Physics on the Fringe

When it comes to science, we at the 7th Avenue Project usually stick to the professional, institutionally sanctioned variety, even when discussing unorthodox notions and minority opinions. In this episode, though, we ventured further afield, into the alternate reality that Margaret Wertheim calls "outsider physics" and that some people less generously dub "crackpot science." Margaret says the sheer number of folks who reject much or all of modern physics and persist in spinning out their own DIY theories raises some important questions about our relationship to science these days. We discussed her book, "Physics on the Fringe: Smoke Rings, Circlons and Alternative Theories of Everything."