Recap

Physics and Cosmology

Art spoke with Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Dr. Janna Levin, about a variety of physics- and cosmology-related topics, including the evolution of the universe, its accelerating expansion and possible end in a fatal contraction. Levin also covered other dimensions, time travel, Albert Einstein, mathematicians Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, and the possibility of other life in the cosmos.

Related Articles

Black Holes Seed Life

Contrary to the popular belief that black holes act as giant cosmic vacuum cleaners, new research shows black holes may be filling the universe with the chemical elements that make life possible. An international team of astronomers looking at the black hole at the center of the NGC 4051 galaxy (pictured) has discovered that warm gas can escape a black hole's gravity and blow elements such as carbon and oxygen into space. This research is being reported in the April 20 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. Read more at PhysOrg.com.

Credit: George Seitz/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF