What Happened At The Beginning Of Time? - with Dan Hooper
1,279,242
Published 2020-03-05
Dan’s book "At The Edge Of Time" is available now - geni.us/noTSA
Watch the Q&A: • Q&A: What Happened At The Beginning O...
Ever since Edwin Hubble observed that the universe was expanding in 1929, cosmologists have had their work cut out for them trying to solve the seemingly impossible questions arising from the time immediately after the Big Bang.
In this talk Dan Hooper explores the perplexing problems surrounding the secrets of the early universe, and the far-reaching implications some of the answers might have for the understanding of the universe we think we have today.
Dan Hooper is Senior Scientist and the Head of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. Previously, he was the David Schramm Fellow at Fermilab, and a postdoc at the University of Oxford. In 2003, he completed his PhD in physics at the University of Wisconsin.
This talk was filmed in the Ri on 10 February 2020.
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All Comments (21)
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We didn't know how little we really knew about the Big Bang until this talk! If this has whet your appetite to learn even more about our early universe, check out this talk from Andrew Pontzen, 'What Made Our Universe?' https://youtu.be/FcSLfGFqNQU And, as always, let us know what you thought of this talk in the comments!
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Another gem from the RI! These types of talks should be watched by billions of people, not thousands. Our species needs more science and less supernatural nonsense.
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I never knew George Clooney was a physicist ...
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I appreciate the intellectual honesty regarding what is still unknown, and why it's unknown; i.e., theories vs. technological capabilities
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How would people in your dreams explain the origin of their universe? "One moment nothing, next moment, EVERYTHING."
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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
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I went with my husband to the Wilson Observatory north of L.A. and stood where Hubble explained his observations to Einstein. At 60 I was as thrilled as a 6 year old meeting Mickey Mouse.
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"History abundantly shows that people's views of the universe are bound up with their views of themselves and of their society. The debate in cosmology has implications far beyond the realm of science, for it is a question of how truth is known. How these questions are answered will shape not only the history of science, but the history of humanity." (Eric Lerner, 1992) spaceandmotion
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The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge. -- Daniel Boorstin
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What we know is impressive. What we don't know even more so.
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I simply wonder who and why can dislike such a piece of wonderful enlightment.
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Every human who ever lived was alive at the pinnacle of science and technology from their perspective.
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Love Dan Hoopers lectures. Understandable and interesting. ⚛️ 🧬
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I watch these kinds of videos all the time but this is the first time I've seen Dan Hooper. He does a great job.
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What a terrific speaker this man is ! Whenever one watches a talk like this one can only end up being in utter Awe .. but saying ‘ the more we know , the more we know how much we do not know ‘ “ The Fool says in his heart …. this all just ‘ happened’ …..
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Best public lecture I've heard in years. You cover everything, with very latest understanding. Thank you, Sir.
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what an incredible presentation this guy is the best RI presenter to date, no notes, no screen, very impressive
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He explains in a way a simpleton like me can understand....great man
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As a trained science educator and experienced public speaker who h as taken uncounted presentation skill training classes, I want to emphasize how well Dan has communicated complex ideas in clear and concise language for the common person. Well Done!
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Exceptional talk on this most fascinating subject. I've watched many such YouTubes which include Cosmic Inflation, and there's one thing that I always fail to understand. While Cosmic Inflation offers a solution to many puzzles, I never understand why it solves the puzzle about all points of the universe being observed to be at the same temperature 'because there was never time for them to have been in contact'. I can never square this with the notion that that same observable universe was originally vastly smaller than a proton, implying that everything was very much in contact with everything else. Please be sure that I know it's me that's thinking wrongly about this, and I'm very willing to learn.
