Audio Edition: Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time

Audio Edition: Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time

Author: Quanta Magazine February 19, 2026 Duration: 17:29
By mathematically proving how individual molecules create the complex motion of fluids, three mathematicians have illuminated why time can’t flow in reverse. The story Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Hosted by Quanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel, The Quanta Podcast is a series of deep, thoughtful conversations with the researchers and thinkers whose work is shaping our fundamental understanding of reality. Each episode delves into a single, profound idea, whether it's a new discovery about black holes, a breakthrough in cellular biology, or an elegant proof in pure mathematics. These aren't surface-level summaries; they are guided tours through complex concepts, made accessible through patient explanation and genuine curiosity. You'll hear directly from the scientists and mathematicians themselves, the very people behind the groundbreaking stories in Quanta Magazine, as they explain not just what they found, but how they think and why it matters. The discussions naturally unfold to explore the implications of these discoveries, revealing the often-surprising connections between different fields and the enduring mysteries that lie just beyond our current grasp. This podcast serves as an audio companion to the magazine's award-winning journalism, designed for anyone with a restless mind eager to peer over the edge of the known world. It’s about the process of inquiry as much as the answers, offering a rare and intimate look at the cutting edge of science and math from those who are actively pushing it forward.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Quanta Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Ice Is Way More Complex Than It Seems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:34
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…
Audio Edition: How Distillation Makes AI Models Smaller and Cheaper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:18
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 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:43
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 wit…
What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:18
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…
Audio Edition: The Cells That Breathe Two Ways [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:19
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…
Quantum Mechanics Might Be a Secret Key to Secure Communication [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:05
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…
Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:20
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…
One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:20
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 eff…
The Fundamental Tension at the Heart of Math [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:40
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 compu…