By identifying states of matter that can carry out information processing, self-reproduction, and development, we may be able to classify them as "life" and eventually understand the fundamental questions surrounding self-awareness and consciousness.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode emphasizes the importance of coming up with new tools of mathematics and computation and the realization that it is useful and inevitable to use different descriptions of the same object or situation to answer different kinds of questions.
1:05:44 - 1:20:09 (14:25)
Summary
This podcast episode emphasizes the importance of coming up with new tools of mathematics and computation and the realization that it is useful and inevitable to use different descriptions of the same object or situation to answer different kinds of questions.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode talks about the weirdness of the universe and how it can be both profound and humbling, especially when it comes to complementary ideas like free will and determinism.
1:20:09 - 1:28:47 (08:38)
Summary
This episode talks about the weirdness of the universe and how it can be both profound and humbling, especially when it comes to complementary ideas like free will and determinism.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The mathematical structure of our model of matter is only revealed partially in the world because to access information about the precise position of things, you have to apply a lot of energy, and it's an idealization.
1:28:47 - 1:36:16 (07:28)
Summary
The mathematical structure of our model of matter is only revealed partially in the world because to access information about the precise position of things, you have to apply a lot of energy, and it's an idealization. The world is constructed out of equations that contain entities such as electrons that have definite properties, and they exist in vast numbers throughout the universe.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The story that emerges from QCD is similar to the way clouds of electrons form atoms and molecules.
1:36:16 - 1:48:03 (11:46)
Summary
The story that emerges from QCD is similar to the way clouds of electrons form atoms and molecules. Protons and neutrons are like atoms made up of quarks, held together by gluons to form the strong force, with residual forces between them that are like the forces between atoms in molecules, and this is connected through relativity.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast delves into the foundations of statistical mechanics or thermodynamics to understand how behavior in large objects that is not symmetric with respect to reversing the direction of time, can emerge from equations that are symmetric.
1:48:03 - 2:00:43 (12:39)
Summary
The podcast delves into the foundations of statistical mechanics or thermodynamics to understand how behavior in large objects that is not symmetric with respect to reversing the direction of time, can emerge from equations that are symmetric. It’s an exciting frontier of physics to explore when this is true, and when it’s not, especially with exceptions like time crystals.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Time crystals are materials in which a pattern repeats not only in space but also in time, requiring a significant amount of energy to achieve.
2:00:43 - 2:07:45 (07:01)
Summary
Time crystals are materials in which a pattern repeats not only in space but also in time, requiring a significant amount of energy to achieve. They exhibit an orderly behavior and structure in time, but do not allow for a free lunch.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Despite the existing theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics, questions about small black holes and their behavior remains unanswered.
2:07:45 - 2:15:56 (08:11)
Summary
Despite the existing theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics, questions about small black holes and their behavior remains unanswered. Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll explores possibilities of unlocking clues about black holes by understanding the source code of the universe.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Dr. Frank Wilczek discusses how understanding the physics of life, intelligence, consciousness, and information will aid in space exploration and how physics has experience analyzing complex situations and developing innovative instruments.
2:15:56 - 2:20:39 (04:42)
Summary
Dr. Frank Wilczek discusses how understanding the physics of life, intelligence, consciousness, and information will aid in space exploration and how physics has experience analyzing complex situations and developing innovative instruments.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The history of a subject gives context and community to what you're trying to do.
2:20:40 - 2:27:03 (06:23)
Summary
The history of a subject gives context and community to what you're trying to do. To produce great works and express yourself fluently and confidently, one must also read the masters of ideas and the history of ideas.
Episode#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker thanks their guest for their inventive ideas and the positive effects it has on the world.
2:27:04 - 2:29:59 (02:54)
Summary
The speaker thanks their guest for their inventive ideas and the positive effects it has on the world. They also discuss the importance of interacting with others and the joy it brings them.