Decoding the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics
The Quanta Podcast
Quanta Magazine
4.7 • 638 Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Parallel universes, mysterious collapses, divided worlds. These are among the interpretations of quantum theory’s relationship with reality. It’s no wonder that everyone still has questions. But a century after quantum theory emerged, some of its old mysteries may be finally dissolving. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel and contributing writer Philip Ball check in on the age-old question: What 𝘪𝘴 reality? This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.
Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.
Audio coda courtesy of the Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You're used to hearing my voice on the world, bringing you interviews from around the globe. |
| 0:07.2 | And you hear me reporting environment and climate news. I'm Carolyn Beeler. |
| 0:12.1 | And I'm Marco Werman. We're now with you hosting the world together. More global journalism with a fresh new sound. |
| 0:18.3 | Listen to the world on your local public radio station and wherever you find your podcasts. |
| 0:34.5 | The 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics has come and gone. The theory is now over a century |
| 0:40.6 | old. Last year, loads of physicists got together at its birthplace, an island off the German |
| 0:47.1 | coast, and we talked about that meeting on this podcast last year and specifically this idea |
| 0:52.9 | of what quantum mechanics means. So a quick recap first. |
| 0:57.8 | We have classical physics, which is the physics of the world around us. It's Newton and his |
| 1:03.0 | apple and high school physics class. Then we have quantum mechanics, this set of brilliant but |
| 1:09.6 | not intuitive equations that describe the physics |
| 1:13.7 | of the smallest particles. But they don't operate by the same rules, so when we talk about |
| 1:19.4 | what quantum mechanics means, we're talking about what the weirdness of the subatomic world |
| 1:25.7 | has to do with reality. And we're back on the topic again |
| 1:29.8 | to give it another go. Welcome to the Quanta podcast, where we explore the |
| 1:40.2 | frontiers of fundamental science and math. I'm Samir Patel, editor-in-chief of Quantum |
| 1:44.8 | Magazine. Science journalist and frequent Quanta contributor Phil Ball wrote a book a few years ago |
| 1:51.4 | about quantum mechanics called, appropriately enough, Beyond Weird. His latest piece for Quanta |
| 1:57.8 | is the next installment of our new series of essays that we're |
| 2:01.1 | calling Qualia. |
| 2:02.9 | And in it, he makes the case that we might actually be close to bridging the gap between |
| 2:08.5 | classical and quantum reality. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Quanta Magazine, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Quanta Magazine and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.