Finding the secret of human existence in an atom-smasher

Finding the secret of human existence in an atom-smasher | Dispatches from The Well Ep. 2

Рет қаралды 14,235

6 ай бұрын

Our host Kmele went inside Fermilab, America’s premiere particle accelerator facility, to find out how the smallest particles in the universe can teach us about its biggest mysteries.
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According to Fermilab's Bonnie Flemming, the pursuit of scientific understanding is “daunting in an inspiring way.” What makes it daunting? The seemingly infinite number of questions, with their potentially inaccessible answers.
In this episode of Dispatches from The Well, host Kmele Foster tours the grounds of America’s legendary particle accelerator to discover how exploring the mysteries at the heart of particle physics help us better understand some of the most profound mysteries of our universe.
Featuring: Bonnie Fleming, Don Lincoln, Ricardo Mondragon.
Read the full video transcript: bigthink.com/the-well/dispatc...
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Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
So what do they think?
How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?
Let’s dive into The Well.
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Пікірлер: 52

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

💡Great news! This episode of Dispatches from The Well is now available to stream on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Click use the links below to subscribe, wherever you prefer to listen. Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dispatches-from-the-well/id1716445883?i=1000634776084 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1bM5qlLoOe8lWpEj2HPXWX?si=emMB1SILTcufDQ3-z7ofdw

@infamousprince88 6 ай бұрын

Been following Kmele for about a decade and recently moved to Chicago which allowed me the opportunity to visit the Fermilab. This was an exciting video to tune in for and it did not disappoint!

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

So cool that you were able to compare Kmele's experience with your own! Was there anything you learned during your visit to Fermilab that wasn't touched on in this episode?

@shirazjanjua2482 6 ай бұрын

I can only imagine how the experiences of this series reflected back into editorial conversations the production team had, reflecting things they researched, interviewed, edited, forming the story line, what this footage means, what's the story we're telling... I mean, you hear all this, and we just want to sit down over coffee and connect with each other and ask, "Well, what do you really think?" I love that here we can go from rigorous science on one end to--for lack of a better word--the poetic discomfort of that same science and curiosity. I love that Kmele kept pushing, but I also feel that speechlessness is natural destination of all these questions. And yet I also just want to play with those questions incessantly, too.

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Creating this show has been an incredibly thought-provoking experience, and everyone involved in working on it has been feeling that same awe and wonder we hope to inspire in the people out in the world who watch these episodes. Thanks for being here, and for your thoughtful comment. "Poetic discomfort" really captures what a lot of this is about. We're glad you're on this wild journey with us.

@afd5231 6 ай бұрын

I like the definition of research : « you have no manual...» "Ask the good question" too, as Feynman said. 🙏🏻

@markloessi5799 6 ай бұрын

Wow, Wow, Wow. Yes, I've known this work is going on, my father used to talk about this kind of thing with me, but as humans will do I've forgotten the real teachings of the search for these answers. Those teachings are what Kmele and this group of adventurers as The Well are trying to catch a glimpse of. Simply stated, Why? From that pondering we get to things like we're star scum or we don't matter and it's from there that we then can choose our own path, to dig for our own gifts and to share them or not, in the meaninglessness or the meaningful, we choose.

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for such a thoughtful (and poetic!) response! We're so honored that Kmele's journey has inspired such profound reflection, and we'll certainly pass this sentiment on to our team. Thank you for being here!

@sammead7911 6 ай бұрын

Kmele you have done very good work here.

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

💡Our podcast episodes will become available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned, and thanks for watching/listening! 💡

@HippieP629 3 ай бұрын

Wonderful conversations. Thank you so much.

@The-Well 3 ай бұрын

We’re so glad you’re here!

@petersenjessem 6 ай бұрын

What a really excellent video! Fantastic questions and range, great production and very inspiring! Thank you!

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment; we really appreciate you!

@johanherrmann8701 5 ай бұрын

Wow! Love this!

@MicahScottPnD 6 ай бұрын

If that isn't food for the soul! Thanks, Well!

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

You're truly the best, Micah! Thanks for being here!

@dontpanicihaveatowel. 3 ай бұрын

I love it and KF. I wish I could show this to my kids. A bit too complex for 7 year olds. Also, they are very interested in theoretical time travel as well as particle accelerators. Is there an episode on that for “my kids.”

@michaelkahama3459 2 ай бұрын

The human brain is an amazing organ. Our neurons evolved to always seek answers, patterns and stories. When an idea is converted into a story, a patter or an answer, our brain fills in the gap and it becomes part of us. I couldn't help but notice similarities between Dr. Seth Koren presentation to that of my local church growing up. Both institutions focus on explaining the mystery of life. The church uses the idea of faith through biblical stories to give us a meaning of life. Seth Koren and other theoretical physicist presentation use atoms, standard model of particle physics, others like Dr. Sean Carroll combine cosmology in the process and philosophy to unearth life's deepest meaning from tiny microscopic wave functions or particles to phenomena happening in life. Same software, different approaches, the congregants brain flows with it and survival is attained. Life, it's Meaning, it's Purpose make us vulnerable thanks to our brains features. Always have this at the back of your mind. Sadly others have manipulated it and built cults around it. Others have made people grow and live a meaningful life till death meets them and they can say, "Surely I lived a good life."

@thetinysideoftiny7625 6 ай бұрын

This was AMAZING!

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! We're so glad you're here!

@drtrowb 6 ай бұрын

Such a great lab to visit in Batavia Illinois!

@LaboriousCretin 6 ай бұрын

I got to ask Don about the alice in wonderland theme when I was on Facebook before some religious went on a bender getting as many athiest they could kicked off the platform. He had no clue why the theme existed at fermilab. Nice person. 2) no right handed neutrinos. Points to symmetry breaking early with neutrino production. Q.C.D. matters more then. 3) Fermilab needs to look for particle production from quantum foam in a energy density regime and gravitational waves. No one else is setup to do that. Pinning that down ether way will tell a story, and confirming or ruling out theories.

@windforce9713 3 ай бұрын

You are amazing my dude! Keep it up and thanks for the thoughts. =)

@The-Well 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for sharing such wonderful positivity! Cheers!

@janderso94 6 ай бұрын

Drive by here all the time. Accidentally tried to go in once when I had the wrong address for a job site 😂

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

Haha! How'd that work out for you?!

@alainbelisle4543 6 ай бұрын

Very good video 😊👌

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@moderncontemplative 6 ай бұрын

Another wonderful production! I think we are witnessing the end of the standard model, as we know it. It will have to be modified to place space-time in a non-fundamental position. We'd be wise to keep in mind Stephen Hawking's model dependent realism!

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

🔥 Thanks Desmond

@mariadela-salletemotasimoe9608 4 ай бұрын

👏👏👏👏👏

@user-ge6yw7yk5q 6 ай бұрын

😊

@jessmason2112 6 ай бұрын

😎✌️

@cosalidra759 6 ай бұрын

Big think never disappoints. Except for that one time you got Kevin O Leary. Just another thing, a lot of scientists do science because they are motivated by the big questions. The theoretical physicist you met at Fermilab is not representative of the whole community. That would be inaccurate. To be honest, the way Kmele framed his question, it seemed like he was trying to squeeze a discussion about God (or something) out of the theoretical physicist. Its probably just a misunderstanding. Even what Kmele said about the packed physics class and the post-discussion being reminiscent of church, made me roll my eyes a bit. Like what?! I cannot believe his statement. There are salient differences between a physics class and any church gathering. I just wanted to point that out. I am not against anyone or anything. Peace

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for your thoughtful reply. We're glad you're here :)

@michaelmccay123 6 ай бұрын

I think he was just relating it to what he was exposed to growing up. If you are familiar with Kmele you know that he’s a bit obsessed with these big questions, it didn’t seem like he was trying to squeeze god out of the scientist, rather just whether it had any deeper meaning to him. I’ve listened to hundreds of hours of the fifth column and never once heard Kmele even hint at any current religious bent, only brief references to his upbringing in the church of Latter Day Saints, which it seems he left a long time ago.

@suzannefitzgerald-rowe8309 6 ай бұрын

Funny I'm literally sitting in a kiddie pool in my kitchen as my dog gives birth to her first litter. 4 so far waiting on 4 more according to exray at verts.

@SaveTheManuals 6 ай бұрын

7:56 - Atari logo?

@The-Well 6 ай бұрын

🤔

@rudydawgs 5 ай бұрын

Hey Kmele, is there a standard definition of "intelligent" used by this type of scientist? One guy said the thinks that there is life, and maybe "intelligent life" out there. What qualifies as intelligent life?

@rudydawgs 5 ай бұрын

Also, this is really great. Fascinating and high quality.