The DemystifySci Podcast

Yale's Steve Girvin is a pioneer of quantum computing, and our guide for our first foray into understanding how these systems do and don't work. Over the course of our conversation, we come to realize that quantum computers are not performing computations per se - they're more devices that an be used to answer a specific set of questions about reality. We dig into the details of why some questions can only be answered with a quantum computer, how next generation encryption services will come with a way of detecting eavesdroppers, and try once more to understand if there's a way of looking at the Stern Gerlach experiment that doesn't need any kind of magic. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysci Further Reading: Stern-Gerlach "Quantization of Silver Atoms in Magnetic Field": https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.11343 Stern-Gerlach Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern%E2%80%93Gerlach_experiment C2QA Center: https://www.bnl.gov/quantumcenter/newsletter/news.php?a=219066 (00:00) Go! (00:06:46) Basics of Quantum Mechanics (00:14:00) Quantum Computing Challenges and Benefits (00:22:02) Quantum Computer as an Accelerator (00:34:21) Integration of Quantum and Classical Systems (00:37:01) Quantum Encryption and Security (00:41:55) Limits and Future of Quantum Computing (00:54:12) Understanding Qubits vs Classical Bits (01:03:39) Quantum Measurement Asymmetry (01:09:10) Stern-Gerlach Experiment and Qubits (01:21:12) Quantum Spin and Measurement Effects (01:29:27) The Genetic Fields Analogy (01:37:07) Visualizing Quantum Phenomena (01:46:08) Quantum Error Correction Techniques (01:57:31) Alternative Quantum Computing Methods (02:09:03) Future Applications and Challenges (02:17:13) Scaling and Fault Tolerance in Quantum Computing (02:30:20) Bridging Quantum and Classical Computing (02:36:01) Co-design and Abstraction Layers #QuantumComputing, #QuantumMechanics, #QuantumPhysics, #Qubits, #QuantumEncryption, #QuantumAlgorithms, #QuantumTechnology, #QuantumComputer, #QuantumEntanglement, #QuantumErrorCorrection, #SuperconductingCircuits, #QuantumVsClassical, #FutureOfComputing, #QuantumSimulation, #QuantumRevolution, #Computing, #Physics, #Technology, #Science, #STEM, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Today we're back, for a third podcast, with long time friend of the pod, Dr. Michael Hughes - a biochemist at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. We plunge into the secret story of water, revealing its role as more than a silent spectator in the dance of cellular processes. Like a conductor in an unseen ballet, water’s dynamic and nuanced structures orchestrate communication across cells, acting as a transient computationally competent actuator. Michael reveals how much of this story has been buried for years under blanket abstractions like "pH" and electrochemistry. We see the emergence of a new paradigm in cellular computation, as we uncover how water may not just be the medium of life — at times it’s perhaps every bit as alive as we are. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 References from Michael: Na+ vs K+ water dynamics: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/sc/c6sc03320b ; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23713450/ Ion pairing & Collins’ Law of water affinity: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033583519000106 Kosmotropes/Chaotropes ion pairing in biochemistry review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4693242/ Osmotic pressure influences stem cell differentiation: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1705179114 Hydration as a primary factor in carcinogenesis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16271440/ Distinguishing electrical properties of cancer cells: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S157106452200063X Heart is not a pump: https://rsarchive.org/OtherAuthors/MarinelliRalph/marinelli1.html Laszlo Boros water metabolism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g8OLChXta8 (00:00) Go! (00:09:24) Revisiting Water's Unknowns in Biology (00:22:44) Osmotic Pressure as Dark Matter (00:30:38) Water Molecule Interactions (00:35:37) Collective Motion and Electricity (00:44:35) Memory of Water, for Real (00:48:09) Disappearing Polymorphs and Chemical Synthesis (00:51:05) Understanding Water Freezing and Supercooling (00:59:05) pH, Charge, and Biological Systems (01:08:38) Tetrahedral Ordering in Water Structures (01:17:01) Energy Transfer and Cellular Connectivity (01:30:00) Back to pH (01:39:10) Cosmotropes and Chaotropes (01:49:57) Ion Dynamics in Cells (01:57:15) Unconventional Views on Consciousness and Physiology #water , #structuredwater , #paradigmshift , #Biochemistry, #ScienceExplained, #Electrochemistry, #NewParadigm, #WaterInBiology, #CellularCommunication, #PhaseTransitions, #Biophysics, #MolecularScience, #SciencePodcast, #ScientificBreakthrough, #WaterStructure, #EmergingScience, #CellBiology, #BiochemicalMysteries, #pHExplained, #scientificinnovation #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Jeffrey Ladish is the director of Palisades research, and AI safety organization based in the San Francisco Bay. Our previous conversations about the dangers of AI left us insufficiently concerned. Ladish takes up the mantle of trying to convince us that there's something worth worrying about by detailing the various projects and experiments that Palisades has been undertaking with the goal of demonstrating that AI agents let loose on the world are capable of wreaking far more havoc than we expect. We leave the conversation more wary of the machines than ever - less because we think hyper-intelligent machines are just around the corner, and more because Ladish paints a visceral picture of the cage we're building ourself into. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 (00:00) Go! (00:07:36) Risks from Nuclear Wars and Emerging Technologies (00:15:01) Experiments with AI Agents (00:25:11) Enhanced AI as Tools vs. Intelligent Agents (00:34:39) AI Learning Through Games (00:44:04) AI Goal Accomplishment (00:55:01) Intelligence and Reasoning (01:07:11) Technological Arms Race and AI (01:17:16) The Rise of AI in Corporate Roles (01:25:20) Inception and Incentivization Issues in AI (01:35:12) AI Threats and Comparisons to Bioterrorism (01:45:13) Constitutional Analogies and Regulatory Challenges (01:55:11) AI as a Threat to Human Control (02:07:02) Challenges in Managing Technological Advancements (02:16:49) Advancements and Risks in AI Development (02:25:01) Current AI Research and Public Awareness #FutureOfAI, #AlgorithmicControl, #Cybersecurity, #AI, #AISafety, #ArtificialIntelligence, #TechnologyEthics, #FutureTech, #AIRegulation, #AIThreats, #Innovation, #TechRisks, #Cybersecurity, #SyntheticBiology, #TechGovernance, #HumanControl, #AIAlignment, #AIAdvancement, #TechTalk, #Podcast, #TechEthics, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Ben Landau Taylor is a writer, historian, and one of the minds behind the Bismark Brief, whose research is focused on understanding the life cycle of civilizations. Much of his work has been informed by the work of Caroll Quigley, who in the 1970s put together a seven part framework for how civilizations are born, mature, and eventually go extinct. His model was one of an economic instrument of expansion, where the tools of growth defined the success of the empire - a direct contradiction to contemporary Arnold Toynbee's perspective that it wasn't economics that drove civilization - it was some kind of spiritual commitment to a common cause. The economic model seemed more reasonable to Taylor, who then wanted to know - was it simply applicable to European history, or was this a more universal model? We talk about the ways that the rise and fall of civilizations generalizes across history, the place our own civilization is in the progression, and what the future might hold. READ QUIGLEY: https://amzn.to/3YSEMaF READ TOYNBEE: https://amzn.to/4hSdIB3 READ CIVILIZATION LIT: https://amzn.to/3OcHbbC (affiliate links) PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 (00:00) Go! (07:08:00) The Economic Engine (00:17:07) Motivations Behind Historical Crusades (00:27:19) Spiritual and Economic Motives (00:37:12) Fragility and Stability in Civilizations (00:47:56) Evolution of Civilizations (00:56:42) Patterns in Civilizational Waves (01:03:52) Preservation and Historical Amnesia (01:12:29) Historical Narratives and Bias (01:21:11) Stagnation and Adaptation (01:30:49) Manorial Systems and Economic Expansion (01:41:38) Financial Capitalism's Role (01:50:02) Financial Hoarding and Redistribution (01:58:13) Metaverse and Digital Economies (02:04:18) Predicting Technological Advancements (02:11:12) AI Development and Potential (02:21:05) Designing Safeguards Against Institutional Control (02:29:26) Importance of Mythology in Society (02:39:38) Significance of Ancient Chinese Canal Systems #LegacyOfCivilizations #EconomicTheory #Crusades #Civilization #History #HistoricalAnalysis #RiseAndFall #CulturalEvolution #HistoricalTrends #EconomicExpansion #ChineseHistory #InstitutionalChange #SpiritualMotives #EconomicMotives #ChurchAndState #InnovativeSystems #Metaverse #Automation #AI #TechnologicalAdvancements #FutureOfSociety, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Today we're bouncing off our recent conversation with evolutionary biologist, Dr. Michael Lachmann from SFI, and unpacking why the modern definition of life sucks and why it matters. We attempt to construct a more scientific (i.e. less circular) definition of life and take it for a walk in the park. As a test case we examine an inadvertent hypothesis, which stems from Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker, a science fiction work that supposes stars themselves have an interior life and that when they move according to gravity they are simply doing the dance of a school of fishes or drivers on a freeway. We pull out cases where the stars satisfy a scientific definition of life and also problems with the theory. The notion forces us to reconsider the limits of life and its possible forms in the universe. READ OLAF STAPLEDON'S STAR MAKER: https://amzn.to/4fkT6jd PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 (00:00) Go! (00:06:01) Rethinking Life's Definition (00:09:03) Anthropocentric cosmology (00:14:47) Life's Persistence (00:23:16) Harnessing Tension (00:30:20) Information and Evolution (00:36:29) Life Beyond Earth (00:41:13) Cosmic Communication (00:47:37) Communication and Understanding (00:57:00) Communication Across the Cosmos (01:10:47) Galactic Dynamics and Gravity (01:13:31) Stars as Autonomous Entities; Olaf Stapledon (01:22:29) Life's Potential Ubiquity (01:25:32 )Science's Quest for Understanding #LifeBeyondEarth, #LifeDefinition, #ExtraterrestrialLife, #starmaker, #CosmicPerception, #StellarLife, #Astrobiology, #PhilosophyOfLife, #CosmicCommunication, #GalacticDynamics, #StellarConsciousness, #UniversalLife, #ScienceAndPhilosophy, , #CosmicInteractions, #StellarProcesses, #LifeInTheUniverse, #Astrophysics, #SpaceExploration, #CosmicEvolution, #InterstellarCommunication, #LifeAndTheCosmos, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671