# #115 Phil Halper & Niayesh Afshordi - What Came Before The Big Bang?

An episode of [Within Reason](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1458675168), 4 Aug 2025, 2 h 00 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/10a220e88/podcast/play/109253955/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-9-5%2F408715725-44100-2-b4d397e4a07ef595.mp3

Niayesh Afshordi is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. Phil Halper is a science communicator and YouTuber. Together, they have authored a book called "Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins", an overview of the state of modern cosmology on the nature of the big bang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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