Beyond Einstein: In Search of the Ultimate Explanation
Beyond Einstein: In Search of the Ultimate Explanation
Albert Einstein spent his last thirty years unsuccessfully searching for a 'unified theory' — a single master principle to describe everything in the universe, from tiny subatomic particles to immense clusters of galaxies. In the decades since, generations of researchers have continued working toward Einstein's dream.
Renowned physicists Leonard Susskind and Jim Gates, and prominent historian Peter Galison discussed what's been achieved and tackle pivotal questions. Would a unified theory reveal why there is a universe at all? Would it tell us why mathematics is adept at unraveling nature's mysteries? Might it imply we are one universe of many, and what would that mean for our sense of how we fit into the cosmos? Moderated by Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse.
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Peter Galison
Peter Galison is a leading science historian whose research explores the interaction of experimentation, instrumentation and theory in physics. An author, film producer and MacArthur Award-winner, he is the Joseph Pellegrino University Professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University.
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Jim Gates
Jim Gates is known for his pioneering work in particle physics seeking a unified description of all physics. A committed researcher and educator, he is the Toll Physics Professor and director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland.
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Janna Levin
Janna Levin is a physicist and award-winning author. Her research explores the limits of mathematics and whether this will prevent us from ever finding a theory of everything. In 2007, she won a PEN/Bingham Fellowship for her novel A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines. Levin is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University.
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Paul Nurse
- Nobel Laureate, Medicine 2001
Nobel Prize-winner Paul Nurse is President of Rockefeller University, where he also continues to do research in cell biology. He is the former Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK and the recipient of many awards. In 1999, he was knighted in Great Britain for his contributions to cancer research.
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Leonard Susskind
Theoretical physicist Leonard Susskind is one of the discoverers of string theory, a candidate for a theory that unifies all laws of physics. An award-winning author, he is a proponent of the idea that our universe is one of an infinite number. Susskind is the Felix Bloch Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University.
This event was part of the Big Ideas Series supported by the
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