Musical Universe

Published: Aug. 21, 2017, 1:53 p.m.

b'In space, no one can hear you scream, but, using the right instruments, scientists can pick up all types of cosmic vibrations \\u2013 the sort we can turn into sound.\\xa0After a decade of listening, LIGO, a billion-dollar physics experiment, has detected gravitational waves caused by the collision of massive black holes, a brief shaking of spacetime that can be translated into a short squeal.\\xa0\\nWe listen to the chirp of black holes crashing into each other and wonder: could the universe contain more than individual sounds, but have actual musical structure?\\xa0\\nA theoretical physicist and jazz saxophonist updates the ancient philosophical concept of the Music of the Spheres to probe the most vexing questions confronting modern cosmology.\\xa0Find out how the evolution of the universe resembles an improvisational jazz piece, and the musical inspiration John Coltrane drew from Albert Einstein.\\xa0\\nGuests:\\n\\n\\nJanna Levin \\u2013 Physicist, astronomer, Barnard College at Columbia University, author of \\u201cBlack Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space\\u201d\\n\\n\\nStephon Alexander - Professor of physics, Brown University, author of \\u201cThe Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe\\u201d\\xa0\\n\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'