Daniel W.: Thanks for inviting me!
Cliff T.: First off congrats on the new book. Let me guess you decided to write this book because you are getting so many requests to answer the same questions that you felt it would be a good idea to answer them in book form. Would I be right?
Daniel W.: That’s part of it. On our podcast (www.danielandjorge.com), we encourage listeners to write in with their personal questions about the Universe. And we have definitely noticed some trends. Mostly, we love seeing how many people have big questions about the Universe. Wondering about how reality works, where it came from and how it might end, is part of being human. You don’t have to be a scientist to be curious!
Cliff T.: One of the fascinations I see or hear on your podcasts surrounds black holes which I do see covered in the book. Which kind of tells me that you drew a lot of inspiration from the podcast and questions you get from people listening to it, is that an accurate assumption?
Daniel W.: We talk about black holes a lot on the podcast, because they are one of the most mysterious and fascinating objects in the Universe. And because they are REAL. It’s still amazing to me that this crazy prediction from the minds of humans turns out to actually exist out there in space. And so one chapter in the book answers the question: what would it be like to jump into a black hole? You can read an excerpt here: https://lithub.com/what-happens-if-you-get-sucked-into-a-black-hole/
Cliff T.: One of the chapters I see is Why Do We Ask Questions, that is interesting. Daniel what do you think is driving questions about warping into space and our sun going boom?
Daniel W.: I think people want to know what it means to be human and what the cosmic context of our lives is. That’s what physics tells us: where we stand in the grand sweep of space and time. So when people ask about whether there are aliens or how the Universe was created, I think they really want to know what it means for them and their lives.
Cliff T.: I think what is really interesting here is how much your books and the podcast are driving curiosity about the universe, it is almost like you and Jorge have become spokespeople for the universe.
Daniel W.: Curiosity is definitely our jam! The books and the podcast try to help people connect with their curiosity. We also launched a TV show on PBS, called Elinor Wonders Why (pbskids.org/elinor) which encourages curiosity and scientific thinking in preschoolers!
Cliff T.: How are you planning on promoting the book, any book signing events coming up and if so where?
Daniel W.: With COVID, everything is uncertain, but we hope to get out there and meet readers.
Cliff T.: As you know I am from Canada, and am wondering are there any Canadian connections with regard to the book and if so who or what are they?
Daniel W.: We have a lot of listeners in Canada, many of whom send in wonderful questions.
Cliff T.: You and Jorge have been doing the podcast since at least 2018 with more than 300 episodes. You are now on your second book and you both have day jobs, how on earth do you keep it all straight?
Daniel W.: It’s something we love to do. Talking about science and thinking about the big mysteries of the Universe is what drives my science career also.
Cliff T.: When did you guys decide to do the book?
Daniel W.: In 2019, after we finished our tours for the first book and the podcast had taken off. It felt like a nice companion project to the podcast.
Cliff T.: Well if you ever come up to Canada count me in for a connect with you guys, once again congratulations on your book and the success you and Jorge have had with Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe.
Daniel W.: Thank you very much!
Daniel Whiteson and Jorge Cham are authors, podcasters and both have a lot of knowledge.
Jorge Cham is the creator of “Piled Higher and Deeper” (a.k.a. “PHD Comics”), the popular comic strip about life (or lack thereof) in Academia. He holds a PhD in robotics from Stanford University and is a former instructor and research associate at Caltech. PhD in robotics from Stanford University and is a former instructor and research associate at Caltech.
Daniel Whiteson is a Professor of Physics at the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He earned his PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is an active researcher, using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to search for exotic new particles.
For more about the book and other projects they do visit https://sites.uci.edu/universefaq/ and on your favorite podcast app you can find Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, produced by iHeart Radio. Daniel probably wrote us from his office in Irvine CA.
