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The John Batchelor Show

2/4: James Webb Space Telescope indicates that the doubts of the origins grow: 2/4: Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate, by Paul Halpern

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2023

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

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2/4: James Webb Space Telescope indicates that the doubts of the origins grow: 2/4: Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate, by Paul Halpern

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PV5CLZQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

A respected physics professor and author breaks down the great debate over the Big Bang and the continuing quest to understand the fate of the universe. Today, the Big Bang is so entrenched in our understanding of the cosmos that to doubt it would seem crazy. But as Paul Halpern shows in Flashes of Creation, just decades ago its mere mention caused sparks to fly. At the center of the debate were the Russian-American physicist George Gamow and the British astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. Gamow insisted that a fiery explosion explained how the elements of the universe were created. Attacking the idea as half-baked, Hoyle countered that the universe was engaged in a never-ending process of creation. The battle was fierce. In the end, Gamow turned out to be right—mostly—and Hoyle, along with his many achievements, is remembered for giving the theory the silliest possible name: "the Big Bang." Halpern captures the brilliance of both thinkers and reminds us that even those proven wrong have much to teach us about boldness, imagination, and the universe, itself.

Transcript

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0:00.0

What's the best form of escapism?

0:04.0

Is it a book or a podcast maybe?

0:07.0

How about lounging by a hotel pool?

0:10.0

Or sightseeing on a city break?

0:13.0

Now that's escapism done right.

0:16.0

Book your escap to one of Europe's top destinations with EasyJet.

0:21.0

With flights from only 29-991 way.

0:24.0

Selected seats and travel dates,

0:26.0

TZNC's apply C-E-ZJet.com.

0:57.0

I never understood GAMF.

0:59.0

I loved Hoyl.

1:01.0

So those are my prejudices, but to have them both together as a joy,

1:04.0

thanks to Paul's work.

1:06.0

So we pick up our story of the son of the pianist at the movies, Fred Hoyl.

1:13.0

He arrives at Cambridge through a series of,

1:16.0

you can't make this up, debates, mentor.

1:19.0

He has mentor professors and he's guided to Cambridge.

1:22.0

He arrives at the time of a rich turning of physics at Cambridge.

1:28.0

Max Boran, Rudolph Peerles,

1:30.0

they're building an accelerator.

1:33.0

The professor DeCitter dies, but others come.

1:37.0

Professor Price, professor Dierock.

...

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