Is the Big Bang truly the beginning, or just a moment in an eternal cosmic cycle? This episode investigates Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC), the application of Loop Quantum Gravity that challenges the concept of infinite density. By treating gravity as the geometry of spacetime itself, LQC introduces a repulsive quantum force that prevents the universe from collapsing, suggesting our universe was born from a "bounce" rather than a bang.

We will also look at the hunt for proof: from "Planck stars" hiding inside black holes to the search for "threshold anomalies" in gamma-ray bursts that could prove space is granular. Tune in to understand why LQG is the leading background-independent rival to String Theory and how it attempts to answer the ultimate question: What is the shape of space?

Modern physics is built on two pillars that refuse to stand together: Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity. This podcast breaks down how String Theory attempts to bridge this gap through a "top-down" approach, deducing the known laws of nature from a single fundamental hypothesis. We examine the theory's greatest triumph—the natural emergence of the massless, spin-2 graviton—and its greatest challenge: testability. Tune in to understand how physicists are looking for indirect evidence, such as Supersymmetry, to prove that the fundamental building blocks of our reality are not points, but strings------------------------------------------------------------------Analogy to help visualize the concept: To understand why String Theory suggests we cannot see these extra dimensions, imagine a tightrope walker on a high wire. To the walker, the wire is a single line allowing only forward and backward motion (one dimension). However, to an ant crawling on that same wire, there is a second dimension available: the circular path around the wire's circumference. String Theory suggests we are like the tightrope walker, trapped in our large dimensions, while the extra six dimensions exist tightly curled up at every point in space, accessible only at the microscopic scale of the "ant"#podcast #sciencepodcast #spacepodcast #astronomy #cosmology #astrophysics #physics #spacemysteries #extraterrestriallife #quantumgravity #deeppodcast #newpodcast #newepisode #learnonsound #interstellarpodcast #universe #curiosity #spaceexploration #futureofscience #DeepDiveSpace