David Kaiser is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science in MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society, Professor of Physics in MIT's Department of Physics, and also Associate Dean for Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) in MIT's Schwarzman College of Computing. Kaiser's historical research focuses on the development of physics in the United States during the Cold War, looking at how the discipline has evolved at the intersection of politics, culture, and the changing shape of higher education. His physics research focuses on early-universe cosmology, working at the interface of particle physics and gravitation. He has also helped to design and conduct novel experiments to test the foundations of quantum theory.He is presently Chair of the Editorial Board of MIT Press, and also serves on the advisory boards for Nautilus and Undark magazines. Kaiser's work has been featured in such venues as Nature, Science, and Scientific American; the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Huffington Post, and the London Review of Books; and on National Public Radio, BBC Radio, and NOVA television programs. On this episode, he sits down with James Ryerson to discuss his career, the nature of quantum entanglement, and the life and afterlife of a New York Times piece he wrote about the history and science of physics in November 2014.

Supported by the John Templeton Foundation

Hosting and production by James Ryerson

Editing and executive production by Joseph Fridman

Theme composition by Stephen LaRosa of Wonder Boy Audio

Logo design by Jacob Feldman and Joseph Fridman

Special thanks to Lisa Feldman Barrett, Yvonne Malcolm and the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University, the New York Times audio team (specifically, Annie Brown, Brad Fisher, Daniel Powell, and Lisa Tobin), Mia Lobel at Pushkin Industries, and Jennifer Dale and her team at CUNY Newmark School of Journalism.