Brian Keating’s Universe🔭 — Issue #10

Monday M.A.G.I.C. Message

(Memory, Appearance, Genius, Image, Conversation)

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from MAGIC!”

Sir Arthur C. Clarke

MAGIC Message

Dear Impossible Family,

I am back in business — the business of education, teaching in person for the first time in 3 years! Over 45 undergraduates (and even a few post grads) are taking my undergraduate cosmology course, and I have to say despite the masks I am forced to wear while teaching, I am loving it. i have changed the way I teach to do more experiments live in class which is risky but worth it. we’ve already covered spectroscopy, and I can’t wait to see what they think of other demos coming up, including a real-live fire-breathing Bunsen Burner to demonstrate blackbody radiation🔥!

My audiobook version of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue is almost ready for you to consume. Please let me know if you are interested in getting a free copy to evaluate and review, honestly. I have a limited number of these — first come, first served! The price of these free copies (retail is $34.99) is that you share this newsletter with a friend!

You [and your friends] won’t want to miss this work of art and love. Recall the audiobook was narrated over nearly 21 hours by my good old friend Lucio Piccirillo and new friend Carlo Rovelli. I’m honored to have the book’s forewards read by Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek, APS President S. James Gates, and Fabiola Gianotti, the first woman to be Director-General at CERN in Switzerland. Stay tuned for a special announcement and deal for subscribers to my mailing list as I did with my most recent book, Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner! You’ll find more information, including all the figures from the audiobook here.

Have a magical week!

CONVERSATION: What would a modern-day ‘Voyage of the Beagle ‘ be like? Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum evokes Charles Darwin’s travels in a trip not confined to the earth’s surface. Come along with us on a journey of discovery through the entire galaxy where we encounter aliens and their planets with supersonic creatures, a moon where aliens have a language composed of smells, and aliens who scream with fear, act honestly and have technology.

The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy answers these questions using the latest science to tell the story of how life really works, on Earth and in space. This is a wildly fun and scientifically sound exploration of what alien life must be like, using universal laws that govern life on Earth and in space. I spoke to Dr. Arik Kershenbaum of Cambridge U this week. Arik’s book is fascinating and really reminded me of a young darwin exploring the galaxy instead of the Galapagos join us in this voyage of discovery! Now available in paperback too

IMAGE: My friend Aman Chokshi took a picture of the ‘Green Flash’ from his post as a winter over at the South Pole. He is an amazing photographer and scientist. Follow him here (@aman_chokshi ) and catch his video of the sun passing behind the @BICEP_Keck and @SPTelescope at the South Pole on the Autumnal #Equinox while the SPT was peering at black holes with the @ehtelescope. He and I still find it really cool how the sun travels parallel to the horizon here

GENIUS: Here’s an online tool to better your life — now that the year’s one quarter over! I use it semi-annually to send ‘reports’ to myself for goal tracking. It’s pure genius and so much fun to get a ‘letter from the past’ — a personal time capsule meant for your eyes only Check it out: https://www.futureme.org

APPEARANCE: I chatted with Leon Logothetis about my life and work. It was an unusual interview — Leon has no idea who his guests are before he turns on the zoom camera! Interesting pretext!

MEMORY: Last week I discussed the fascinating world of magnetic monopoles. It was a rather theatrical presentations if i don’t say so myself 😀

The only thing I want for April Fools Day is for you to leave a review of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast! We are up to 365 reviews. Will you be #366? Every Review helps so much! You can also rate on Spotify & Audible. And don’t forget to forward this email to a friend who loves the cosmos!

Please Help:

Please share this message and leave a rating and review of my Podcast 🎧. Simply click here, scroll down to the ratings and leave a 5 star rating and review: The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast 👉 https://apple.co/39UaHlB