Are We Alone? SETI Institute Science Radio: 16 August 2006 Edition: Quantum Universe

Are We Alone? SETI Institute Science Radio

Hosted by Dr. Seth Shostak

August 16, 2006 (available for download August 17, 2006) Quantum Universe

Few things are stranger than quantum physics – unless it’s the idea that the atoms and particles that make up the universe are also components in a giant supercomputer.

But for MIT physicist Seth Lloyd, the idea that the universe is the mother of all computers is only logical.

Find out what the universe is computing, how one might program it and whether it runs on Mac or Windows. Also, the rediscovered story of Henrietta Leavitt, a Harvard “computer” who devised a measuring stick for gauging the size of the universe.

And, find out how a supercomputer was used to make the ultimate thrill ride – a journey to the inside of a black hole.

But remember, it’s a one-way trip. Buckle up!

Guests:

• Seth Lloyd, computer scientist, MIT and author of Programming the Universe;
• George Johnson, science writer, New York Times, and author of Miss Leavitt’s Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who discovered How to Measure the Universe;
• Juhi Yajnik, intern on Are We Alone?;
• Andrew Hamilton, astrophysicist at the University of Colorado