The World’s Smartest Mind: Exploring the Extremes of Thought with Benjamin Labatut

From World Science Festival. Bestselling author Benjamin Labatut joins Brian Greene for an exploration of the extremes of the human mind, centering on one of its most extraordinary incarnations—polymath John von Neumann–delving into existential dilemmas, moral quandaries, and the profound impacts of scientific discovery. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by…

We’ve discovered thousands of exoplanets, but what about exomoons? #astronomy #spaceexploration

From World Science Festival. We’ve discovered thousands of exoplanets, but what about exomoons? Astronomer David Kipping joins Brian Greene to explore the ongoing search for exomoons—lesser-known, but intriguing potential habitats for life beyond Earth. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: David Kipping Moderator: Brian Greene…

Can Theories of Consciousness Supercharge AI?

From World Science Festival. Some researchers propose that advancing AI to the next level will require an internal architecture that more closely mirrors the human mind. Rufin VanRullen joins Brian Greene to discuss early results from one such approach, based on the Global Workspace Theory of consciousness. This program is part of the Big Ideas…

SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES: Rethinking Their Origin

From World Science Festival. The mechanism of collapsing stars falls short of explaining the existence of supermassive black holes—giants that weigh millions or even billions of times the mass of the Sun. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan proposes an alternative: these colossal black holes may form directly from the collapse of swirling galactic dust and gas. She…

Is the Cosmos a Vast Computation?

From World Science Festival. Pioneering computer scientist and physicist Stephen Wolfram joins Brian Greene to discuss the interplay between physical law, computation, and artificial intelligence. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: Stephen Wolfram Moderator: Brian Greene 00:00 – Introduction 01:49 – Participant Introduction 02:15 –…

Infinite Beginnings? Time in Cutting Edge Cosmology

From World Science Festival. Will Kinney joins Brian Greene to explore whether leading-edge cosmological theories can avoid a beginning to time. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: Will Kinney Moderator: Brian Greene 00:00 – Introduction 00:58 – Participant Introduction 02:89 – The Case for Eternal…

Consciousness, Free Will, and Psychedelics: Exploring Mysteries of the Mind

From World Science Festival. World renowned neurophysiologist and computational neuroscientist Christof Koch joins Brian Greene to discuss how decades of experimental and theoretical investigation have shaped his understanding of consciousness and the brain — and how recent psychedelic experiences have profoundly reshaped his perspective on life and death. This program is part of the Big…

Straight Talk on Quantum Computing

From World Science Festival. Scott Aaronson, renowned computer scientist known for his no nonsense take on, well, everything, joins Brian Greene to demystify the state of quantum computation, AI, and much more. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: Scott Aaronson Moderator: Brian Greene 00:00 –…

Beyond Planets: The Quest for Exomoons

From World Science Festival. We’ve discovered thousands of exoplanets, but what about exomoons? Astronomer David Kipping joins Brian Greene to explore the ongoing search for exomoons—lesser-known, but intriguing potential habitats for life beyond Earth. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: David Kipping Moderator: Brian Greene…

Code to Cure: AI and the Future of Health

From World Science Festival. Renowned computer scientist and Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller joins Brian Greene to discuss her new venture in using machine learning for drug discovery and development. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participant: Daphne Koller Moderator: Brian Greene 00:00 – Introduction 02:20 –…