Let's start with the knowledge that we could do without. Our guide to the farthest reaches of the universe is Rocky Kolb who, despite his un-serious first name, is a most serious astronomer from the University of Chicago. In his talk entitled
Beyond Einstein: The Dark Side of the Universe, he raises two awe-inspiring questions: What is the dark matter holding our galaxy together; and, what is the dark energy pulling our universe apart? The answers to those questions involve being able to traverse intellectually the distance between the inner space of the quantum and outer space of the cosmos.
Even if the mind boggles, be assured that Rocky Kolb is as intelligible and unthreatening a navigator as you could wish for, even though he did say that the best way to keep chatty people on an airplane at a distance is to "tell someone you're a theoretical astrophysicist and they quickly turn their attentions back to the in-flight magazines."
MP3: - Rocky Kolb
