#211 - Jim Al-Khalili - Reality Is An Illusion: Quantum Entanglement, Time & Dark Energy

Prof. Jim Al-Khalili is a theoretical physicist, author, and public broadcaster who holds a chair in physics at the University of Surrey. Known for his BBC documentaries and popular science books, including On Time and The World According to Physics, his work spans quantum mechanics, nuclear reaction theory, and the fundamental nature of space-time.  

Jim and I discuss the divide between psychological "manifest time" and the laws of physics. Jim explains general relativity, gravitational time dilation, and the astrophysics behind Interstellar, before tackling the mathematical conflict between general relativity and quantum mechanics. Jim breaks down quantum entanglement, Bell’s Inequality, and competing models of reality-from the Copenhagen view to the Many-Worlds interpretation. Finally, we discuss how AI systems are formalizing complex mathematical theorems and processing deep-space data to decode dark matter and dark energy.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 - Where Physics Breaks Down

00:01:10 - I'm 47 And Thinking About Time

00:03:45 - Is Time An Illusion?

00:06:44 - Why Your Phone Proves Einstein Right

00:07:47 - The Fifth Dimension In Interstellar

00:09:46 - Carl Sagan And The Invention Of Wormholes

00:12:36 - Is There A White Hole?

00:15:07 - Was The Big Bang A White Hole?

00:18:35 - Nobody Understands String Theory

00:19:18 - Gravity Is Not A Force

00:22:58 - Spooky Action At A Distance

00:25:39 - They Proved Einstein Wrong

00:27:56 - Nothing Exists Until You Measure It

00:30:58 - Schrödinger's Cat

00:36:40 - What I Want To Know Before I Die

00:43:12 - Fermat's Last Theorem

00:47:41 - What If You Pointed AI At Physics?

00:54:23 - Borrowing Energy From The Vacuum

00:57:07 - Dark Matter Is A Bad Name

01:06:10 - Is There An Edge To The Universe?

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CONTACT PETE

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CONNECT WITH JIM AL-KHALILI

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› The Life Scientific – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015sqc7

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EDITED BY CONOR MCCORMACK

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