Why This Universe?
Hosted by Shalma WeGsman and Dan · Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman
4.7from 875 ratings
- 116
- Episodes
- 22
- Transcribed
- 875
- Ratings
- Monthly
- Cadence
- 2020
- First episode
- 77K
- YouTube views
About Why This Universe?
The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more. Part of The University of Chicago Podcast Network.
- Publisher
- Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman
- Category
- science · science · science
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 13 Jul 2020
- Latest episode
- 12 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
22 of 116 episodes have a transcript.
12 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
101 — How Will AI Change Physics? (Ft. Yoni Kahn)
24 Aug 2026
100 - What is Light? A Journey from Ancient Philosophy to Quantum Physics
3 Aug 2026
99 - The 7 Most Exciting Developments in Physics Today + a WTU Update
Inside a recent episode
101 — How Will AI Change Physics? (Ft. Yoni Kahn)
Published 12 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And so we found a way to have a model learn that distribution of data in such a way that whatever it learned, even if it didn't learn the distribution perfectly, it always exactly conserved energy and momentum. So it has this like a prior that energy needs to be conserved, like a new that going into it. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on Why This Universe?
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Yoni Kahn
- Shalma
- David Kaplan
- Daniel Whiteson
- Adam Riess
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 76,607
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.6 / 5
- 414 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 461 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 43
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 85
- Engagement
- 91
Contact Why This Universe?
- Guest appearances
- Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Why This Universe?
Who hosts Why This Universe??
Shalma WeGsman and Dan host the show. Published by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Why This Universe? take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
22 of 116 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Why This Universe??
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