Is String Theory Still Our Best Hope?

About this episode

This episode discusses the relevance of string theory in modern physics and its critics.

Is string theory the one true “theory of everything?” Some physicists swear it’s a fundamental ingredient of nature. Others wish it would just go away. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with columnist Natalie Wolchover about the mathematical developments that are keeping the theory relevant — much to the chagrin of its rather vocal critics. This topic was covered in a recent column for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math. This episode's audio coda is a clip from a 2024 live show of Alchemical String Theory (AST), a collective of avant-garde string artists from Atlanta's Improvisational Underground, performing a round at the Red Light Cafe in Atlanta.

People in this episode

Host: Samir Patel

Guest: Natalie Wolchover

Topics covered

• string theory
• theory of everything
• physics
• mathematics
• science

Keywords

• theory of everything
• mathematical developments
• fundamental ingredient of nature
• vocal critics
• avant-garde string artists

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Alchemical String Theory

Places: Atlanta

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