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Every episode
The Quanta Podcast
30 episodes
Audio Edition: New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities
Aug 13, 2026 · 14 min
Mathematicians have broken through a long-standing barrier in the study of “minimizing surfaces,” which play an important role in both math and physics. The article New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons?
Aug 11, 2026 · 38 min
Reasoning comes in many technically defined forms, but the basic procedure is easily recognizable: arriving at a sound conclusion by linking together intermediate steps that logically follow from each other. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, it appears AI can either solve famous mathematical research problems in one shot — or experience a “complete accuracy collapse” under the simplest conditions. So which is it: Can AI reason reliably or not? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, h…
Why Am I Left-Handed?
Aug 4, 2026 · 26 min
Why are only 10% of people left-handed? Geneticists, developmental biologists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists have all sought explanations, resulting in an astronomical amount of research into the mystery of handedness. No one has put all the pieces together yet, but over the last few years, some major new clues have emerged. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Hannah Waters speaks with writer Natalie Wolchover and traces these new clues to uncover the mystery of human hand…
Audio Edition: Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback
Jul 30, 2026 · 21 min
Has the secret to understanding gravity been hiding in plain sight for nearly 50 years? The article Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
A Dark Dimension Could Link Two of the Universe’s Great Unknowns
Jul 28, 2026 · 30 min
Generally, dark energy and dark matter are regarded as separate entities, but recent astronomical observations have spurred scientists to look further into a less widespread idea — that the two are in fact physically intertwined. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with Physics Editor Kathryn Jepsen about the theories surrounding dark energy’s ties to dark matter and the possibility of a shared dark universe. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine…
Is Life Just Different?
Jul 21, 2026 · 36 min
There’s no scientific consensus about what makes living things so different from inorganic material. Some scientists cite replication or metabolism. Others have another answer: Living organisms are different because they do stuff — for reasons. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Philip Ball on the hotly contested idea of “biological agency” and what it means to be alive. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta…
Audio Edition: ‘World Models,’ an Old Idea in AI, Mount a Comeback
Jul 16, 2026 · 10 min
You’re carrying around in your head a model of how the world works. Will AI systems need to do the same? The article ‘World Models,’ an Old Idea in AI, Mount a Comeback first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
How Many Shuffles Do You Really Need to Randomize Your Deck?
Jul 14, 2026 · 30 min
In 1992, mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis proved that seven riffle shuffles are enough to shuffle a deck of cards — but only if you can cut your deck with precision. Decades later, a new proof has finally extended the finding to less precise cuts. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about how a mathematical cutoff phenomenon still exists for riffle shuffling — randomness seems to happen all at once. This topic was covered…
Will We Ever Be Able To Forecast Volcanic Eruptions Like Weather?
Jul 7, 2026 · 22 min
Volcano forecasting can save countless lives. But most of the time warnings are more like educated guesses. How close are we to forecasting volcano behavior the way we forecast the weather? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Hannah Waters speaks with writer and volcano expert Robin George Andrews about just how close we are to accurately forecasting volcanic eruptions. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor i…
Audio Edition: Tiny Tubes Reveal Clues to the Evolution of Complex Life
Jul 2, 2026 · 14 min
Scientists have identified tubulin structures in primitive Asgard archea that may have been the precursor of our own cellular skeletons. The article Tiny Tubes Reveal Clues to the Evolution of Complex Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
Are Memories Transferable — or Edible?
Jun 30, 2026 · 32 min
In the 60s, an eccentric behavioral psychologist pureed a bunch of planarian worms and fed them to other ones. For years after, he claimed that the cannibal worms learned the ground-up worms’ memories. Could he have been… right? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel and columnist Claire L. Evans discuss the weird history of memory transfer experiments, and their recent resurgence — and some them appear to be working. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.…
How Many Elementary Particles Are There, Really?
Jun 23, 2026 · 36 min
How many pieces are there in the Standard Model of particle physics? 17, 30, 37, 61, 118? Or is the true answer much larger — and not even an integer? It depends on your taste for complexity — and mystery. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel and columnist Natalie Wolchover plummet down another rabbit hole, and this one goes down to the very building blocks of our reality. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Mag…
Audio Edition: What Is the Fourier Transform?
Jun 18, 2026 · 13 min
Amid the chaos of revolutionary France, one man’s mathematical obsession gave way to a calculation that now underpins much of mathematics and physics. The calculation, called the Fourier transform, decomposes any function into its parts. The story What Is the Fourier Transform? first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
The 'Truth Machine' That Is Changing Math
Jun 16, 2026 · 34 min
The groundbreaking proof assistant Lean acts as a sort of automatic quality control. It’s gaining ground in the math world — in part because it can interact with AI to open new avenues of inquiry. But there are concerns, too. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with author Kevin Harnett about his new book, the first release from Quanta Books, “The Proof in the Code.” It was featured in a recent excerpt for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazi…
Ecotypes Make the Idea of a Species Even Fuzzier
Jun 9, 2026 · 27 min
How do you define a species? The question has been controversial since the days of Darwin. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Marlowe Starling about how recent advances in genomics have both clarified and complicated the picture. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the…
What Actually Causes Lightning?
Jun 2, 2026 · 22 min
Thunderstorms have captivated humanity for millennia, and yet their inner workings remain deeply mysterious. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, guest host and Quanta senior editor Hannah Waters speaks with staff writer Charlie Wood about the new technologies that are helping physicists better understand the phenomena. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, hear the people behind the award-winning publication navigate through some of the…
Audio Edition: Astrophysicists Find No ‘Hair’ on Black Holes
May 28, 2026 · 13 min
According to Einstein’s theory of gravity, black holes have only a small handful of distinguishing characteristics. Quantum theory implies they may have more. Now an experimental search finds that any of this extra ‘hair’ has to be pretty short. The story Astrophysicists Find No ‘Hair’ on Black Holes first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
The AI Revolution in Math Has Arrived
May 26, 2026 · 30 min
In 2026, shock at AI’s growing mathematical abilities turned into something more like wonder — and concern. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Konstantin Kakaes about how AI is changing not only how mathematicians do math, but also why they do it. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate t…
Ice Is Way More Complex Than It Seems
May 19, 2026 · 25 min
Over the past decade, computer simulations have predicted tens of thousands of possible forms of ice. Though uncommon on our planet, exotic ice may exist in off-Earth environments, from cold and amorphous comet tails to the hot and crushing cores of icy planets. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math writer Shalma Wegsman about why water is exceptionally versatile under pressure. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quan…
Audio Edition: How Distillation Makes AI Models Smaller and Cheaper
May 14, 2026 · 8 min
Fundamental technique lets researchers use a big, expensive “teacher” model to train a “student” model for less. The story How Distillation Makes AI Models Smaller and Cheaper first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
Our Immune Systems Are Full of Ancient Weapons
May 12, 2026 · 30 min
Billions of years ago, battles between bacteria and viruses wrote the rulebook for how hosts and pathogens behave. Today, our immune system follows suit. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with writer Viviane Callier about how recent discoveries could shape how we think about the evolution of immunity. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind…
What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity?
May 5, 2026 · 30 min
Most mathematicians take the notion of infinity for granted — it’s deeply rooted in math’s most fundamental assumptions. But a small group of researchers hopes to banish infinity completely. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about the philosophy of ultrafinitism. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind th…
Audio Edition: The Cells That Breathe Two Ways
Apr 30, 2026 · 13 min
In a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park, a microbe does something that life shouldn’t be able to do: It breathes oxygen and sulfur at the same time. The story The Cells That Breathe Two Ways first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
Quantum Mechanics Might Be a Secret Key to Secure Communication
Apr 28, 2026 · 27 min
Together, Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard figured out how to use the laws of quantum physics to keep secret messages safe from eavesdroppers. Their efforts have earned them one of the highest awards in computing and a $1 million prize. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with staff writer Ben Brubaker about this year’s Turing Prize winners, and some of the most important concepts in quantum information science. This topic was covered in a recent column for Quanta M…
Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope?
Apr 21, 2026 · 26 min
Is string theory the one true “theory of everything?” Some physicists swear it’s a fundamental ingredient of nature. Others wish it would just go away. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with columnist Natalie Wolchover about the mathematical developments that are keeping the theory relevant — much to the chagrin of its rather vocal critics. This topic was covered in a recent column for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief…
Audio Edition: New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder
Apr 16, 2026 · 14 min
For decades, mathematicians have struggled to understand matrices that reflect both order and randomness, like those that model semiconductors. A new method could change that. The story New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines
Apr 14, 2026 · 23 min
At the center of little holes in cell nuclei is a mystery. Here, clumps of proteins wiggle disordered tails around like seaweed. They drive a molecular machine that moves countless molecules in and out of the nucleus efficiently, with little room for error. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with biology writer Yasemin Saplakoglu about how new high-def microscopy is revealing the intricacies of these nuclear pore complexes like never before. This topic was covered in…
The Fundamental Tension at the Heart of Math
Apr 7, 2026 · 29 min
We tend to think of math as all about logic and rigor. But what “rigor” actually means has been shaken up quite a few times over the past few centuries. The newest attempt to formalize math comes in the form of the computer program Lean. Mathematicians have mixed feelings. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about how mathematicians today are navigating the tricky balancing act between creativity and formalization. This topic was cov…
Audio Edition: AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work.
Apr 2, 2026 · 15 min
Artificial intelligence software is designing novel experimental protocols that improve upon the work of human physicists, although the humans are still “doing a lot of baby-sitting.” The story AI Comes Up With Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work. first appeared on Quanta Magazine.
Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff?
Mar 31, 2026 · 31 min
Humanoid robots can run, crawl, and sort objects in flashy demos. So why can’t they reliably climb stairs or open doors? On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with contributing writer John Pavlus on why robots still struggle with the messy physics of the real world. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to naviga…
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