Stephen Hawking, Women In Blockchain, Dinosaurs. March 16, 2018, Part 1

Science Friday

Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science, Life Sciences, Wnyc, Natural Sciences, Friday

4.4 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2018

⏱️ 48 minutes

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Summary

Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking died this week at the age of 76. Hawking challenged and inspired a generation of physicists, and we remember his life and legacy. Plus, blockchain is the technology that makes possible every transaction made with Bitcoin—or any digital currency, for that matter. And when Bitcoin skyrocketed on the stock market last year, it turned average Joes into millionaires. Why just Joes? Most surveys show that 95 percent of blockchain enthusiasts and crypto investors are male. We discuss the future of women in blockchain. Then, inside the fossilized bones of Archaeopteryx, one of the earliest bird-like dinosaur specimens, researchers have found evidence of a capability for flight. Finally, what does a Tyrannosaurus rex actually look like? You might immediately think of the iconic, roaring lizard from the Jurassic Park films. But one scientific illustrator turns to paleontology studies and fossil finds—poring over the science to accurately reimagine creatures that no longer exist today. And what he renders might surprise you.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Science Friday listeners, this is Flora Lichten. I'm sitting in for Ira today, and I wanted to let you know about this podcast I host when I'm not here, called Every Little Thing. On the show, we have a factual helpline, open 24-7, and we find experts to answer your questions, like, what would happen to a human body in outer space?
0:17.7	Oh, you die, you die. Horribly. Disgustingly.
0:22.0	Unpleasantly.
0:23.1	To get the details on that and other burning questions,
0:25.8	check out every little thing on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:31.5	This is Science Friday.
0:33.0	I'm Flore Lichtman.
0:33.9	Ira Flato is away.
0:34.8	A bit later in the hour, we'll be talking about how women are breaking
0:38.0	into the male-dominated world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. But first, this week,
0:43.8	astrophysicist Stephen Hawking passed away. Joining me now to talk about that and other science
0:48.6	news from the week is Amy Nordrum, news editor at I-Triple-E Spectrum. She's here in our New York
0:53.9	studios. Welcome back, Amy.
0:55.5	Hi, Flora. Hey, so I feel like most of us know Stephen Hawking's name, but what was he famous for
1:01.9	scientifically? Yeah, Stephen Hawking is a renowned physicist, and he's perhaps best known for his
1:08.0	contributions to our understanding of black holes. So black holes are
1:11.6	these swirls of mass and energy with a big gravitational pull so strong that not even light can
1:17.4	escape them. And Hawking's contribution was primarily a show that these black holes actually do
1:22.5	emit some things so they can emit radiation, they can actually emit particles. And this is now termed hawking radiation among physicists.
1:30.9	And it's led to a lot of new questions around black holes and new paths for people to continue
1:36.3	to explore in physics.
1:37.4	I think I remember, I was reading the obituaries this week, and people called his paper
	...

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