History of Science & Technology Q&A:
History of Science and Technology Q&A (May 7, 2025) »
1 hour 25 minutes
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Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
History of Science & Technology Q&A (91 videos)
Biweekly ask-me-anything about the history of science & technology
New episode streaming Wednesday, June 4, at 3:30pm ET. Submit your questions
History of Science & Technology Q&A:
History of Science and Technology Q&A (April 23, 2025) »
1 hour 28 minutes
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Do you know anything about the history of vaccines? When was the first vaccine developed and for what?
Isn't some important part of how vaccines were discovered completely lost to history?
When was the crucial importance of epigenetics discovered or realized?
What have been your interactions with early-day or notable biotech people & companies (Genentech etc.) and interplay between your own projects/techs and their development if any?
I had no idea Alan Turing was the progenitor of morphogenesis!
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History of Science & Technology Q&A:
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Is there much history on scientists (well known or not) starting companies?
If Leibniz was around today, where do you think he would be working, what would he be doing if he was not in academia?
Any interesting suggestions for history to research?
What's the history of walking meetings? Were there notable practitioners before you?
Was the first GUI+mouse+keyboard predictable beforehand or was it a surprise at the time?
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History of Science & Technology Q&A:
History of Science and Technology Q&A (March 5, 2025) »
1 hour 26 minutes
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What is the history of game theory? What are some successful and less successful applications of this theory? Can you speak about John Nash's work? Did that have any influence on your automata work?
I wonder if that code by Nash exists anywhere? It would be interesting to read.
Do you view the world as being governed by randomness or order?
Would you ever write a book intended to explain the history of the ruliad/Physics Project?
Have you studied the history of cognitive neurological abilities of scientists throughout the ages, things like long-term memory, imagination, creativity...?
Do scientists invent tools first and then look for a problem to use them on, or do they find a problem first and then invent the tool to crack it?
What is your favorite "age" of science?
How did early mechanical computers like the Babbage Engine influence modern computing?
Do you think Ada would have had more success in science and math today than she did when she was alive?
Would you say you research more of the history of people or history of their projects/research? Which do you find more useful?
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History of Science & Technology Q&A:
History of Science and Technology Q&A (February 19, 2025) »
1 hour 27 minutes
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Can you talk about the history of pi?"Pi day of the century."
Is pi still being researched today? Or is it a solidified concept?
Was there always a connection between "pi" and "pie"?
Can pi be used for data compression?
Is the only reason pi shows up more than tau because we USE pi more often? If we used tau, it would have been 24/tau^2 instead of 6/pi^2, right?
How was your experience with slide rules? Did Leibniz or Newton use tools like a slide rule?
My 8th-grade (1983-ish) teacher didn't allow calculators, but he let me use my slide rule.
Would you rather be stuck with just a slide rule or just an abacus?
What is your favorite "artifact from the past" that you own... any interesting stories?
What's your favorite artifact from the future?
Many key ideas in computer science existed before we had the hardware to implement them (Turing's computer, neural networks in the 1940s). What ideas today do you think are ahead of their time in the same way?
Technology has progressed at an incredible rate during the last two centuries. That seems quite unusual relative to other periods in history. Are we bound to enter a new era of stagnation or regression? Or can we just keep going?
How would you think about cellular automata if you were born in, say, ancient Greece/Rome or Egypt? Or even the 1800s?
Is there a history of people discovering the concept of the ruliad and thinking about it from a different perspective (mathematical, scientific, religious or otherwise)?
I would be interested in hearing about the bug of Alan Turing.
It seems like our definitions of "science" and "technology" have evolved over the years. Are they historically the same thing?
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History of Science & Technology Q&A:
History of Science and Technology Q&A (February 5, 2025) »
1 hour 33 minutes
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When was complexity science invented? Was there a further back history than digital?
They always forget Aristarchus.
What role did category and type theory play for mathematics?
How would you think about approaching alchemical literature, knowing that it mostly employed coded language rather than being about literal transmutation into gold?
Was Newton not an alchemist?
The real secret is it's tungsten that can be turned into gold, hence the name "Wolfram Research."
Dirac, Einstein, Turing and Feynman are sitting in a room. What is the single word they all immediately agree on?
So... Dirac answered in Dirac delta function style?
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