Gold: the stuff of treasure hunts, fairy tales, alchemy and wedding rings.
Gold is a metal, but, surprisingly, we know little about its origins. How is gold made? How did it get on earth? Why is gold more rare than other metals on Earth? Being the stuff of legends, these seem like questions we should have answered long ago.
In this archive episode of River to River, Ben Kieffer talks with theoretical astrophysicist Brian Metzger, a Burlington local whose research brought some clarity to these long-standing questions.
Later in the episode, Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is a German theoretical physicist and author whose newest book, Existential Physics: A Scientist's Guide to Life's Biggest Questions, covers aspects of the relationship of science with philosophy. We listen back to Kieffer's 2022 conversation with her.
This episode was originally produced on Oct. 28, 2021, and August 12, 2022.
Guests:
- Brian Metzger, professor of physics at Columbia University, senior research scientist at the Flat Iron Institute and Blavatnik Award-winner
- Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder, physicist, author and content creator
