The Infinite Heist - Part 1

The Infinite Heist - Part 1

Author: Quanta Magazine March 3, 2026 Duration: 31:30
In 1874, Georg Cantor published one of the most important papers in math’s 4,000-year history. Some ideas in it were stolen. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, the first of a two-parter, host Samir Patel speaks with math editor Jordana Cepelewicz about the hard-fought journey to embed the concept of infinity into math’s foundations. The real story is a lot more complicated than the one remembered in math history. These episodes are based on a recent story; stay tuned for the conclusion next week. Explore our new special series, “The Evolving Foundations of Math,” on our website.    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 most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

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: 50

The Quanta Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Are the Little Red Dots Actually Black Hole Suns? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:46
When all you can see is a speck, it’s hard to tell what you’re looking at. Astronomers first argued that little red dots spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2022 were distant galaxies on the cosmic horizon, main…
Four-Color Theorem Is Still a Math Favorite [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:41
In 1852, the mathematician Francis Guthrie was coloring in a map of English counties when he noticed that he needed only four colors. Was this always true, he wondered? The question captured the imagination of hobbyists…
Does Computer Science Need Computers? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:34
In popular culture, computer science is practically synonymous with programming. There are obviously branches of computer science in which computer hardware and software are essential, such as in the design of operating…
How the Brain Compresses Our Noisy World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:14
If you are well rested and full, your brain tells you that a bruised overripe apple is a piece of subpar fruit to be passed over. However, if you are exhausted and hungry, an overripe apple is categorized as much-needed…
Picking Teams With the Math of Imbalance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:07
Combinatorial discrepancy theory is a branch of mathematics concerned with balance. If you’re making two teams — sports, trivia, you name it — how can you make sure that they’re perfectly balanced and fair, skill-wise? Y…
What Makes a Fluid a Fluid? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:00
The Navier-Stokes equations are enormously successful at predicting how fluids flow and swirl. But they fail to account for the microscopic bits that make up matter. But now math based on symmetries offers a new concepti…
Audio Edition: New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:01
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…