Paradoxes Of Infinity (Infinity Part 1)

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger

Science, Physics, Mathematics

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is infinity actually a real number, or just a brilliant mathematical hallucination? Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (VSauce) tumble down the numerical rabbit hole to explore the mind-bending origins of infinity. They unpick exactly how humanity managed to trap the endless void. From ancient paradoxes to endless hotel rooms, they dive into the bizarre history of our universe's most impossible idea. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott Researcher: Lucy Lipscomb Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the rest of science. I'm Hannah Frye.
0:02.0	And I'm Michael Stevens.
0:03.0	Okay, Michael, I'm going to start with an easy question for you today.
0:06.5	Okay.
0:07.5	Would you want to live forever?
0:09.5	No.
0:10.5	No, me neither.
0:11.5	I think life only has meaning because it's finite.
0:14.5	Yeah, I agree.
0:15.5	Here's another question for you though that's related.
0:19.5	If you had the choice between dying in the next five minutes
0:22.0	or living another week, what would you choose?
0:29.8	This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.
0:32.9	If you wanted to type out the entire human genome,
0:36.8	you would have to type at 60 words a minute
0:40.2	for eight hours a day for about 50 years.
0:44.2	Okay, that's the scale of the DNA rulebook inside each one of your cells, telling it when to
0:49.3	grow, when to divide, and when to stop.
0:52.2	And different tissues read that same rule book in different ways.
0:55.0	So a skin cell doesn't behave like a lung cell.
0:58.0	And cancer can begin when those instructions change.
1:01.0	Not one dramatic moment, but through small, gradual edits over time.
	...

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