Debunking Eric Lerner's Big Bang Denial Nonsense

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pique is offering 20% off for life AND a free Starter Kit with your purchase—that's a rechargeable frother and glass beaker to make the perfect cup every time. Just go to http://piquelife.com/impossible Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 Is the Big Bang theory dead? Eric Lerner has been pushing plasma cosmology and denying the Big Bang theory for decades. His latest claim is that the Big Bang theory is dead because of an alleged discreptancy in the abundance of lithium in the universe. But are his arguments against the Big Bang credible? Does the lithium abundance discrepancy disprove the Big Bang theory? And how should we approach anomalies in scientific theories? In this episode, I break down how his claims, particularly around lithium abundance, are based on a misunderstanding of science. Rather than debunking the Big Bang, these anomalies present an opportunity for further discovery. I also discuss the broader implications of Lerner's arguments, placing them within the context of conspiracy theories in science, and make my case for the ongoing validity of the Big Bang theory. — Key Takeaways: 00:00 Lerner’s Big Bang denial claims 02:26 Light element abundance 03:51 Challenging Lernere’s lithium argument 22:37 Lerner’s alternative model and cherry-picking 34:45 Science denial 36:05 Outro — Additional resources: Relevant sources: 📝 Coc et al. (2014): BBN + Planck: https://arxiv.org/abs/1403.6694 📚 Fields (2011): Lithium Problem: https://arxiv.org/abs/1203.3551 📖 Prantzos (2012): Cosmic Rays: https://arxiv.org/abs/1203.5662 🤓 Howk et al. (2012): SMC Li: https://arxiv.org/abs/1207.3081 ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Gather around science fans and skeptics alike because it's time for another encounter with our good old friend, Eric Lerner.
0:08.4	You remember Eric? From 2023's The Big Bang Never Happened, where he jumped into one of his many conspiracy meltdowns.
0:16.8	And this time it's courtesy of another final nail in the coffin, according to Eric,
0:21.7	that will save us from the Dracula-like Big Bang and usher in a new realm of plasma cosmology.
0:28.8	And if that weren't enough, stay tuned to the end, where Eric will pitch you to support his plasma fusion fantasies.
0:35.7	Last time we encountered Eric, he was waxing rhapsodically about the early galaxy problem,
0:42.2	which turned out not to be a problem at all, except for Eric Lerner's credibility.
0:45.6	Today we're going to a recent video where he got tons of coverage,
0:48.5	including people that seem to believe that there's a conspiracy, a cabal of Big Bang proponents,
0:53.7	sponsored maybe by NASA to bring
0:55.6	the whole framework of the Big Bang crashing down in 2024. And he says it did. Spoiler alert,
1:01.7	it did nothing of this sort. Eric's been going on about the Big Bang's non-existence since the early
1:06.7	1990s. It's been over 30 years since Eric published his first book. The Big Bang
1:13.6	never happened. It's also his last book. But that doesn't stop him, no matter when new data
1:18.4	come in or he is confronted with challenges from experts. His recent claim is that we've all
1:25.1	been too busy doing actual science to notice all the great breakthroughs
1:30.2	in plasma physics that led to 2024 being the year the Big Bang was put to rest.
1:36.8	2024 was nothing of the sort. It just marks another year of cherry picking results that comport
1:41.6	with his 40-year-old dreams of a final theory to supplant the
1:45.9	Big Bang. For what reason, I'm not quite sure, other than to motivate plasma physics, which
1:51.2	he will conveniently pitch you for at the end of each video, to support. And he's received several
1:56.2	million dollars for this project. It's not a small affair. People are supporting his dreams of a plasma physics
	...

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