Big Ideas

The inflationary theory of cosmology, an enduring theory about our universe and how it was formed, explains that just after the Big Bang, the universe went through a period of rapid expansion. This theory has been critical to understanding what’s going on in the cosmos today. But now, this long-held notion—which seems to suggest as-yet-unproven and perhaps unprovable features such as the multiverse—is under increasing attack. Through informed debate among architects of the inflationary theory and its prime competitors, this program explored our best attempts to understand where we came from.Learn More

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TOPICS: Art & Science, Biology & Origins of Life, Earth & Environment, Mind & Brain, Physics & Math, Science in Society, Science Unplugged, Space & The Cosmos, Technology & Engineering, Your Daily Equation, Youth & Education

TAGS: 2013, Alan Guth, Andreas Albrecht, Andrei Linde, Big Bang, cmb, Cosmology, horizon of a black hole, inflationary theory, John Hockenberry, multiverse, Neil Turok, New York City, NYC, One Universe or Many, Planck satellite, rapid expansion, science of infinity, science of the multiverse, short, understand where we came from, 2013, Alan Guth, Andreas Albrecht, Andrei Linde, Big Bang, cmb, Cosmology, horizon of a black hole, inflationary theory, John Hockenberry, multiverse, Neil Turok, New York City, NYC, One Universe or Many, Planck satellite, rapid expansion, science of infinity, science of the multiverse, short, understand where we came from

PLAYLISTS: Big Ideas, Popular Videos

Video Duration: 01:22:35

Original Program Date: Saturday, June 1, 2013

Moderator: John Hockenberry

Participants: Andreas Albrecht, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, Neil Turok

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