The Knowmads Podcast

We had the opportunity to meet with Scott Aaronson and talk AI. Scott Aaronson is a theoretical computer scientist and the David J. Bruton Jr. Centennial Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on quantum computing and computational complexity, particularly on understanding the capabilities and fundamental limits of quantum computers. Aaronson also spent roughly two years on leave from UT Austin working at OpenAI, where he was part of the Supe...

One of the great advantages of being a physicist in Texas is that you are genuinely surrounded by incredible physicists across the Houston–Austin–Dallas–College Station area. The summers are hot, of course, but what better way to spend an afternoon than talking to a fellow physicist? Last time, we were at Rice University, and this time we are at Texas A&M University to talk to Professor Shenglong Xu. In today’s episode, we talk to Professor Shenglong Xu. He is a theoretical physicist wo...

Have you ever wondered what the universe was like in its very first moments? Why did matter win over antimatter? What is dark matter made of? What is dark energy? And could the answers to these questions change the way we understand particle physics itself? Well, in today’s episode, we talk to Prof. Andrew J. Long of Rice University about all of this fascinating stuff. Andrew is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology. His research explores some o...

In the 1920s, physicists like Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Einstein, Planck—and many others—realized something deeply unsettling and beautiful: the universe at microscopic scales is nothing like what we observe in everyday life. This was the era when quantum mechanics was discovered. And I’m intentionally saying discovered, not born, because that word choice matters. Quantum mechanics isn’t just a framework we invented—it’s closer to the idea that we uncovered something that was already true abou...

Recently, I came across a definition of a good theory: it should explain as much as possible, with as few ingredients as possible, and with as much accuracy as possible. I think that is something every serious physicist can relate to. And really, that is what modern theoretical physics is striving for — not just identifying what the universe is made of, but understanding the mathematical framework that makes the laws of nature hang together. That is why the mathematical formulation of quantum...