Physics, Norse Mythology, and the Quest for Meaning | Cosmology in Colours

We live in the age of quantitative, scientific, and measurable cosmology. On the one hand, we have experiments: the Hubble, Planck, and Webb space telescopes allow us to observe light emitted by the primordial universe, whose residual gravitational waves may reveal to us the secrets of quantum spacetime. On the other, we have theory. Where quantum field theory offers us an extraordinary account of matter, general relativity explains how it deformed our universe during its evolution. With these weapons, we can reach to the edge of the Big Bang.
Nevertheless, it seems as if the more refined these models become, the less humans can feel them close to their hearts. Of course: that's not why they were invented! There is, however, a basic necessity attached to creation stories, a strive that cultures, peoples, and religions have interpreted and shaped for thousands of years. They can, perhaps, teach us physicists what people need. I went to Iceland, interviewed extraordinary academics, and even chatted with a Nobel Prize winner. All this in order to answer a fundamental question: is there a way to narrate cosmology that is scientific and meaningful at the same time?

This is the pilot of the series 'Cosmology in Colours'. Should you be interested in producing the other episodes, please do not hesitate to contact me privately and ask for the subject.

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