ball rolling, but we are now in conversation with a
number of leading scientists, in a variety of areas, who
RS: What are you most looking forward to about the
World Science Festival later this month?
GREENE: “It is always full of surprises and
great programs. I’m doing a program on
quantum mechanics with a number
of world renowned folks, whose
The
microscopic realm are so different from the ones that
distinct, separate universe. And the metaphor, the Dr.
Seuss story, I think is aligned well with modern thinking.
Now, consider this. We think of ourselves as intelligent
life. We share 99 percent of our DNA with chimps so a
little tiny shift in our DNA takes you from chimp
to us. Now, that suggests that if there are
other creatures in the universe whose
laws at work
in the microscopic realm
also know there is a really cool
event happening on the Intrepid
are so different from the
ship in the Hudson river, and
we are doing a screening of a
ones that we experience
up here, that it is its
with astronauts to interact with
families and audiences after the
own wondrous, distinct,
together of science and music and
separate universe.
celebration of one of the most important
RS: What is your opinion of a “Horton Hears a Who”
scenario for the universe? Stepping out of the science,
what kind of ideas do you have about ‘what we are’?
GREENE:
one level of reality – whether a very tiny realm or a very
big realm, there are vastly different phenomena that
physics has taught us.
It hasn’t taught us that little tiny people live down
there, but it has taught us that the laws at work in the
answer might turn out to be that there
is, and that life is so intelligent that when
compared to ours, they’re really not interested
in us, just like we really aren’t that interested in worms or
RS: What do you think is outside of space? How did
something come from nothing?
GREENE:
well there simply may not be an outside of space. It
makes sense to talk about what’s outside of your
building, or what’s outside of your country, what’s
truly encompasses everything. And the notion of an
conceptual in the sense that
the ideas are the real ideas of
science, but you don’t need
math background, and you
don’t need to do homework –
you just take in the material.
illustrate the core ideas. I think
they are an essential part of
my mind, does a better job of
teaching than I typically do in
the classroom. I don’t have this
type of visual resource in the
classroom and that’s why this is
of engagement is the university
need high school Algebra and
be comfortable with the place
As an afterthought, Greene
Brian Greene speaking at the Smithsonion National Air and
Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Credit: Kurt Raschke
though, is that the courses take
abstract ideas and make them
www.RocketSTEM .org
by a few percent in the right
direction, their intelligence could
be so enormous compared to
ours, that they would look at us
as if we
would look at us as if we were
worms crawling around on the
surface of the earth.
So we always ask ourselves if
understandable,
by
making
of animations we have built to
is simple to navigate with
clear instructions to assist you
in following your curiosity into
the strange world of physics,
in whichever manner you
or to try out the courses, visit www.
worldscienceu.com.
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