Paul Sutter

Is the Universe Older Than We Think? Part 2: Tired Light

February 04, 2026

This is all based on the assumption that galaxies are receding away from us. And I actually cheated a little.

Is the Universe Older Than We Think? Part 1: The Cosmological Clock

February 03, 2026

When I say that the universe is 13.77 billion years old, it sounds rather authoritative.

$Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 4: The Fire and the Filter$

Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 4: The Fire and the Filter

January 13, 2026

Like I said at the beginning, I’m not really keen on the idea of the mathematical universe. My own personal biggest objection stems from the whole point of occam’s razor: make things as simple as possible.

Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 3: The Frog and the Bird

January 12, 2026

Beginning in the 1980’s, another physicist, Roger Penrose, came up with what he called the Triangle of Reality, which sounds like the nerdiest cult in history (and when later I get to talk about the Pythagoreans you’ll see that I’m right).

$Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 2: The Minimalist Universe$

Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 2: The Minimalist Universe

January 11, 2026

Like, it shouldn’t be this easy. Yeah I know physics is kind of hard, and it has taken us centuries to reach our present level of knowledge, and we know we’re still a long way from complete knowledge of time and space.

Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 1: The Unreasonable Tool

January 10, 2026

Imagine you walk into a parking lot full of cars. You have in your pocket one single key. It’s the key to your car. The same key you’ve always used, the same key you’ve always trusted, the same key that you always manage to realize that you’ve lost right when you’re rushing out the door.

Does Free Will Exist? Part 4: An Emergent Universe

January 09, 2026

But we’re not going for one thing or another, are we? We’re here to explore ideas – that’s most of the fun anyway. And there’s one more aspect of physics that takes part in the free will discussion, and that’s the concept of emergence.

Does Free Will Exist? Part 3: A Superdeterministic Universe

January 08, 2026

So let’s say you set up an experiment to measure a quantum property of subatomic particles. Like, I don’t know, spin.

Does Free Will Exist? Part 2: The Chaotic Universe

January 08, 2026

All of physics rests on causal determinism. It’s like…how we do physics. It IS physics.

Does Free Will Exist? Part 1: The Clockwork Universe

January 07, 2026

Check this out. There are some experiments that just make you…stop. That make you reconsider everything you’ve ever known.

Is the Big Bang a Myth? Part 4: The Emergence of Matter

December 15, 2025

After the first protons and neutrons formed, after the first light elements formed, the universe…wasn’t really all that great.

Is the Big Bang a Myth? Part 3: The Splitting of the Forces

December 14, 2025

The early universe was a very different place than today. And by “early” I don’t mean a billion or even ten billion years ago. The universe is about 13.77 billion years old, and when it was only a handful of seconds old, it was completely unrecognizable.

Is the Big Bang a Myth? Part 2: The Primaeval Atom

December 13, 2025

In the early 20th century, after years of effort, Albert Einstein developed his general theory of relativity. This was a massive improvement in our understanding of gravity, giving us a sophisticated view into the inner workings of that fundamental force.

Is the Big Bang a Myth? Part 1: Creation Stories

December 12, 2025

Let’s say you are transported back in time to some ancient culture. And along the way you somehow forget everything you knew about modern cosmology (don’t worry about the details, it’s just to get us going here, pretend if you have to that it’s a very strange and selective sort of amnesia introduced by the time traveling device).

The Primordial Black Hole Saga: Part 4 - Hidden Singularities

December 11, 2025

The challenge is that nothing in this universe is simple. And if there’s one thing you take away from today’s episode, then let it be that. Don’t ever let yourself fall into the trap of simple answers for difficult questions. We’re cosmologists, we study the universe as it is, not as we wish it would be.

The Primordial Black Hole Saga: Part 3 - Primordial Ooze

December 10, 2025

The early universe was a pretty intense place to be. And not just “early” as in a few billion years ago. I mean early early, just a few seconds after the Big Bang. The universe is small, less than a meter across. It’s hot, with temperatures so high it doesn’t even make sense to say them – they’re just stupidly high numbers with no connection to our everyday existence.

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