How Scientists Actually Study Dark Matter (EP 42)

More from From First Principles

1. 

   S1 · E45 · 29 Jun 2026 · 1 hr

   The Physics of the World Cup: VAR, Smart Balls, and Soccer Aerodynamics (EP 45)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary , this episode is our World Cup special — a deep dive into the science, physics, engineering, and data behind the beautiful game. We start with the offside rule and the controversy around semi-automated VAR. How can a system decide whether a player is onside or offside by only a few inches? Krishna breaks the problem down like an experimental physicist: player speed, ball-contact time, camera frame rate, significant digits, and the error budget behind the line on screen. From there, we get into the actual technology: player tracking, digital twins,…

2. 

   S1 · E44 · 26 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 38 min

   New Rules For Heredity (Non-Mendelian Inheritance of Epigenetics) (EP 44)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary , this episode marks Krishna’s return to the studio after paternity leave — and the timing could not be more fitting. Today’s deep dive is about inheritance: not just the classic Mendelian rules most of us learned in biology class, but the stranger, more dynamic world of non-Mendelian epigenetic inheritance . Starting from Gregor Mendel and his pea plants, Lester and Krishna rebuild the foundations of genetics from first principles: dominant and recessive alleles, Punnett squares, chromosomes, fruit flies, DNA, and the physical mechanism behind…

3. 

   S2 · E43 · 4 Jun 2026 · 43 min

   Dr. Michael Blanton on Open Data, Galaxy Surveys, and the Future of Astronomy (EP 43)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, this episode is the second interview in our ongoing collaboration series with Carnegie Observatories. Krishna sits down with Dr. Michael Blanton, the new Director of the Carnegie Observatories, for a wide-ranging conversation on how astronomy became one of the most data-rich sciences, how the Sloan Digital Sky Survey helped change the culture around open data, what the next era of astronomical data science and AI could look like, and one of the galaxy mysteries Blanton still wants to solve: why the most massive galaxies in the universe stop…

4. 

   S2 · E41 · 13 May 2026 · 37 min

   Dr. John Mulchaey on Carnegie Science and the Future of Astronomy (EP 41)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary , this interview features John Mulchaey , the 12th President of Carnegie Science and former Director of the Carnegie Observatories. The conversation starts with his early work on galaxy groups and dark matter, then expands into how Carnegie works as a scientific institution, what the Giant Magellan Telescope could unlock for exoplanets and astronomy, how science funding actually works, and why eclipse chasing is still one of the most magical experiences in science. Summary Galaxy groups and dark matter — Mulchaey explains why small galaxy groups…

5. 

   S2 · E40 · 29 Apr 2026 · 37 min

   Ant Scans, Lunar Chickpeas, Hidden Galaxies & Superconductivity (EP 40)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary , this rundown episode covers four new science stories at a high level: a huge new 3D ant imaging database built with synchrotron X-ray microtomography, a lunar agriculture experiment that grew chickpeas in simulated moon soil using fungi and worm waste, AI-assisted discovery of strange objects in the Hubble archive, and a new programmatic roadmap for room-temperature superconductivity. There is also another round of Are You Smarter Than a Scientist? in the middle. Summary Particle accelerators meet biodiversity — researchers built a massive…

6. 

   S2 · E39 · 21 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 37 min

   The Prometheus Constellation: Dramaturgical and Scientific Analysis of the Physicists in Oppenheimer (EP 39)

   Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary , this special episode ranks the 26 scientists shown in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer by one standard only: their contribution to fundamental science. Starting with the Manhattan Project figures near the bottom and working up through the giants of quantum mechanics, relativity, nuclear physics, and logic, the episode turns a movie cast list into a surprisingly deep walk through the history of modern physics. Summary A ranking framework that actually means something — this list is based on scientific achievement, not movie prominence, clout, or…

7. 

   E63 · 7 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 21 minNew

   Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 Explained: Mirror Molecules (EP 63)

   Why does life favor one molecular mirror image? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary unpack the science from first principles: chirality, Pasteur's crystals, enantiomeric excess, and how a tiny imbalance can grow into an overwhelming preference for one molecular hand. We connect Kagan's catalyst discoveries and the Soai reaction to medicines, the origins of biological handedness, and the serious concerns around hypothetical mirror life. Plus: symmetry…

8. 

   S1 · E62 · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 Explained: IceCube & Neutrinos (EP 62)

   Why build a telescope inside a billion tons of Antarctic ice? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes Francis Halzen's work on IceCube and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos. In Episode 62 of From First Principles, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary explain neutrinos from the ground up: why these elusive particles make powerful cosmic messengers, how faint flashes of Cherenkov light reveal their interactions, and why detecting them requires an observatory buried deep beneath the South Pole. We follow the path from beta decay and the first neutrino experiments to AMANDA,…

9. 

   S1 · E61 · 5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 11 min

   Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 Explained: Optogenetics (EP 61)

   How do you prove what a brain cell actually does? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine celebrates a remarkable answer: give cells a light-sensitive protein, then switch their activity on or off with light. In Episode 61 of From First Principles, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary explain optogenetics from the ground up and trace the discoveries of Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel and Karl Deisseroth. We follow the story from algae swimming toward light to channelrhodopsins, precisely controlled neurons, and experiments probing memory, reward and behavior. Then we explore heart-brain connections, early…

10. 

    S1 · E60 · 3 Oct 2026 · 41 min

    2026 Nobel Prize Predictions: Medicine, Physics & Chemistry (EP 60)

    Who could win the 2026 Nobel Prizes? From the science behind Ozempic to quantum interference and droplets inside living cells, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary make their picks for Medicine, Physics and Chemistry, and explain the discoveries behind them. In Episode 60 of From First Principles, we explore seven research areas with a case for Nobel recognition: GLP-1, optogenetics, optical coherence tomography, the Aharonov–Bohm effect, atomic force microscopy, biomolecular condensates and Buchwald–Hartwig coupling. We also discuss Michael Berry’s geometric phase and the awkward question of…

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