Why This Universe?

Why This Universe?

The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more. Part of The University of Chicago Podcast Network.

Episodes

November 3, 2025 43 mins

If we met aliens, could we communicate through physics? Daniel Whiteson explores this question on today's episode. For more, check out his new book, Do Aliens Speak Physics?

For ad-free episodes and exclusive ask-us-anything segments, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse

Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe

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In honor of Nobel prize season, we remember some people whose important work in the past has been overlooked by the Nobel committee.

For ad-free episodes and exclusive ask-us-anything segments, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse

Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe

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Our universe is expanding. But when physicists measure how fast this expansion rate is, they get two different answers. Hear what this crisis means from Nobel Prize winner Adam Riess.

For ask-us-anything segments and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse

Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe

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Adam Riess recounts the moments of his Nobel prize-winning discovery that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, powered by a mysterious energy source called dark energy. 

For ask-us-anything segments and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse

Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe

Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird...

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We answer your questions. To listen to our backlog of ask-us-anything episodes for free, head to our Patreon, or join for $3/month to submit your questions: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverse

Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

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To listen to our backlog of past ask-us-anything episodes for free, head to our Patreon, or join for $3/month to ask us questions: https://www.patreon.com/whythisuniverse Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts  

Support the show

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Learn what exciting cosmology results and potential discoveries await us in 2025!For exclusive ask-us-anything episodes, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse. Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts  

Support the show

Mark as Played
A discovery last year reveals our galaxy in a whole new light - except it's not light, it's neutrinos! Learn what this discovery can teach us about the Milky Way and beyond.For exclusive ask-us-anything episodes, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse. Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and d...

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Is it possible that dark energy is not a constant, but rather is changing over time? Sean Carroll talks to us about how our understanding of dark energy evolved in recent history, and what is still left unknown.For exclusive ask-us-anything episodes, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse. Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Crew Collective
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October 14, 2024 38 mins
Dan and Shalma have a candid conversation about the state of dark matter research, and the ways the field has changed over the last few years.For exclusive ask-us-anything episodes, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse. Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

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Why does something exist, rather than nothing? Special guest Sean Carroll helps us explore this deep philosophical question.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse.Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

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September 2, 2024 40 mins
There has been some criticism of the process scientists use to check each other's work. Today we take a deep dive into peer review to determine how broken it really is.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse.Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
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Learn how Noether's profound mathematical theorem relating symmetries to conservation laws is deeply woven into the physics of the universe. Enjoy this rerun of an earlier episode as we take our summer break.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast...

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July 1, 2024 41 mins
We explore the diverse world of stars in the universe, from those similar to our Sun to those totally unrecognizable.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcas...

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Today's episode is all about the star in our front yard - the sun. Learn how it came to be, how it has changed, and how will it change in the future.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic sto...

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Hear how the search for exoplanets has developed, and what surprises it has brought so far.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts  

Support the show

Mark as Played
Today we hear from someone who bore witness to the so-called “November Revolution” of particle physics in 1974.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts &n...

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April 29, 2024 36 mins
Pseudoscience can sometimes be hard to distinguish from the real thing. Today we discuss how philosophers of science have thought about this problem.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytel...

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April 15, 2024 44 mins
The first episode in a new mini-series on philosophical problems in cosmology - Today we start with the origins of Western science and learn what the ancient Greeks thought about the cosmos.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeCrew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird,...

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Hear how a recent discovery of the motions of galaxies is changing how cosmologists are thinking about our universe.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe

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