I am an avid podcast listener, 62 of them are on my phone including Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. It's found on Iheart and in other apps like Apple and on mine called Podcast Republic. The pair collaborated on a book about physics Daniel the physicist and Jorge the cartoonist. That led to the current incarnation a podcast that has circled the globe and garnered a lot of listeners and for the pair a fan base with lots of questions. Daniel has graciously taken time to do a Candid Conversation and I am excited to jump in and hear or in this case read more about what he has to say so here we go. Daniel Welcome to Candid Conversations.
Daniel W: Thanks so much for your interest and invitation!
Cliff T.: You are a pretty busy person, at least that is my assumption. Doing a book and now a podcast along with your work at UC Irvine that is a a lot of juggling to do. I bet there are lots of times in the day where coffee is involved to keep you going. Seriously how do you manage doing Explain Universe?
Daniel W.: My day job as a professor keeps me pretty busy, but the outreach work is a labor of love, and so it doesn’t feel hard to make time for it. Jorge and I have a lot of fun talking and writing about science, so it’s something I enjoy doing. The podcast is less work than you might imagine, since unlike other podcasts it’s not scripted. I work out the basic concept and then it’s a spontaneous conversation with Jorge, often going in directions I hadn’t anticipated. I hope that makes it sound more like a real conversation, but it also is much less work to prepare.
Cliff T.: Is it me or do you and Jorge seem to be tacking black holes a lot? What would you say are the top 3 to 5 subjects you get questions about?
Daniel W: People are very curious about black holes, especially because we seem to be making real progress in understanding them recently. A lot of people ask: what’s it like to fall into a black hole, what’s inside a black hole, and is our entire Universe inside a massive black hole?
Cliff T.: Have you gotten questions that you have said umm not going to touch that?
Daniel W.: Haha, not yet. We get a few dozen messages a day with questions, but they are all science or science-adjacent.
Cliff T.: Have you gotten a question that you have said, wow I don't even know that but, I want to, and if so have you researched and answered or tried to answer it yet?
Daniel W.: Many times! My specific expertise is particle physics, but the podcast ranges far beyond that, into cosmology and astrophysics and sometimes the physics of new technology. If it’s not something I already am very familiar with, I’ll read some papers and reach out to a colleague in that area to get a deeper understanding. That’s one of the things I love about the podcast: it gives me an excuse to dive into a subject that’s out of my area but I’ve always been curious about, such as galaxy formation or bonkers theories of the pre-big-bang Universe.
Cliff T.: I believe you have explained how the podcast was created but, just refresh people what got you and Jorge interested in doing a podcast, was this an idea inspired by the book you guys worked on?
Daniel W.: We started collaborating by working on some science explainer videos. Then we wrote “We Have No Idea”. To promote the book, we travelled the country and gave presentations about the ideas in it. Jorge and I had fun in those talks joking around and riffing, and someone connected us with the podcast folks at Stuff Media, who helped us turn our fun conversations about science into podcasts.
Cliff T.: What got you interested in physics?
Daniel W.: I talk about curiosity a lot in the podcast, but I see the Universe as a grand mystery for us to unravel. I’m desperately curious about what the basic rules of the Universe are, and getting into physics is my way of scratching that curiosity itch.
Cliff T.: So with that history in mind how do you and Jorge decide on what subjects you are going to cover? Do you guys hang out and toss ideas around then choose the topic or is there a process you use?
Daniel W.: We get a lot of suggestions from listeners, something in physics that they heard about but never understood. We also follow my interests: topics that I’ve long wanted to get a deeper handle on. Last year I started a series of episodes where we interview science-fiction authors about the science of the Universe they created, which is fun for me because I get to chat with some of my favorite authors!
Cliff T.: Have you gotten feedback from your physics peers on your show? And if so what has been the most notable thing they have said about Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe
Daniel W.: The reaction tends to be of two kinds, positive and negative. Many people are positive, because they agree that science communication is important and vital, both for science and the public. Some are negative, because they think that this kind of work is less important than the actual research, and it makes them doubt my devotion to doing the science. My response is that doing the outreach makes me a better scientist, by giving me a chance to learn about related topics that inform my own research.
Cliff T.: What do you and Jorge have planned for the future another book perhaps?
Daniel W.: We have a book coming out in November 2021, called “Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe”, inspired by the most common questions we get about the podcast. Last year, we launched a children’s television series on PBS, called “Elinor Wonders Why”, which teaches kids about the natural world and encourages their curiosity.
Cliff T.: Daniel thanks again it's been interesting to chat. I hope you and Jorge continue to have success in whatever you do in future and of course outside of the podcast.
Daniel W.: Thanks so much for your kind words!
Daniel Whiteson is a Particle Physicist, professor, author and podcaster.
Here are some links you can view about Daniel and the podcast.
https://www.physics.uci.edu/people/daniel-o-whiteson
http://wehavenoidea.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DanielAndJorge/
Daniel wrote to us from Irvine CA USA
