How did cooling atoms with lasers revolutionize our understanding of time?

In this episode, we speak with Bill Phillips, Nobel Laureate in Physics, about his groundbreaking work on laser cooling and trapping of atoms: research that not only won him the Nobel Prize but also transformed modern timekeeping and technology. Phillips explains why breaking the Doppler cooling limit changed physics forever and what it means that today’s clocks can measure time differences caused by moving a device just a few millimeters in Earth’s gravity.

We discuss the history of timekeeping from sundials to atomic clocks, how Einstein’s relativity reshaped our view of time, and the serendipitous discovery of sub-Doppler cooling that opened the door to ultra-precise measurement, quantum computing, and fundamental tests of nature. Along the way, Phillips reflects on the culture of physics, the importance of mentorship, and the joy of discovery.

Whether you’re curious about time, relativity, quantum physics, GPS technology, or the frontiers of precision measurement, this conversation offers rare insight into how science, collaboration, and curiosity converge to shape the modern world.

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Website: [https://www.632nm.com](https://www.632nm.com/)

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:43 - What is Time?
05:49 - How Did Bill Get Into Atom Cooling?
18:30 - How Do Atomic Clocks Actually Work?
31:08 - History of Atomic Clocks
37:18 - Laser Cooling for Atomic Clocks
40:49 - How To Synchronize Atomic Clocks
43:20 - How Cesium Cooling Was Developed
45:48 - Pushing Beyond the Doppler Limit
49:47 - The Beginning of Thor Labs
52:45 - The Previous Limits were Wrong
1:05:37 - How Bill Broke the Doppler Limit
1:12:22 - What is Optical Pumping?
1:20:27 - Can Atom Trapping Be Leveraged For Cold Fusion?
1:31:32 - What Makes Bill So Lucky?
1:35:25 - How Bill's Work Led to Atomic Clocks
1:41:05 - What Makes Cesium So Good For Atomic Clocks?
1:47:38 - Quantum Effects on Atomic Clocks
1:59:02 - Bose-Einstein Condensates
2:09:05 - Did Bill's Work Lead To Quantum Computing?
2:11:26 - Bill's Thoughts on the Future

#billphillips #nobelprize #laser #atomicclock #dopplereffect #quantumcomputing #quantumphysics #gps #physics #boseeinsteincondensate #theoreticalphysics #relativity

What does it take to turn a banned psychedelic into an FDA-approved medicine?

Visit MAPS to read about the latest progress is psychedelic research: https://maps.org/

In this episode, we speak with Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), about the decades-long mission to make MDMA-assisted therapy a legal treatment for PTSD and other mental health conditions. Rick received his PhD from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in public policy focusing on the regulation of medical use of psychedelics in 2001. Rick shares the science behind MDMA’s therapeutic effects, the strategy for winning over regulators, and the battles over claims of neurotoxicity. We discuss the history of psychedelic research, the rise of the underground therapy movement, and how clinical trials, policy change, and cultural perception must align to move psychedelics from stigma to science.

Whether you’re curious about psychedelic science, drug policy reform, FDA clinical trials, or the future of mental health treatment, this conversation delivers expert insight into the intersection of research, regulation, and real-world impact.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR
Website: [https://www.632nm.com](https://www.632nm.com/)

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:32 - How Would Rick Describe a Psychedelic Experience?
05:02 - What is Rick's Favorite Psychedelic?
09:46 - The Underground is Ahead of the Research
12:45 - How Rick Got Interested in Psychedelics
26:39 - Can Psychedelics Stop War?
40:45 - Do People Need Trauma?
45:09 - Is America a Falling Empire?
52:08 - What if MAPS was in the YC?
55:00 - Why was MDMA the Choice to Push for Legality?
1:02:22 - The Origins of Modern Psychedelic Therapy
1:05:20 - Misinformation Around Psychedelics
1:17:12 - How MAPS is Developing Psychedelic Therapies
1:30:13 - How Should Healthy People Use Psychedelics?
1:38:05 - Psychedelic Experiences as Rites of Passage
1:42:02 - Finding Life's Purpose
1:52:49 - Why Do Fears of Psychedelics Persist?
1:56:44 - What Does It Take for Psychedelics to Get FDA Approved?
2:13:55 - Rick's Pet Wolf
2:23:39 - Rick's Last Interaction with his Wolf
2:30:55 - Psychedelic Group Therapy
2:33:37 - We Need More Psychedelic Therapists

Life’s First Blueprint Wasn’t DNA; it was RNA.

Read Jacob Fine’s latest publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283625001901

Today we spoke with Jacob Fine, graduate student researcher in Computational Biology from the University of Toronto. We explore the physics of replication, the role of entropy and information theory, and how modern biology is reconnecting with theory to understand the most fundamental question in science. Our conversation takes place in a Russian sauna, where the hot and humid environment mimics some of the conditions needed for life to begin.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR
Website: https://www.632nm.com

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:22 - What does any theory of the origin of life need to explain?
04:09 - When did people begin researching the origin of life?
06:51 - Competing theories of the origin of life
11:00 - The RNA world hypothesis
21:38 - Biological vs computational error
24:58 - Origin of life is the origin of information
33:30 - Without error, there would be no life
36:07 - Early compartmentalization mechanisms
47:26 - What do we need to prove theories on the origin of life?
57:23 - What makes a useful model for biology?
1:04:44 - What inspired Jacob to investigate the origin of life?
1:09:45 - Jacob's favorite theories for the origin of life
1:11:58 - Do we need a Manhattan project to discover the origin of life?
1:18:49 - What are the next steps for origins of life research?
1:24:06 - Has exposure to religion shaped Jacob’s perspective on science?

One of Keith Johnson’s final interviews: a brilliant mind on dark matter, water, and fusion.

Read about Keith’s legacy here: https://news.mit.edu/2025/keith-johnson-materials-scientist-independent-filmmaker-dies-0723

This episode is one of the final recorded conversations with MIT physicist Keith Johnson, who passed away just weeks after our interview. In this conversation, he unpacks his early research on the quantum structure of matter, his cold fusion theories, and how it all led to a screenplay about a young female physicist. Johnson also suggests a radical idea: water clusters in space might explain some aspects of dark matter. A one-of-a-kind interview that blends science, art, and speculation.

We’re honored to share this glimpse into Keith’s remarkable intellect, creativity, and curiosity. May his legacy continue to inspire.

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR

Website: https://www.632nm.com

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:03- Early Life and Education

03:27 - Graduate Studies and Research Funding

05:44 - Postdoctoral Work and Quantum Chemistry

09:45 - Starting at MIT and Collaborations

15:05 - Cold Fusion and Film Making

23:38 - Keith's First Screenplay

28:55 - Filming a Movie at MIT

43:50 - Water Clusters and Quantum Energy

53:54 - Is Cold Fusion Possible?

1:07:13 - Challenges in Fusion Energy

1:12:09 - Advice for Young Scientists

APPENDIX:

1:15:42 - Water Might Be Connected to Dark Matter

1:24:49 - Cosmic Dust and Supernovae

1:28:36 - The Role of Water in the Universe

1:38:32 - The Future of Dark Matter Research

1:51:27 - Water Might Have Been Created Sooner After the Big Bang

#KeithJohnson #MIT #ScienceAndStorytelling #QuantumPhysics #DarkMatter #Astrobiology #BreakingSymmetry

Did the Big Bang really happen? Telescopes, dark matter & cosmic origins explored.

Join cosmologist Brian Keating as we explore the mysteries of the universe, from building telescopes at the South Pole to measuring the polarization of the cosmic microwave background and chasing signs of gravitational waves. We discuss Galileo’s influence, cosmic inflation, and how the Nobel Prize could be changed to better reflect the way we do science.

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Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin

Subscribe:

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Website: https://www.632nm.com

In this episode of the 632nm podcast, Scott Aaronson shares his early fascination with calculus at age 11 and how “rediscovering” old mathematics led him toward groundbreaking work in complexity theory. He gives a lucid explanation of P vs NP, revealing how seemingly trivial questions about verifying solutions speak to some of the deepest unsolved problems in all of computing.

Aaronson also explores the frontiers of quantum computing, from the nuances of quantum supremacy experiments to the idea of quantum money and certified randomness. He explains how amplitudes—rather than straightforward probabilities—unlock powerful interference effects, yet still face limits imposed by measurement. The conversation concludes with a look at the future of fault-tolerant quantum computers and the possibility that we’ve finally reached the ultimate horizon of computability—unless nature has even stranger surprises in store.

02:01 Early Fascination with Mathematics
05:10 Exploring Complexity Theory
09:10 Understanding P vs NP
22:38 The Significance of P vs NP in Cryptography and AI
35:04 Mapping Problems and NP Completeness
38:37 Quantum Computing and BQP
41:41 Shor's Algorithm and Cryptography
45:39 Simulating Quantum Systems
52:04 Digital vs Analog Quantum Computers
58:18 Grover's Algorithm and Quantum Speedup
01:02:04 Challenges in Quantum Algorithm Development
01:06:41 Beam Splitter Networks and Quantum Sampling
01:15:22 Quantum Computing and Information Storage
01:17:24 Shor's Algorithm and Factoring Numbers
01:20:56 Google's Quantum Supremacy Demonstration
01:49:19 Quantum Money and Unclonable Cash
01:57:15 The Future of Quantum Computing

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Website: https://www.632nm.com

In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we explore cutting-edge ideas in epigenetics and academic publishing. Oded Rechavi reveals how C. elegans worms defy conventional genetics by passing on traits through small RNAs, and discusses how these mechanisms might reshape our understanding of heredity. We also hear about a remarkable experiment hijacking Toxoplasma gondii—the so-called “cat parasite”—to deliver proteins into the brain, opening possible routes for new therapies.

Beyond the lab, we explore problems with modern publishing, from glacial review timelines to flawed incentives that push quantity over quality. Learn how AI-driven solutions might speed up peer review, allow scientists to focus on what truly matters, and help keep the spark of curiosity alive.

02:33 The Journey of Memeing on Twitter
06:50 Frustrations with Scientific Publishing
13:36 AI in Scientific Reviews
23:57 The Joys and Challenges of Academia
28:25 The Dead Sea Scrolls Project
45:15 Exploring Epigenetic Processes
47:16 Advantages of C. Elegans in Research
51:45 Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance
57:07 Challenges in Human Epigenetic Research
01:08:58 Model Organisms in Scientific Research
01:14:50 Innovative Brain Parasite Research
01:22:11 The State of Academic Science
01:29:19 Balancing Science and Life in Israel
01:32:00 Improving the Scientific System

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Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin

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Website: https://www.632nm.com

In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we explore how diamond-based nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers went from being a curiosity in gemstone physics to a transformative tool for precision magnetometry. You’ll hear how these tiny defects enable room-temperature quantum sensing, providing ultra-high spatial resolution and remarkable resilience in extreme conditions—from planetary research unlocking secrets of our solar system’s earliest days to potential biomedical diagnostics. Our guest recounts the serendipitous connections, engineering challenges, and surprising scientific discoveries along the way.

We also discuss how interdisciplinary collaborations spark new ideas, how startups and academia differ in their pursuit of quantum breakthroughs, and why community-driven science can accelerate major scientific leaps.

00:42 The Fascination with Diamonds and NV Centers
02:58 Early Research and Collaborations
10:21 Breakthroughs and Applications in Science
50:48 Advancements in Magnetic Imaging
51:59 Commercial Applications of Quantum Diamond Microscopes
01:02:16 Challenges in Translating Research to Products
01:11:11 Future Prospects and Innovations
01:36:46 Exploring Quantum Systems and Defects
01:39:03 The Harvard Quantum Community
01:44:53 Precision Measurement and Quantum Applications
01:54:28 Advice for Aspiring Scientists

*Follow us:*
Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast
Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/
Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky
Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov
Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin

*Subscribe:*
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR
Website: https://www.632nm.com