Podcasts · Science

632nm

Misha Shalaginov, Michael Dubrovsky, Xinghui Yin

61 episodes

Technical interviews with the greatest scientists in the world.

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. Where Does Intelligence Live? | Michael Levin on Evolution, AI, and Platonic Space

    · 1 h 28 min · Episode 64

    What is intelligence, and where does it come from? Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/t6EFV2gSSmg?si=VIztbK2CM5Nwj7QA In this episode, Michael Levin, professor of biology at Tufts University, returns to discuss his…

  2. AI, Cancer Vaccines, and the Future of Personalized Medicine | Sid Sijbrandij on GitLab + Biotech

    · 1 h 41 min · Episode 63

    Can AI help design personalized cancer vaccines? Visit Future of Cancer Care Today: https://sijbrandijfoundation.org/fcct In this episode, we speak with Sid Sijbrandij, founder of GitLab who went "Founder Mode"…

  3. Building Quantum Computers at Semiconductor Scale | John Martinis on Qolab + Superconducting Qubits

    · 2 h 05 min · Episode 62

    What does it actually take to build a quantum computer that can scale to millions of qubits? Learn more about Qolab here: https://qolab.ai/ In this episode, we speak with John Martinis, recipient of the 2025 Nobel…

  4. Diffraction Limit, Microscopy, and Cell Biology | Eric Betzig on Super-Resolution Microscopy

    · 2 h 41 min · Episode 61

    What does a cell actually look like when you can see its molecules in action? In this episode, we speak with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Eric Betzig, whose pioneering work in super-resolution microscopy transformed…

  5. The Hybrid Architecture Behind Quantum Computing | Yonatan Cohen Quantum Machines CTO

    · 1 h 52 min · Episode 60

    Why is controlling a quantum hardware becoming one of the biggest challenges in scaling quantum computers? In this episode, we speak with Yonatan Cohen, co-founder and CTO of Quantum Machines, a company developing…

  6. How DNA Sequencing Was Discovered By Accident | Walter Gilbert on Biogen, Industry, and Art

    · 2 h 09 min · Episode 59

    How did we go from knowing almost nothing about genes to sequencing the entire human genome? In this episode, we speak with Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Walter Gilbert, whose discoveries helped lay the…

  7. How Bacteria Evolved Rotary Motors | Michael Manson

    · 3 h 26 min · Episode 58

    How do bacteria power one of the most sophisticated molecular machines in nature? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Michael Manson, one of the pioneers of bacterial motility research, whose nearly 50-year career has…

  8. The Atomic Physics Behind Neutral Atom Computers | Mark Saffman

    · 1 h 23 min · Episode 57

    Why are so many companies betting on neutral atoms to build the first useful quantum computers? In this episode, we speak with Mark Saffman, professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one of the pioneers of…

  9. Silicon Photonics and the Future of AI Scaling | John Bowers

    · 1 h 39 min · Episode 56

    Why are some of the world's largest technology companies betting on silicon photonics? In this episode, we speak with John Bowers, professor at UC Santa Barbara and one of the pioneers of silicon photonics, about the…

  10. Bioelectricity, Morphogenesis, and Two-Headed Worms | Michael Levin

    · 1 h 27 min · Episode 55

    How can a flatworm regenerate a complete head after being cut in half? In this episode, we speak with Michael Levin, developmental biologist and director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, about the…

  11. Quantum Architecture, QAOA, and Cancer Biomarkers | Fred Chong

    · 2 h 00 min · Episode 54

    Are quantum computers changing the way we discover cancer treatments? In this episode, Misha and Yudong spoke with Fred Chong, Seymour Goodman Professor at the University of Chicago, about the future of quantum…

  12. How Quantum Sensors Can Measure Single Electrons | Amir Yacoby

    · 2 h 01 min · Episode 53

    How do you measure something as small as a single electron or map quantum behavior at the nanoscale? In this episode, Misha spoke with Amir Yacoby, professor at Harvard University, about the cutting edge of quantum…

  13. The Physics of Un-Hackable Face Recognition | Rob Devlin on Metalenz

    · 1 h 14 min · Episode 52

    How do you turn a flat piece of nanostructured material into a secure biometric sensor? In this episode, we speak with Rob Devlin, co-founder and CEO of Metalenz, about how metasurfaces are transforming optics and…

  14. The Real Economics of Data Centers in Space | Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston

    · 1 h 38 min · Episode 51

    Are data centers in space physically possible, or just another overhyped idea? In this episode, we speak with Philip Johnston, CEO of Starcloud, about the technical and economic case for putting AI infrastructure in…

  15. How To Make Quantum Algorithms Cheaper | Craig Gidney on Magic-State Factories, Resource Estimates

    · 2 h 04 min · Episode 50

    How do you actually make quantum algorithms work on real hardware? Build your own quantum circuits in Crumble: https://algassert.com/crumble In this episode, we speak with Craig Gidney of Google Quantum AI, whose…

  16. How Neurons Translate Electricity into Chemistry | Tom Südhof

    · 1 h 30 min · Episode 49

    How do neurons convert electrical signals into chemical messages in under a millisecond? In this episode, we speak with Thomas Südhof, Stanford neuroscientist and Nobel laureate whose discoveries revealed the…

  17. How Engineers Solve “Impossible” Problems | Dan Gelbart

    · 2 h 04 min · Episode 48

    How do engineers solve problems that seem to violate the laws of physics? In this episode, we speak with Dan Gelbart, a prolific inventor and precision engineer, about what it really means to work at the limits of…

  18. How Visual Experience Rewires the Brain | Mark Bear on Neuroplasticity

    · 1 h 56 min · Episode 47

    How does experience rewire the brain—and why is vision the ideal system for understanding neuroplasticity? In this episode, we speak with Mark Bear, MIT neuroscientist and a pioneer in the study of…

  19. Snell's Law, Metasurfaces, and Metalenses | Federico Capasso

    · 2 h 13 min · Episode 46

    How can flat surfaces shape light as powerfully as bulky lenses? In this episode, we speak with Federico Capasso, Harvard physicist and pioneer of metasurfaces, metalenses, and nanophotonics. Capasso traces the path…

  20. Graphene, Nanotubes, and Quantum Hall Physics | Philip Kim

    · 2 h 47 min · Episode 45

    How do electrons behave when they’re confined to a single layer, and why do entirely new laws of physics emerge when dimensions shrink? Papers discussed in this episode: Experimental observation of the quantum Hall…

  21. Quantum Matter, Super-conductors, and Black Holes | Subir Sachdev on the SYK Model

    · 2 h 35 min · Episode 44

    What makes high-temperature superconductors and “strange metals” some of the most perplexing systems in modern physics? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Subir Sachdev: Harvard physicist and one of the leading…

  22. How to Build Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computers | Austin Fowler on Surface Codes + TQEC

    · 1 h 50 min · Episode 43

    Would we get a quantum computer sooner if everything was open source? In this episode, we speak with Austin Fowler, one of the architects of quantum error correction and a pioneer of the surface code used in today’s…

  23. Why Syncing Atomic Clocks is Virtually Impossible | Judah Levine on UTC

    · 2 h 04 min · Episode 42

    Why is syncing atomic clocks still one of the hardest problems in physics and engineering? In this episode, we speak with Judah Levine—legendary NIST physicist and one of the key architects of modern timekeeping—about…

  24. Can We Predict History Like the Weather? | Peter Turchin on Cliodynamics

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 41

    Why do civilizations rise, prosper, and then collapse? Here's what the math tells us. In this episode, we sit down with Peter Turchin, complexity scientist and founder of the field of cliodynamics, which uses data and…

  25. Why Do Quantum Computers Make So Many Mistakes? | Mikhail Lukin on Quantum Error Correction

    · 1 h 01 min · Episode 40

    You can’t copy a qubit. So how do quantum computers remember anything? In this episode, we sit down with Mikhail Lukin, Harvard physicist and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, whose lab is building…

  26. We Interviewed the Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize | Ig Nobel 2025

    · 1 h 06 min · Episode 39

    The scientific stories behind this year's research that made people LAUGH, then THINK. Watch the 2025 Ig Nobel Ceremony here: https://youtu.be/z1cP4xKd_L4 In this episode, we bring together three of this year’s Ig…

  27. What Science can Learn from Startups | Adam Marblestone on Focused Research Organizations

    · 1 h 41 min · Episode 38

    Science has stalled. And Adam Marblestone thinks he knows why. Check out the Research Gap Map here: https://www.gap-map.org/?sort=rank In this episode, we sit down with Adam Marblestone, neuroscientist,…

  28. What Optical Atomic Clocks Tell Us About Space-Time | Jun Ye

    · 1 h 53 min · Episode 34

    Times have changed. And cesium clocks can't keep up. In this episode, we sit down with Jun Ye, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) Fellow and pioneer of optical lattice clocks, whose work has pushed…

  29. Laser Cooling and Quantum Timekeeping | Bill Phillips

    · 2 h 24 min · Episode 33

    How did cooling atoms with lasers revolutionize our understanding of time? In this episode, we speak with Bill Phillips, Nobel Laureate in Physics, about his groundbreaking work on laser cooling and trapping of atoms:…

  30. Inside the Battle for Psychedelic Therapy | Rick Doblin

    · 2 h 38 min · Episode 32

    What does it take to turn a banned psychedelic into an FDA-approved medicine? Visit MAPS to read about the latest progress is psychedelic research: https://maps.org/ In this episode, we speak with Rick Doblin,…

  31. Biology's Biggest Chicken and Egg Problem | Jacob Fine

    · 1 h 31 min · Episode 31

    Life’s First Blueprint Wasn’t DNA; it was RNA. Read Jacob Fine’s latest publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283625001901 Today we spoke with Jacob Fine, graduate student…

  32. The Final Interview with MIT Physicist Keith Johnson

    · 2 h 16 min · Episode 30

    One of Keith Johnson’s final interviews: a brilliant mind on dark matter, water, and fusion. Read about Keith’s legacy here: https://news.mit.edu/2025/keith-johnson-materials-scientist-independent-filmmaker-dies-0723…

  33. How We Build Telescopes to Explore the Early Cosmos | Brian Keating

    · 1 h 44 min · Episode 29

    Did the Big Bang really happen? Telescopes, dark matter & cosmic origins explored. Join cosmologist Brian Keating as we explore the mysteries of the universe, from building telescopes at the South Pole to measuring…

  34. Quantum Complexity: Scott Aaronson on P vs NP and the Future

    · 2 h 02 min · Episode 28

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, Scott Aaronson shares his early fascination with calculus at age 11 and how “rediscovering” old mathematics led him toward groundbreaking work in complexity theory. He gives a…

  35. Science Memes, Epigenetic Inheritance, and Rethinking Peer Review

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 27

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we explore cutting-edge ideas in epigenetics and academic publishing. Oded Rechavi reveals how C. elegans worms defy conventional genetics by passing on traits through small RNAs,…

  36. Quantum Diamond Sensing: The Surprising Power of NV Centers

    · 2 h 21 min · Episode 26

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we explore how diamond-based nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers went from being a curiosity in gemstone physics to a transformative tool for precision magnetometry. You’ll hear how…

  37. Origin of Life, Thermodynamics, and God: Jeremy England

    · 2 h 19 min · Episode 25

    In this episode, Jeremy England reframes the origin of life debate by applying non-equilibrium physics, challenging the notion that life’s emergence must be purely biological or chemical. He describes how matter can…

  38. Flux Grant by 1517 Fund: Backing Garage Science and Sci-Fi Tech

    · 47 min · Episode 24

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we sit down with 1517 Fund’s Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson to explore their Flux program, a unique pre-seed fellowship backing wild, unorthodox scientific and technical…

  39. Trapped Ion Quantum Computing: Christopher Monroe of IonQ

    · 2 h 25 min · Episode 23

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, our guest traces the evolution from the early days of Bose-Einstein condensation experiments to pioneering trapped ion quantum gateways. He reveals how breakthroughs in laser…

  40. Maintaining Moore's Law: Lithography, Semiconductors, and Chip Fabrication with Mordechai Rothschild

    · 2 h 08 min · Episode 22

    In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we explore how 193nm lasers unexpectedly overtook x-ray approaches and reshaped semiconductor manufacturing. Physicist Mordechai Rothschild describes the breakthroughs that turned…

  41. Quantum Cascade Lasers: Federico Capasso on Curiosity and Bell Labs

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 21

    In this episode, physicist Federico Capasso recounts his winding path from struggling undergrad to pioneering inventor of the quantum cascade laser. He reveals how openness, daring ideas, and the bottom-up ethos at…

  42. How Edison Inspired Eli Yablonovitch to Create Four World-Changing Inventions

    · 3 h 01 min · Episode 20

    Eli Yablonovitch shares how Thomas Edison's approach of requiring "a thousand failed discoveries for every one that works" shaped his scientific philosophy. From solar cells to semiconductor lasers to photonic crystals…

  43. From Failed PhD to Nobel Prize | John Mather’s Journey to Revolutionize Astronomy

    · 1 h 54 min · Episode 19

    Join the 632nm team as we sit down with Nobel laureate Dr. John Mather. From his childhood days of building radios and telescopes to leading NASA's groundbreaking COBE mission, learn how a spectacular failure during…

  44. Hunting for Alien Artifacts | Avi Loeb

    · 3 h 37 min · Episode 18

    Join the 632nm team as we sit down with Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, in this fascinating exploration of astronomy, alien life, and the intersection of science and politics. From discussing the mysterious interstellar…

  45. Are We Doomed? | Dan Aronovich on Norbert Wiener's 1948 “Cybernetics”

    · 59 min · Episode 17

    In this episode, the 632nm team sits down with Dan Aronovich (Data Science Decoded Podcast) to explore predictions about technology and society, starting with MIT pioneer Norbert Wiener's remarkably prescient warnings…

  46. Information, Entropy & Reality | MIT Professor Seth Lloyd on Quantum Computing

    · 2 h 03 min · Episode 16

    The 632nm team sat down with MIT professor Seth Lloyd for a mind-bending journey through quantum mechanics, information theory, and the early days of quantum computing. Lloyd shares fascinating stories from his…

  47. From Medieval Glass to Nobel Prize | Moungi Bawendi on Mastering Quantum Dots

    · 1 h 31 min · Episode 15

    In this episode, the 632 team interviewed Nobel laureate Moungi Bawendi, revealing his serendipitous journey to the discovery and development of quantum dots. From a summer internship at Bell Labs to an expired bottle…

  48. How a Vision Disorder Led to Shocking Brain Science Discoveries | Mark Bear on Neuroplasticity

    · 1 h 36 min · Episode 14

    In this captivating episode, we explore how Mark Bear's personal experience with congenital nystagmus sparked a revolutionary career in neuroscience. Mark shares his remarkable journey from struggling with a visual…

  49. The Current Reality of Quantum Computing | Yudong Cao on Deploying Quantum for Real-Life Problems

    · 1 h 53 min · Episode 13

    In this eye-opening episode, former Zapata Computing CEO Yudong Chen reveals the sobering truth about quantum computing's potential impact on drug discovery and the industry's inflated market expectations. Chen…

  50. From Failed Project to 40 Million Eye Scans: David Huang on the Birth of OCT

    · 1 h 29 min · Episode 12

    Dr. David Huang shares the remarkable journey of how a failed laser surgery project during his MD-PhD studies at MIT led to the invention of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), now used in over 40 million eye…

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