Stephen Hawking Loses an Astronomical Bet | WBUR and NPR

TODAY IS SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2010

The following is a "closing segment" for the show which aired Wednesday, July 21, 2004 at 10:00 AM EDT.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 at 10:00 AM EDT

Stephen Hawking Loses an Astronomical Bet

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking conceded today that his famous 1975 theory on black holes was wrong, thus losing one of the most famous bets in the history of science. The author of “A Brief History of Time” originally said that no trace of the matter that enters a black hole ever re-emerges. This assumption allowed science fiction fans to imagine black holes as potential transports to alternate universes.

Physicist John Preskill challenged Hawking’s theory in 1997, asserting his belief that the radiation flowing out from a black hole does, in fact, contain a memory of the matter that originally entered it. Today Hawking finally acknowledged that he agrees with Preskill and apologized to sci-fi fans for closing the book on black hole transports.

Robert Naeye, Senior Editor at Sky and Telescope Magazine, explains the myths and truths of black holes, and the importance of an astronomical bet lost.

Guests:

Robert Naeye, Senior Editor at Sky and Telescope Magazine

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After ‘No Child Left Behind’
Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Obama administration wants to rewrite No Child Left Behind. We’ll ask what’s coming for American education.

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The U.S.-Israel Blowup
Thursday, March 18, 2010

Top Pentagon brass complain the Israel-Palestinian impasse is undermining American interests. We’ll look at the US-Israel moment of crisis.

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Sonny Rollins on Race and Jazz’s Future

Jazz legend Sonny Rollins joined us to reflect on his storied career and give us his thoughts on the future of music. To celebrate his 80th birthday, the hugely influential tenor saxophonist is embarking on yet another national tour.

IED’s in Afghanistan: Hard Numbers

The Department of Defense provided On Point with some statistics about IED attacks in Afghanistan, where there has been an increase in the use of such weapons over the past 14 months. It’s striking to see the spike in numbers — from 2,677 IED incidents in 2007 to 8,159 last year.

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Christopher Hill: U.S. Troop Withdrawal ‘On Schedule’

U.S. Ambassaor to Iraq Christopher Hill spoke with On Point live from Baghdad today as early voting gets underway, part of the run-up to Sunday’s elections. “So far so good,” Hill said, despite scattered violence. Hill said that the plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops by Sept. 1, and to leave only a residual advisory force of 50,000 or fewer, remains “very much on schedule.” Observers worry that a spike in violence could derail that timeline.