Don Lincoln: Did Einstein Waste The Last 30 Years of His Life? [Ep. 439]

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For centuries, we have observed the night sky and wondered about the laws of nature, matter, and our place in the universe.

Once rooted in theology and philosophy, these questions are now being explored through the prism of high-energy particle physics with one goal in mind - to discover the final, definitive theory - the theory of everything. But what is a theory of everything? And does it even exist?

Here today, to explore these questions with me, is none other than Don Lincoln, a renowned experimental physicist and host of the Fermilab YouTube channel! Don has recently published Einstein's Unfinished Dream, a book in which he explores the cutting-edge research of modern particle physicists that is slowly pushing us towards a theory of everything.

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:20 Did Einstein waste the last 30 years of his life?

00:01:49 Israel presidency

00:02:37 Judging a book by its cover

00:05:47 The grand unified theory and the theory of everything

00:14:56 Is there anything significant about the Planck length?

00:19:13 The path to discovery nowadays

00:24:17 Why do theorists get all the attention?

00:28:35 Is there a fascination with symmetry?

00:39:36 Is space-time a metaphysical concept?

00:43:53 Alternatives to string theory

00:53:44 LHC and its discoveries

01:02:04 Muon collider

01:10:45 Dark matter, neutrinos and quark mysteries

01:21:05 Science communication

01:28:25 Audience questions

01:45:12 Outro

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Additional resources:

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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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