Brian Cox on how black holes could unlock the mysteries of our universe

When black holes disappear, what happens to the stuff that fell in? Physicist Brian Cox explains.
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Brian Cox explains the significance of black holes in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity and a deeper understanding of space and time. According to Cox, black holes are intriguing because they challenge the compatibility of quantum theory and general relativity, creating a fundamental clash in our understanding of nature. Unifying these two pillars of physics is a major goal for theoretical physicists, and black holes are crucial in this pursuit.
He also delves into the characteristics of black holes, describing the event horizon as a boundary between the external universe and the interior of the black hole.
In conclusion, he says, black holes play a pivotal role in our understanding of the universe, pushing scientists to explore the nature of space, time, and the fundamental laws of physics. They offer a glimpse into something deeply hidden, potentially leading to a profound shift in our comprehension of reality.
Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/series/the-big-t...
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About Brian Cox:
Brian Cox obtained a first class honors degree in physics from the University of Manchester in 1995 and in 1998 a Ph.D. in High Energy Particle Physics at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg. He is now Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, The Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Brian is widely recognized as the foremost communicator for all things scientific, having presented a number of highly acclaimed science programs for the BBC watched by billions internationally including ‘Adventures in Space and Time’ (2021), ‘Universe’ (2021), ‘The Planets’ (2018), ‘Forces of Nature’ (2016), ‘Human Universe’ (2014), ‘Wonders of Life’ (2012), ‘Wonders of the Universe’ (2011) and ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ (2010).
As an author, Brian has also sold over a million books worldwide including ‘Black Holes’, ‘Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos’, ‘Quantum Universe’ and ‘Why Does E=mc2?’ with co-author Professor Jeffrey Forshaw. He has set several world records for his sell-out live tours, including his most recent tour Horizons which has taken in venues across the globe.

[@momszycat4148]

Please have Brian Cox on more often.

[@xacbe]

Ok, we are going to do whatever it takes to accomplish that 😊

[@captaintoyota3171]

This should be said to the human population of earth, "put Prof. Briam Cox on"

[@saumyadeepbhaumik6792]

Exactly this I was going to type

[@alexbranton426]

Was this a careful second attempt at wording “more cox please!”

[@hindugoat2302]

Your mother loves Cox

[@skyhawkheavy7524]

Brian Cox is probably one of the best at explaining complex things so that we can all be part of those discoveries and be part of that fantastic astronomy journey.

[@michaelc3977]

Insert valueless sycophantic comment above

[@streetchronicles5693]

is it the accent? the soft voice? or the science that doesnt add up?

[@skyhawkheavy7524]

@@michaelc3977 your insecurity turns you into a hater. Bro must be very sad in his life.

[@oldmate99]

Botox lips

[@dademags77]

He confuses you with stuff most of us know nothing about and none of us can dispute because we wouldn’t know where to look. He speaks the biggest lot of rubbish ever. He’s never been near a black hole, never sent a probe near a black hole, so how on earth he can make these assumptions is based on no actual knowledge, no 100% proved knowledge it’s just another type of faith.

[@staticsound1422]

Brian has a gift of assembling the right words together when he talks about physics. He helps you think the way a physicist does in simple terms. Not many scientists have this talent because their minds think so quickly, they can't put the words together that make any sense to us. I think the ah-ha moment when one begins to understand what Brian is talking about is what so many young want-to-be scientists are looking for. He provides that one, thought-provoking spark that you find yourself thinking all day about. He will inspire many of our youth to be scientists and they will continue to unlock the secrets of the universe for all of us.

[@OriginalPuro]

A professional can explain to professionals. And expert can explain to anyone.

[@joejoe7562]

He appears to be doing the lecture ad-hoc w/o notes. He doesn't seem to be screen reading.

[@ABCDEFG12468]

Damn bro

[@AlphaWasSpotted]

​@@OriginalPurowell said

[@tamarasmiles5196]

After reading a book on the concepts of quantum physics and black holes about 20 yrs ago , the concept about them actually being a star or planet which has broken down and is in its last stages or cycles of existence seemed like a reasonable personal theory to me - very interesting. Really enjoy feeling curious about the world . Thank you for putting out such a well done talk or presentation.

[@charliesophia75]

“Information is conserved by the universe” this is such a nice way to think of those who have left us, and those who we’ve lost. No one is ever really gone.

[@Erri-kb6et]

That was the exact reaction of my mother when I told her about Lavoisier's law for chemistry reactions. No atoms or molecules dissapear, they just change form, they interact but are still there.

[@HighHell99]

So afterlife does exist?

[@JimStyslinger-hq9sq]

@charliesophia75 in other words, the matter of your body that was left behind is that "information" you're referring to... But once a person dies, they lose their consciousness and it's pretty much game over for their "soul" so to speak...

[@JimStyslinger-hq9sq]

@HighHell99 no lol. Think again pal.

[@HighHell99]

@@JimStyslinger-hq9sq What makes you so sure?

[@KevinJB1966]

Brian Cox is undoubtedly the best communicator of science to the "common" person. His ability to take such complex topics and make them accessible to non specialists is amazing.

[@SteveNinetyski]

Undoubtedly the best? I personally find him unbearable....so that ruins your point.

[@SteveNinetyski]

You have no idea how malleable you are. You are the perfect 2024 type of citizen....suckerrrrrrrr.

[@bokiNYC]

​@@SteveNinetyskiI mean, OK, that's your point of view but what do you find unbearable exactly? And who else in this field do you prefer listening more? Genuinely interested. Thanks.

[@user-we6io3lu2u]

Maybe now but Richard Feynman was the best for me.

[@porkchopexpress2437]

Agreed. He has a wealth of knowledge and he's very humble as well.. Doesn't talk down to the general public. Very informative too. The best there is at the moment. Much 🙌.

[@devdas8204]

This is the best explanation of black holes I have ever heard. I believe Brian Cox is able to explain so well because he really understands the concept. Reminded me of Feynman. Great editing.

[@meatpie29]

He is truly gifted yes.

[@Robinson8491]

Also total ASMR I love it

[@Zod_JB]

@@Robinson8491 100%! I don’t know what it is about this man’s voice but I might have to related to this just to hear him talk 🤣

[@remnantime3672]

I don't understand it😢.. It's all assumptions that's all it is

[@Damaxyz]

​@@remnantime3672 If you don't understand it how can you come to the conclusion that it's all assumptions?

[@s4awd2]

I love that no matter how mind boggling the universe is, scientists treat it like any other puzzle and are grinding it out. Instead of being blown away, they keep digging and using math/science to figure it out like any detective not affected by the tragedy of a brutal crime but figuring out how it happened getting the full explanation of events, motive etc.

[@georgie5870]

that's a perfect comparison for it

[@TommyCollins-qv4yi]

chasing after the wind is meaningless

[@4po11yon.]

Exactly. To the point where they had to use new type of physics, quantum mechanics

[@W.0.W.]

That’s one way of looking at it

[@BangDman]

No. Black Holes can not unlock mysteries of our universe. To do that.. you have to make contact with E.T they existed before the big bang. Cheers.

[@alexpapa8354]

To be honest I dont know anything about what he says but he's calming nature when he talks makes me understand. I would listen to him the whole day.

[@Fallenhazel]

I've always found Black Holes fascinating, but I've never connected them with that line, "End of Time." It's very poetic.

[@momszycat4148]

I don't know,I'm a dummy but I'm thinking it could be the beginning of somthing?

[@Fallenhazel]

@@momszycat4148 You're no dummy, and yes, it could be the beginning as well as the end. Maybe, like a Yin and Yang.

[@izy205]

⁠@@momszycat4148not dumb at all it’s no coincidence that the two unexplainable singularities in our theories (the big bang and black hole singularities) are so similar. Curious how our maths break down in the same way when trying to explain them

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

@@Fallenhazel What happens to matter after it has fallen beyond the event horizon? According to Kip Thorne there is no singularity, but pure warped spacetime which means it creates gravity without mass. The energy of the mass was put into the curvature of spacetime. So there could well be a firewall behind the event horizon that reduces all matter to energy. But, that is all moot if the black hole represents the end of time, this means that all matter is hanging against the event horizon, from outside perspective, seemingly frozen in time and nearly black. Another paradox.

[@axle.australian.patriot]

@@paulmichaelfreedman8334 An interesting concept that I have held personal theorys on for some time goes like this (Mr Cox eluded to this in the presentation). Theoretically, space-time changes or swap states (Think of it a little like space time as a particle for a moment with a positive and negative pole, but in this case the 2 opposing states are space and time). When this change occurs, space becomes time, and time now becomes space. Time now stopped at the event horizon is in essence now infinite, so after the swap space now become infinite and what was space now become the component of time.. We have found ourselves emerging (Maybe even inflating) into a new infinite universe. It's a weird concept for us humans to conceptional but has many implications that not only explains the big bang (Inflation) but many other missing parts of physics. The hardest thing is to depart from our normal 3D thinking to be able to accept that "after"crossing the event horizon and looking back it would appear as if we are emerging from a central point (Like the big bang in some sense). Obviously we would not be alive to see it as it would be likely that all matter would be reduced back to some kind of primordial plazma durring the transition.

[@ashleyellis182]

Every single video or TV show that Brian Cox is a part of, is just simply mesmerising. Explains things in such amazing and beautiful detail, it's not something that anyone could ever get bored of.

[@ukleth]

We already knows most of this from an old book 1400 years ago

[@budweiser600]

Dude, your standards are so low.

[@alexanderthegreatsdad.3831]

​@@ukleththe Quran is nothing but an old Harry Potter story book of hate.

[@ukleth]

@@alexanderthegreatsdad.3831 ok i guess if that make you sleep at night

[@ashleyellis182]

@@ukleth Don't know about him, but makes me sleep well at night.

[@Maxim.Nazarenko]

I never thought that Keanu Reeves knows so much about our universe.

[@Flylikea]

😂😂😂

[@geraltdelautreriv]

There's approximately 0,002% ressemblance

[@Maxim.Nazarenko]

@@geraltdelautreriv Maybe.

[@betlogboy3]

He explained everything so simply.. then he said "The simple way to say it.." This guy is amazing.

[@davewalt1781]

It's amazing how he comes up with theories that are virtually impossible. Read the first 5 chapters of Genesis in the Bible to learn the Truth about Creation. God created all things, visible and invisible.

[@omi685]

​@@davewalt1781Yeah, right, as if magic and the invisible daddy in the sky are totally possible 😂

[@davewalt1781]

@@omi685 I believe the Bible is totally God's Word and God created all things, visible and invisible. Please let me know what you believe. Maybe you can convince me I'm wrong.

[@omi685]

@@davewalt1781 I believe in the Enlightenment. The bible is a collection of stories and myths. More than 3,500 different gods are being worshipped worldwide at the moment. More than 18,000 throughout our history. Your religion is an accident of birth.

[@omi685]

@@davewalt1781 A piece of paper isn't proof, especially when there are more than 3,500 different gods being worshipped worldwide at the moment. More than 18,000 throughout history. Your religion is an accident of birth.

[@coreyyandle2142]

I love how gentle and soft spoken he is. Plus i tend to comprehend what he says much better than other scientific speakers.

[@sonyavincent7450]

It's a gift. To pull people in. Perhaps he's a black hole.....

[@sherifaljeddawy2467]

Brian Cox speaking without interruptions is a sermon... salute from Egypt.

[@wudangmtn]

I won’t pretend to understand much of what he is saying, but I could listen to him all day.

[@woutervanlent5181]

Me neither but here and there a sentence which makes it useful to listen . It must be fantastic if you have such brains . Quite lonely too i am afraid . With who can you talk ?

[@simpleguy2557]

@@woutervanlent5181 bro u wanna talk on these kinda topic??

[@woutervanlent5181]

@@simpleguy2557 Ha ha ha , good one ! I'll stick with my wife

[@robertfrost5189]

I am not a physicist, nor a scientist. I am a simple retail employee in California. But, if entanglement happens near the event horizon of a black hole and if, as professor Cox suggests, black holes have a finite lifespan, then could a black hole become large enough and live long enough to pull in so much matter over it's lifetime, that it could eventually collapse on itself again and then detonate as it did when it first went supernova? And if we have not observed or do not have the tools to measure such an occurrence, isn't it possible that our universe was once itself a black hole? If true, could there be other similar black holes that have spawned other universes? If so, because black holes bend the fabric of space time, isn't it possible that we simply aren't able to detect these other universes because the space time in these universes don't overlap? Professor Cox is far and away my favorite scientist to listen to.

[@Salad-Cream-Binge]

This is really well shot and edited. The music, the grading, the pacing, the closeups, the wides, the graphics. Cox seems very relaxed here and it's very well constructed as an edit. Thank you!

[@Silverfish-qv8ig]

It's a horrible balance for his skin tone though! Brutal!

[@PawlTV]

Exactly. This is unbelievably pleasant to watch. Great work!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

The escape velocity explanation just increased my understanding of the topic about 20-40%. And I have a B.S. in Physics and have been reading and learning about cosmology for a few decades. This alone makes the time spent watching worth more than I can tally.

[@tylerchassie7273]

Right? Why have I never head it explained that way before? Kind of annoys me and makes me happy at the same

[@TheD4VR0S]

heres what i dont understand : people can escape the first 100 thousand feet of earths gravity where gravity is at is strongest by traveling at only a few hundred mph (lockheed sr71) so why do they need to speed up to 8 miles per second to travel all the subsequent lots of 100k foot distances i'm pretty sure if a vehicle could maintain an upward motion of 10 mph it would eventually escape gravity or people could walk into space if there was a big enough mountain. edit: just found out the Saturn 5 rocket only had a max speed of 4.35 miles per second

[@saf6996]

Yup! Agree with you. This is a profoundly simple way to explain blackholes. Such a worthwhile lecture from Cox.

[@sophosinio]

@@TheD4VR0S Saturn V never did escape the earth gravity though. Yes, it went to the moon, but it was still under the earth's influence. Planes don't escape the gravity, air resistance at high speed is generating enough lift to overcome the gravity.

[@TheD4VR0S]

@@sophosinio Are you claiming that if saturn 5 instead of going to the moon was instead traveling toward a distant star at 4.3 miles per second it wouldn't get there (granted it may take billions of years) it would only get there if its speed was greater than 6.9 miles per second ? ps: a if you want a star at a distance of greater than 4.5 billion light years because i know your going to claim that's how far earths gravity extends because of the age of the earth and the speed of gravity.

[@waffle8364]

I feel like death allows us to ask these crazy questions. Everyone reading this comment.... will die one day. but before that we have an insane desire to know why this is all happening. I envy the future because they will have the answers that we could never yet reach

[@RedGrant2008]

The way in which Brian Cox articulates his explanations of all things science, not limited just to the discussion of black holes, (and their mysterious nature) is a flawless, grammatically perfect way that is simply unprecedented among public speakers.

[@kapilsharmaWorld_uncensored]

It's almost magical that we can see such quality content for free.

[@ExtremeFader]

That part about space and time being an emergent property from something deeper and hidden made me cry. I am so moved by this video. It is so beautiful. Thank you. The mysteries of life unite us all.

[@user-uw4ch5ed9y]

Did he say he has a new book out? God I hope so because he'll be doing the rounds promoting it and I haven't seen him for a while. Even just 10 mins with Brian Cox is such a joy and fascinating without compare. He's just fabulous at explaining it and bringing it to life for everyone. Thank you for the vid

[@obied1182]

John wick after going to school

[@AF92.]

😂

[@Finutanslask]

I could listen to Brian Cox all day, what a storyteller he is and he’s describing complicated and complex subjects so well.

[@j.d.blitch5552]

Big Think and Brian Cox is a dream combo. Need more of it.

[@bleue_comme_une_orange]

I could listen to Brian Cox for hours, not only because he enables us to catch a glimpse of progress being made in cutting edge physics but also because his enthusiasm and his insatiable curiosity stimulate mine even further.

[@kristoffermaurer9689]

Simply amazing. If I had Brian as a teacher in school I would probably end up within the science field.

[@ericherman5413]

Dr. Cox is so good at telling all of us regular people about complex stuff.

[@TheAslakVind]

Professor :)

[@ababbington1]

@@TheAslakVindand a doctor. He is a PhD which is a Doctor of philosophy.

[@bradgarrett7159]

@@TheAslakVind He is a doctor, just not the medical type.

[@davidstone-haigh4880]

These ease with which Brian explains subjects and his clear passion make science more accessible to all of us.

[@joghaella9500]

Videos like this bring tears to my eyes because they make me realize just how small and irrelevant my daily life is, and how large and mysterious the world is. A black dot in space being not a place, but a moment in time? That is crazy to think about.

[@mackieincsouthsea]

See for me, we're the birthright of such an immeasurably complex system alongside an impossibly unlikely chain of events. To me, that it ended with 8bn fleshy lumps that can shed a tear in awe of it, surely that's enough relevance, and in ways it all being connected makes nothing "small". I find it all fascinating!

[@friedricengravy6646]

As Carl Sagan reminded us in life & since through recorded messages. Yet, there r men who stake claim to & who kill to defend a tiny spec of land on a tiny planet in the vast space of the universe. (paraphrasing) It really makes borders & war seem ignorant, as we r all human beings living on a single planet. Imagine the progress & functionality of collective thought. Sharing resources, information, experience, & labor. What if human beings measured success by the fate of all humans? Good for many in place of the few…… What a world it would b. Instead we r lead by greed & fear.

[@Coolcarting]

@@friedricengravy6646 Who is lead by greed and fear?

[@friedricengravy6646]

@@Coolcarting 🙄 We live in a world where borders r created for 2 reasons, to protect the citizens & resources. Then at times, countries invade other countries for??? Land, resources, wealth, & power. Thats the macro level. We can then follow the same hierarchy down as far u like. To the state level? Local? Individual family? Personal space?? Its a generality only in the sense that some within the systems/structures/communities, r not focused on greed, wealth, & power, but otherwise, its exactly how our planet is organized. This is why I intentionally used the phrase ‘lead by’.

[@jo2lovid]

"A black dot in space being not a place, but a moment in time?" And what if that time is NOT the 'end of time', but the beginning of time. The release of Hawking radiation could then be the source of the beginning of the universe, the moment of the 'Big Bang'. Perhaps time would then be circular, where Black holes aggregate matter back to the beginning of time, and become the source of all data/matter again?

[@jameswilkes451]

Man... Brian Cox always manages to touch something within my soul and give this sense of incredible awe, especially in the way that he gets you to think about the most fundamental things in reality. It's all down to the way he says things; on a good day he can make you almost feel what the universe is trying to say, and his quote from Einstein "a glimpse into something deeply hidden" made me relate to the many times in my life where I almost came upon an incredible answer, then forgot about it moments later. Meditating on why things exist, while staring at things that exist just because, i.e. rocks, plants, clouds, can really get you into this state and provoke thought. Really thinking about why a rock exists, down into the small vibrations within the atomic lattice itself, really tickles something deep in my soul! Haha.

[@remnantime3672]

Try the bible it makes more sense

[@Mellerrrs]

I absolutely love this comment

[@xristosrizos8406]

​@@remnantime3672why not the Lord of the Rings instead? It's a better fairy tale.

[@remnantime3672]

@@xristosrizos8406 . The bible is real... try reading it

[@nikolaibuus5884]

lol@@remnantime3672

[@cadencopley1617]

You can see how excited he gets about his work. It is beautiful

[@jivescript]

when explaining these theories its so helpful to be able to see graphics and illustrations to help understand and imagine the what is being described.

[@rcchristian2]

I dig this guy so much! He is as compelling as Carl Sagan was before he died. This guy even though you can tell he's getting older... still looks like a lil boy... with that big smile he always has on his face.. that makes you smile. He explains things so easily and clearly! Please have this guy on more!

[@kevinjenkins6986]

Brian Cox is a brilliant teacher! I love hearing him speak because you can tell he genuinely understands the very big and very small pictures and is at the cutting edge of theorizing how they interact. It’s cool to think about how time “stops” inside a black hole, so as it is a point in space with no time. The thing that intrigues me is what happens to matter in the singularity, especially in a super massive black hole

[@fett713akamandodragon5]

It's a super dense mass of particles, quarks, bosons, leptons or fermions etc. For super massive Black Holes, I'd have to imagine it squashes down even beyond the particles we're aware of.

[@TheAGreenA]

Time is impossible to imagine when entering a blackhole. Atoms that enter the blackhole get ripped apart into it’s smallest subatomic components and eventually squeezed into what is known as the singularity. As Brian Cox states we still don’t truly understand and probably will never understand what happens to matter when it enters into the blackhole and where it goes. Imagine gravity is so strong that light which travels at 671 million miles an hour cannot escape the gravitational pull of these monsters. At that speed you would be able to reach jupiter in less than hour. Just to give you an idea if you were to drive a car going 210 km/h on a straight highway towards jupiter it would take you 425 years to reach the gas giant…

[@fett713akamandodragon5]

@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist1 Your imaginary friend has no business in discussions of science, keep it to yourself freak.

[@willkelly7370]

It’s not really a point in space without time. Space-time is one construct. Keyword Brian used is time stops for the observer, if you were near the singularity time would still be moving normal for you. But for an external observer it would seem to stop. Such is the beauty of relativity

[@fett713akamandodragon5]

@@TheAGreenA The matter doesn't go anywhere but onto the singularity's surface, it's still a physical object.

[@DudeSilad]

That was the best explanation I've heard of black holes. When I watch or read anything about black holes, the information just bounces off my head, back into space! But some of that info actually got in!

[@mrpearson1230]

One of my favorite people to listen to. Physicist & rock star Brian Cox

[@harryhay-fz7gs]

🎉

[@mikenewtonninja9379]

I'm not sure he's a rock star bruv, the Labour Party (Tony Blair at the time) used his bands song to promote thier manifesto. hardly biting the heads off bats or slaying stuff!

[@rbs6742]

Amazing! Very well commented, explained and illustrated. Thanks, Big Think and Brian Cox.

[@mattp.272]

He is not beyond simplifying his language and complex concepts so the non-scientist can understand, yet he stays on topic and explains the subject in a way that is still super interesting.

[@rdsamsterdam6430]

I could listen beyond the borders of time listening to people like mr. Cox with their explanations and theories of space.

[@andrewfrank7222]

Brian Cox simply speaks with clarity that most mortals do not have. He says thinks like “we don’t know” and makes it sound incredible !!

[@michaelsoderling9451]

Mindblowing. Also: My deepest admiration for Dr. Cox's magic ability to make such a complex issue understandable to a layman.

[@MrVaug]

The escape velocity explanation opened my eyes on black holes. So many more questions now, fascinating. The singularity, what is that made of? What atoms or parts of atoms are crushed together or is there maybe just one particle in its makeup that could go so dense that all other particles are expelled out as energy?

[@Manoj_Gangineni]

my son is just 3 years 5 months , he always talks about black hole and he is very much interested on these things . Every time he ask me to put Tv to learn about solar system , asteroids and collisions. Nebula ( which I even don’t know ) and galaxies .He wants to know more and more about black hole and nebula . Not sure what’s going on him. Better I want to take him with best astro physicist. He don’t like to watch or see anything apart from solar system . Being 3 years 5 month old , he likes you more . Everyday night , I want to tell him stories about universe , galaxies etc . To make him understand I’m learning these topics . Thanks for inspiration

[@B0bby1122]

One thing i find interesting is that before we observed black holes, equations showed such things exist. The same way Einstein equations showed that the universe is expanding before they observed it. So what about worm holes, although they may possibly not be naturally occurring, but the equations show they are possible. I see them as the key to allow us to be able to travel the universe, because even travelling at the speed of light is way too slow due to the size of the universe.

[@BigNewGames]

Einstein's equations did not show the universe was expanding before they observed it. It was astronomers who discovered galaxies were moving away from us in every direction, to which led them to assume a big bang happened which started it all. They assumed because all the galaxies were moving away from us that our galaxy was located at the center of the theorized big bang. Einstein claimed the universe was static, not expanding or contracting. Einstein didn't know if the effects of gravity were infinite or not. He first proposed, if a big bang happened and gravity was not infinite then the most distant galaxies would continue to move away from us at a constant. So he came up with his cosmological constant and gave it a zero value, for not expanding or contracting. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if the influence of gravity was infinite. So he proposed if it were infinite, then the most distant galaxies would be slowing down, come to a halt relative to us and then begin reversing directions till everything in the universe came back together in what he called a big crunch. Never did Einstein's equations predict an accelerating expanding universe because he assumed it was static. Then, Edwin Hubble observed the most distant galaxies were not slowing down but actually accelerating. Einstein then admitted the cosmological constant was his biggest blunder. In fact, his big crunch was another blunder. Never did his equations predict the accelerated expansion of space with distance. If his equations did, then why the heck would he assume the universe might end in a big crunch?

[@joehebert789]

Wormholes are thought to be profoundly unstable as far as we can tell at this time. They will remain a mode of travel only in science fiction for quite a while, if not forever.

[@B0bby1122]

@@BigNewGames well in 1927 Georges Lemaître who worked along Einstein saw that the general theory of relativity equations suggested the universe is expanding. The equations were showing it but Einstein didn't like the idea. He wrote it in a paper. Then in 1929 Hubble was the first to observe the universe is expanding.

[@axle.australian.patriot]

I really don't think the universe is expanding. I think it is just an illusion created out of the same concept as Inflation. More likely the universe is "Deflating" from my perspective :)

[@ViTiiONz]

The difference is that there are no equations showing that wormholes should exist. It's true that there's no reason space couldn't distort such that 2 points touch and create a wormhole, but there's no equations pointing to any mechanism that would result in that happening. We know that spacetime in our universe is flat, so it's not really reasonable to expect it to be possible to distort it at our will to create wormholes between 2 places that we want to travel between. Your point about the universe being too big to travel even at the speed of light is also not quite accurate. Relativity tells us that time and length both distort with velocity. From the perspective of a photon, time doesn't pass at all as it travels. A photon will complete it's journey to infinity without any time passing at all. When we talk about light years, we're talking about the distance (as we measure it) that a photon can travel in a year from our frame of reference, not from the frame of reference of the photon. While we won't be able to travel at the speed of light, the closer we could get to it, the greater the distortion of time and length we will experience. If we ever do manage to explore the galaxy, it will likely be because we developed technology that allows us to travel at a great enough speed that these distances can actually be covered within a reasonable time frame.

[@robfut9954]

I googled black holes on high school computer class. Got detention, never looked into them since.

[@-cali-gbpacker559]

😂😂

[@armandobaltazar7294]

💀

[@keanebergling4051]

😂😂😂😂

[@beckichaplin1974]

Black holes remind me of compost bins. You put the material in and it transforms into building blocks for something else. Fertile soil. Remarkable spark and curiosity, he has. Contagious. Brilliant.

[@trevoradams8675]

I have so much respect for Brian Cox and his passion. Inspiring.

[@WaqasADay]

“If you look at nature really carefully and keep pulling the intellectual threads, and keep going and keep delving down in what nature seems to be trying to tell us, then if you are lucky and persistent, you can catch a glimpse of something deeply hidden.”

[@HunangsgreifiEldklof]

Absolutely blown away by your storytelling skills! Your soothing voice instantly turns any frown upside down. I'm so grateful for all the knowledge you share; it genuinely ignites a newfound interest in the content. Keep up the amazing work! 🙌 what a great human

[@photografr7]

In my youth, I was the co-director of a public observatory. But this discussion is all new to me.

[@LesterWayneDobos]

Best person I’ve heard talk about black holes. Quantum gravity sounds exciting, just getting some answers to nature’s deepest questions is the most awesomeness thing!

[@brittleann9823]

I love how he explained this! This is the first video about black holes that I've been able to fully comprehend and it made so much sense. 🖤

[@Icemon09]

This man makes me weep tears of joy and makes me feel grateful to be a part of something terrifyingly unknown. We know so little. And this weird thing that we call the universe, has no beginning or end. It breaks my mind of fear and sets me free to live my life.

[@dawnshoolah5047]

I just love how Brian Cox explains things

[@shars.555]

I so appreciate that Brian Cox with such an intelligent mind can explain things so clearly so that I can enjoy these fascinating concepts. Loved this video. Thank you. 🧘‍♂️🙏💙

[@user-qo6jh9lg8y]

I’ve read a lot about black holes even been to one of your shows Brian, but this with the computer animation is the best. Love it carry on doing what you do best

[@Yoshitoshi7]

Just finished Cox's books on black holes, a MUST read for any black holes enthusiastics!

[@conversation1987]

This is the simplest explanation I ever heard! Goal is really to meet him in person. Please more videos with him!

[@kristofferninovaquilar8573]

More of Brian's understanding, please.

[@alanbrown2888]

Brian is a gift to science & understanding.

[@cheflazy]

See the thing is.....Brian understands everything he is saying at a fundamental level, which then allows him to explain it to people who are not well versed in Physics

[@grapeshott]

Wait, so how did Laplace know that light had a definite speed, 200 years before Einstein?

[@baktashgod]

Laplace did not specifically know that light had a definite speed, as this understanding developed after his time. However, he was involved in the gravitational measurements of Earth and the Moon, where he observed that the apparent position of a celestial body is not its actual position due to the finite speed of light. This discrepancy suggested to Laplace the possibility that light takes time to travel from one point to another. His work was influential in laying the groundwork for understanding the concept of the finite speed of light.

[@arrowpaine]

In 1676, the Danish astronomer Ole Roemer (1644-1710) became the first person to measure the speed of light. Roemer measured the speed of light by timing eclipses of Jupiter's moon Io. So yeah, people knew the speed of light before Einstein.

[@baktashgod]

​@@arrowpaine Rømer realized that this variation was due to the finite speed of light, and he estimated it to be around 225,000 kilometers per second. Although Rømer's estimate was not precise, it was the first demonstration that light does indeed have a finite speed.

[@MikeGuerrero93]

Just guessing. Probably he did not think it had a definite speed. He might as well just thought anything could accelerate faster than light (whatever it's speed was).

[@2liter8]

This dude is a rare person. Someone you can listen to and who speaks slowly and clearly without redundancy and stumbling over words.

[@edge9380]

Brian Cox is brilliant, the way he explains even a child can understand

[@ledaros6348]

If a black hole slowly loses mass, wouldn’t that mean at some point it would become visibile again as the escape velocity < c at some point?

[@KrizTahimic]

What an amazing explanation! I'm already fascinated by the black hole/escape velocity explanation, but it keeps getting better! Didn't expect to reach up to the latest research and somehow feel I have a better grasp of it!

[@user-sl5rq6sm4m]

*Laughs in taxes*

[@Andrew-lo5sc]

The way he describes it is very interesting. He genuinely wants to understand. His curiosity gives it away.

[@everythingisalllies2141]

No, he genuinely want to tell you what to think. The real question should be "Why would anyone in their right mind believe in Black Holes"? And no, they dont have "photos of Black Holes" they have computer generated images of what they wanted to see.

[@watts18269]

@@everythingisalllies2141it must be so unbelievably tiring actively forcing yourself to be an ignoramus your whole life 😂

[@everythingisalllies2141]

@@watts18269 better than not thinking at all, and just accepting nonsense pretending that its real science.

[@BruderAdrian]

I've been listening to Brian Cox to go to bed for years now. He's an awesome dude I gotta say his soothing voice just gets me right every time.

[@user-cv2tc8ql7l]

an excellent storyteller! That was such a great story and the way you told it was mesmerizing!

[@alexhawes6690]

This makes me feel like a small and insignificant part of the universe which is more comforting than I thought, nothing would be as bleak as knowing all, that would truly feel like the end.

[@fancyhat6505]

We're small but far from insignificant. As far as we know, we are the only part of the universe that is capable of understanding itself. The only part where life has survived long enough to come up with "meaning".

[@SinisterBlackheart]

Imagine on the other side of all these blackholes the energy is converging onto one spot. It's being compressed until all the energy in our universe is absorbed into the one singularity. It wouldn't be the process of entropy and acting chaotic, instead, it would be through the process of negentropy and becoming orderly. Eventually, the universe goes through labor and gives birth resulting in the big bang and tearing a hole back into this universe. The birth of a new universe, to grow and expand and eventually die again. The infinite cycle of life.

[@donnythedealer9761]

Brian Cox was a part of my childhood, and he's now a part of my adulthood. He's remarkably good at explaining stuff.

[@Shafiullahsoomro]

He explained very gently. I never understood the things he said before until I listened him. Amazing

[@soupeducrayon]

This was food for my soul! Very well produced...& and Prof always delivers the knowledge

[@eternalsharringan]

Ironic, considering these "scientists" are trying to tell you that you don't have a soul.

[@tera1755]

I too have my own suspicions of black holes coupled with the fractal element of nature. I can’t help but suspect that we may find our universe was started by a back hole. As it were, the “center” of a black hole is an “output” that produces a universe. All speculative, but it’s the current conclusion I find compelling.

[@-LSC]

This is based purely on speculation, but I believe black holes are portals to / from other dimension/ universe for creations that are able to go through, which our naked eye isn’t allowed to witness, say angels.

[@richardbroad2848]

​​@@-LSCI think this too. They collect material from one universe, strip it down to the most basic structures possible into a point over a very very (very) long time. At some point they spew it all out to the "other side". On that other side it's seen as a big bang, should any sort of life form from those elements be able to evolve somewhere info life that's able to eventually invent a JWST. In the spewed out universe eventually black holes form and it goes on and on and on. Nothing is ever lost. I think in this sense we never really die.

[@SheSweetLikSugarNSavage]

That was lovely and yet so sad. I never thought I could feel sad for a black hole. But the way he explains it makes sense... death of the star separated them but they are entangled. The other can not enter into the darkness, and must go into the light and because they are forever entangled what happens to the one happens to the other. And this keeps repeating with each particle until they are all rejoined.... until finally the black hole is gone. They're rejoined because of the entanglement like star-crossed lovers...? But where did they go?😢❤

[@jameslee8997]

Brian Cox adds passion and humanity to abstract concepts such as quantum physics. Had he been my physics professor, I would have probably become a physicist- albeit a KZbinr one.

[@jamesjones5020]

I've never been interested in black holes but this man engages you into his field of work quite extraordinary . I hope him and his colleagues have an astronomical discovery and it changes our concepts of black holes in general going forward . Mesmerising information.

[@pondlakes]

the greatest ambassador for physics and space sciences of all time

[@gollese]

How can black holes NOT interest someone.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

It's crazy how fine tuned the universe is that we have life and not a universe that is just black holes.

[@SteveNinetyski]

All that says to me is that you have a malleable brain like most people in this era. "Oh I like blackholes now, because Brian has such a big smile and soft voice and overuses the word profound"

[@SteveNinetyski]

Also, while I am here...what is YOUR concept of a black hole? (considering you said you had no previous interest)...and how would you like "our concept of black holes to change"? Your comment is the epitome of typing words but saying nothing.

[@javmoney]

This man is an absolute legend

[@LikeALocofirefly]

My earbuds glitched for a minute throughout this so for a while his voice came in half a second late in one ear. 10/10 experience enjoyed hearing about physics from an echoey ethereal voice thanks Brian

[@avoidconfusion]

I could listen to Brian Cox for days

[@Bc232klm]

This is the best Big Think video in years. Thank you for this.

[@phishhead42032]

He is a great educator. Got me interested in this subject. I wish I could turn back time and work in this field

[@jaredklements729]

This man has the calmest voice of any physicist that I’ve ever heard.

[@y3rdop478]

That was something so deep and beautiful ending ❤😊totally mesmerize the soul

[@darianw.]

That’s so exciting! I would love to know more about the deeper nature of our universe. I think I was just born too early to understand all that. Maybe one day the humans will unlock all the secrets of the universe… Makes me crazy sometimes to know so little about the reality we life in

[@n1msu]

I've not heard from Brian Cox for a good few years now, he is a remarkable teacher, and certainly hasn't lost his passion or his ability to teach in a way that most people can understand.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Aside from pretending the universe never had a finite start because it refutes his Atheism. That's an interesting way to teach science...

[@brandonmcgregor9912]

@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep I take it you don't know what a "theory" is.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

@@brandonmcgregor9912 I take it you don't know mankinds most proven knowledge the spacetime theorems have established the universe is not cyclical or eternal thus requires a finite start thus causal agent. Clearly you haven't the vaguest clue what I was referencing.

[@brandonmcgregor9912]

@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep You are whining about Brian Cox "pretending" the universe never had a finite start. It's a *working theory*. Hence I suggested you don't know what a theory is as it is not a proven and undeniable fact. And then making a leap to insult his atheism. You are just acting childish. Not to mention you are clearly being verbose to try and sound more clever than you actually are.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

@@brandonmcgregor9912 lmao I don't think you realize how much of a fool you are making of yourself. By your definition everything in all of human history is "theory" and can be denied outside of basically just math. There is no absolute proof of anything outside of basically just some math. Clearly we do not function as the ridiculous notion you just presented. It's actually mind boggling how dense you are to even have no self awareness to post something so utterly nonsensical.

[@maryghaemi8801]

His voice explaining tough subjects is stil comforting

[@anmolagrawal5358]

He explains in such a soothing and clear fashion

[@sohibjonsuhrobov1101]

🙏 thanks for your invaluable time and effort!

[@gerhardgschwandtner8693]

Thank you Dr. Cox. Excellent presentations beyond any doubt. I think we simply don’t know, and human beings never will, what the “universe really is.” Space if infinite, I think, but no one really knows for sure.❤️

[@user-om6gr5bn8k]

That makes complete sense, the burning book analogy makes this very easy to understand. A black hole is like a blender it just takes everything and makes it to its smallest form and spits it out thank you for explaining this

[@space_explore-]

Can hear Brian talk about space all day

[@TheCircusofFail]

If black holes do have a finite lifespan based on the loss of HR, are we currently able to calculate how long they could exist for? Also, would it remain a black hole when it no longer possesses the mass to maintain the gravity required or would it just “cease to exist” as suggested in the video? Professor Cox is always so interesting, thanks for posting!

[@alextaunton3099]

It does have a finite lifespan, and it basically "evaporates" away

[@Hatemode_NJ]

There's a good video on KZbin called the very last thing to happen in the universe by in a nutshell. Should check it out

[@chem7553]

Brian Cox really makes this science feel magical

[@bobbelleci9995]

And ... Yes, Brian has a way of giving a good speech that makes or helps you understand concepts like black holes. But, I didn't take physics in college so for me, whenever I pick up a book on physics I actually have to re-read the page or other a few times to just partially get it. 😅 Yeah, and years ago at a book store I saw one titled: Schrodinger's Cat. A particle or a wave. In the box they could be both until it's observed. Entanglement theory. 😂 That's amazing!

[@OriginalPuro]

Brian Cox is the Sir David Attenborough of physics, give us more of him. As much as possible. Science is awesome. PS: This is the type of video and information that should be shown EVERYWHERE, always. I am sorry, I hate capitalizing as if I am screaming, but I will do it this one time.

[@chefpaul7518]

Now my internet history shows "Cox on Black holes"