Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

Do Aliens Speak Physics, with Andy Warner

·1 hr 6 min·5 clips

Daniel's scientific fantasy is meeting aliens to discuss physics, believing it could be a cross-species universal language.

The episode begins with Daniel expressing his long-held scientific fantasy of first contact with aliens, driven by his belief that physics could serve as a cross-species universal language. Kelly introduces guest Andy Warner, a cartoonist and co-author of the book 'Do Aliens Speak Physics?'. Andy shares his childhood growing up on islands with a marine biologist father, which taught him how to communicate with scientists. Daniel explains how he originally pitched a philosophical physics book to his 14-year-old son, who found it boring, leading Daniel to reframe it around alien contact to make it more engaging. Andy discusses his collaborative process with Daniel, where they blended deep scientific and philosophical questions with humor and cartoons to make the material accessible. The hosts and guest delve into whether aliens would necessarily do science, citing human examples like blacksmithing where technology developed without underlying theory. They explore the challenges of communicating with aliens, comparing it to difficulties in translating ancient human texts or understanding animal communication. The conversation touches on the role of math as a potential universal language, referencing Noam Chomsky's view that aliens would understand arithmetic. Andy and Daniel describe the book's interdisciplinary approach, incorporating history of science from Mayan, Chinese, and Greek traditions to examine how different cultures developed scientific thought. They emphasize the importance of collaboration between scientists and artists in making complex ideas relatable. The episode concludes with recommendations for the book and acknowledgments of the collaborative effort.

As heard by us

A brisk look at how comics, edits, and history shape the final version.

Daniel and Kelly's conversation with Andy Warner focuses on the work behind the work: the outline, the first draft, the revisions, and the comics that bring humor and clarity to the process.

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Why you'd press play

You get Daniel, Kelly, and Andy Warner trading drafts, cuts, and jokes around a book.

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