Clifford Johnson on making sense of black holes and movie plots

The Life Scientific

BBC

Technology, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

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Summary

Clifford Johnson's career to date has spanned some seemingly very different industries - from exploring quantum mechanics around string theory and black holes, to consulting on some of Hollywood's biggest movies; but it makes sense once you understand his ambition of making science accessible to all. A Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Clifford's worked in the United States for decades – but was born in the UK, then spent his formative years on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, before moving back to England to study. Here, he fell in love with quantum mechanics - before moving to the US, where he's broken new ground in finding ways to talk about quantum gravity and black holes. Clifford's other big passion is getting as many people as possible engaged with science, making it more exciting, entertaining and most importantly diverse - and it's this attitude that's led to regular work as a science consultant on various TV shows and films; and even a recent cameo in a major movie... Produced by Lucy Taylor.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.7	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts.
0:08.4	I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced
0:12.2	pundits and the biggest sport stars.
0:14.3	Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players'
0:18.5	mouths.
0:19.5	But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world.
0:25.0	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to
0:28.8	dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.0	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.
0:35.2	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:40.3	Hello and welcome to the podcast edition of the Life Scientific.
0:44.2	I'm Jamal Khalili and this is the show where I get to talk with some of the world's leading
0:48.4	scientists and you get to find out what drives them.
0:52.4	Enjoy the episode.
0:54.2	My guest today says his work is all about life's simple questions.
0:58.1	What is the universe made of?
0:59.8	Where did it all come from?
1:01.7	Simple questions may be, but the answers and indeed the story of my guest's career spanning
1:06.2	work on string theory, black holes and the science behind some of Hollywood's biggest
1:10.9	blockbuster movies are anything but simple.
1:14.0	Clifford Johnson is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of
	...

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