Laser Cooling and Quantum Timekeeping | Bill Phillips
How did cooling atoms with lasers revolutionize our understanding of time?In this episode, we speak with Bill Phillips, Nobel Laureate in Physics, about his groundbreaking work on laser cooling and trapping of atoms: research that not only won him the Nobel Prize but also transformed modern timekeeping and technology. Phillips explains why breaking the Doppler cooling limit changed physics forever and what it means that today’s clocks can measure time differences caused by moving a device just a few millimeters in Earth’s gravity.We discuss the history of timekeeping from sundials to atomic clocks, how Einstein’s relativity reshaped our view of time, and the serendipitous discovery of sub-Doppler cooling that opened the door to ultra-precise measurement, quantum computing, and fundamental tests of nature. Along the way, Phillips reflects on the culture of physics, the importance of mentorship, and the joy of discovery.Whether you’re curious about time, relativity, quantum physics, GPS technology, or the frontiers of precision measurement, this conversation offers rare insight into how science, collaboration, and curiosity converge to shape the modern world.Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/Follow our hosts!Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovskyMisha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginovXinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYinSubscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6ORWebsite: [https://www.632nm.com](https://www.632nm.com/)Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:43 - What is Time?05:49 - How Did Bill Get Into Atom Cooling?18:30 - How Do Atomic Clocks Actually Work?31:08 - History of Atomic Clocks37:18 - Laser Cooling for Atomic Clocks40:49 - How To Synchronize Atomic Clocks43:20 - How Cesium Cooling Was Developed45:48 - Pushing Beyond the Doppler Limit49:47 - The Beginning of Thor Labs52:45 - The Previous Limits were Wrong1:05:37 - How Bill Broke the Doppler Limit1:12:22 - What is Optical Pumping?1:20:27 - Can Atom Trapping Be Leveraged For Cold Fusion?1:31:32 - What Makes Bill So Lucky?1:35:25 - How Bill's Work Led to Atomic Clocks1:41:05 - What Makes Cesium So Good For Atomic Clocks?1:47:38 - Quantum Effects on Atomic Clocks1:59:02 - Bose-Einstein Condensates2:09:05 - Did Bill's Work Lead To Quantum Computing?2:11:26 - Bill's Thoughts on the Future#billphillips #nobelprize #laser #atomicclock #dopplereffect #quantumcomputing #quantumphysics #gps #physics #boseeinsteincondensate #theoreticalphysics #relativity
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Inside the Battle for Psychedelic Therapy | Rick Doblin
What does it take to turn a banned psychedelic into an FDA-approved medicine?Visit MAPS to read about the latest progress is psychedelic research: https://maps.org/In this episode, we speak with Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), about the decades-long mission to make MDMA-assisted therapy a legal treatment for PTSD and other mental health conditions. Rick received his PhD from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in public policy focusing on the regulation of medical use of psychedelics in 2001. Rick shares the science behind MDMA’s therapeutic effects, the strategy for winning over regulators, and the battles over claims of neurotoxicity. We discuss the history of psychedelic research, the rise of the underground therapy movement, and how clinical trials, policy change, and cultural perception must align to move psychedelics from stigma to science.Whether you’re curious about psychedelic science, drug policy reform, FDA clinical trials, or the future of mental health treatment, this conversation delivers expert insight into the intersection of research, regulation, and real-world impact.Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/Follow our hosts!Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovskyMisha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginovXinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYinSubscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6ORWebsite: [https://www.632nm.com](https://www.632nm.com/)Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:32 - How Would Rick Describe a Psychedelic Experience?05:02 - What is Rick's Favorite Psychedelic?09:46 - The Underground is Ahead of the Research12:45 - How Rick Got Interested in Psychedelics26:39 - Can Psychedelics Stop War?40:45 - Do People Need Trauma?45:09 - Is America a Falling Empire?52:08 - What if MAPS was in the YC?55:00 - Why was MDMA the Choice to Push for Legality?1:02:22 - The Origins of Modern Psychedelic Therapy1:05:20 - Misinformation Around Psychedelics1:17:12 - How MAPS is Developing Psychedelic Therapies1:30:13 - How Should Healthy People Use Psychedelics?1:38:05 - Psychedelic Experiences as Rites of Passage1:42:02 - Finding Life's Purpose1:52:49 - Why Do Fears of Psychedelics Persist?1:56:44 - What Does It Take for Psychedelics to Get FDA Approved?2:13:55 - Rick's Pet Wolf2:23:39 - Rick's Last Interaction with his Wolf2:30:55 - Psychedelic Group Therapy2:33:37 - We Need More Psychedelic Therapists
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Biology's Biggest Chicken and Egg Problem | Jacob Fine
Life’s First Blueprint Wasn’t DNA; it was RNA.Read Jacob Fine’s latest publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283625001901Today we spoke with Jacob Fine, graduate student researcher in Computational Biology from the University of Toronto. We explore the physics of replication, the role of entropy and information theory, and how modern biology is reconnecting with theory to understand the most fundamental question in science. Our conversation takes place in a Russian sauna, where the hot and humid environment mimics some of the conditions needed for life to begin.Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/Follow our hosts!Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovskyMisha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginovXinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYinSubscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6ORWebsite: https://www.632nm.comTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:22 - What does any theory of the origin of life need to explain?04:09 - When did people begin researching the origin of life?06:51 - Competing theories of the origin of life11:00 - The RNA world hypothesis21:38 - Biological vs computational error24:58 - Origin of life is the origin of information33:30 - Without error, there would be no life36:07 - Early compartmentalization mechanisms47:26 - What do we need to prove theories on the origin of life?57:23 - What makes a useful model for biology?1:04:44 - What inspired Jacob to investigate the origin of life?1:09:45 - Jacob's favorite theories for the origin of life1:11:58 - Do we need a Manhattan project to discover the origin of life?1:18:49 - What are the next steps for origins of life research?1:24:06 - Has exposure to religion shaped Jacob’s perspective on science?
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The Final Interview with MIT Physicist Keith Johnson
One of Keith Johnson’s final interviews: a brilliant mind on dark matter, water, and fusion.Read about Keith’s legacy here: https://news.mit.edu/2025/keith-johnson-materials-scientist-independent-filmmaker-dies-0723This episode is one of the final recorded conversations with MIT physicist Keith Johnson, who passed away just weeks after our interview. In this conversation, he unpacks his early research on the quantum structure of matter, his cold fusion theories, and how it all led to a screenplay about a young female physicist. Johnson also suggests a radical idea: water clusters in space might explain some aspects of dark matter. A one-of-a-kind interview that blends science, art, and speculation.We’re honored to share this glimpse into Keith’s remarkable intellect, creativity, and curiosity. May his legacy continue to inspire.Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/Follow our hosts!Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovskyMisha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginovXinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYinSubscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6ORWebsite: https://www.632nm.comTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:03- Early Life and Education03:27 - Graduate Studies and Research Funding05:44 - Postdoctoral Work and Quantum Chemistry09:45 - Starting at MIT and Collaborations15:05 - Cold Fusion and Film Making23:38 - Keith's First Screenplay28:55 - Filming a Movie at MIT43:50 - Water Clusters and Quantum Energy53:54 - Is Cold Fusion Possible?1:07:13 - Challenges in Fusion Energy1:12:09 - Advice for Young ScientistsAPPENDIX:1:15:42 - Water Might Be Connected to Dark Matter1:24:49 - Cosmic Dust and Supernovae1:28:36 - The Role of Water in the Universe1:38:32 - The Future of Dark Matter Research1:51:27 - Water Might Have Been Created Sooner After the Big Bang#KeithJohnson #MIT #ScienceAndStorytelling #QuantumPhysics #DarkMatter #Astrobiology #BreakingSymmetry
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How We Build Telescopes to Explore the Early Cosmos | Brian Keating
Did the Big Bang really happen? Telescopes, dark matter & cosmic origins explored.Join cosmologist Brian Keating as we explore the mysteries of the universe, from building telescopes at the South Pole to measuring the polarization of the cosmic microwave background and chasing signs of gravitational waves. We discuss Galileo’s influence, cosmic inflation, and how the Nobel Prize could be changed to better reflect the way we do science. Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovskyMisha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginovXinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYinSubscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6ORWebsite: https://www.632nm.com
Brasil