EPISODE · Apr 8, 2025 · 58 MIN
PHYSICS Changes Its MIND!
from What The If? · host Philip Shane, Matt Stanley, Gabrielle Paniccia
What if the fundamental forces of nature could change with time? Step into a universe where gravity might send you floating to the ceiling one morning, your coffee maker stops working as electricity changes its rules, and your very atoms could suddenly decide to explode. From your nervous system running on unpredictable electrical currents to the strong nuclear force taking a day off, discover how even tiny fluctuations in these cosmic constants would transform daily life into surreal chaos. Turns out the orderliness of our universe might be more miraculous than we realized - change any force by one part in a billion, and we wouldn't be here complaining about it. Based on "More Than a Hint’ That Dark Energy Isn’t What Astronomers Thought" by Katrina Miller and Dennis Overbye, published in The New York Times on March 19, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/science/space/astronomer-desi-dark-energy.html?smid=url-share&unlocked_article_code=1.-E4.npTp.cMswMP6FDuKn --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
What this episode covers
What if the fundamental forces of nature could change with time? Step into a universe where gravity might send you floating to the ceiling one morning, your coffee maker stops working as electricity changes its rules, and your very atoms could suddenly decide to explode. From your nervous system running on unpredictable electrical currents to the strong nuclear force taking a day off, discover how even tiny fluctuations in these cosmic constants would transform daily life into surreal chaos. Turns out the orderliness of our universe might be more miraculous than we realized - change any force by one part in a billion, and we wouldn't be here complaining about it. Based on "More Than a Hint’ That Dark Energy Isn’t What Astronomers Thought" by Katrina Miller and Dennis Overbye, published in The New York Times on March 19, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/science/space/astronomer-desi-dark-energy.html?smid=url-share&unlocked_article_code=1.-E4.npTp.cMswMP6FDuKn --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
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PHYSICS Changes Its MIND!
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