Thanks to RY Deshpande for recommending this article.  ~ rj



Mathematics, Purpose, and Truth: An Interview with Astrophysicist  Janna Levin

January 10, 2007

As a theoretical physicist, Janna Levin probes whether the universe is finite or infinite. As a novelist, she explored the separate but parallel lives of two influential 20th-century scientists: Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Their work laid the foundations for computer intelligence while challenging fundamental notions about how we can know what is true.

About the Image
Located in the Bolivian Andes, Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. The irregular, hexagonal cells are a naturally occuring phenomena called Bénard cells. Scientists are trying to understand why these convective cells adhere to deterministic laws at the microscopic level but result in a non-deterministic arrangement, as you see here.
(photo: Cristian V/Flickr)
Unheard Cuts
» Complete, Unedited Interview (mp3, 1:15.32)
We knew as soon as the interview with Janna Levin was finished that it was definitely a show. The issue was "Where do we cut it?" After a series of expansions and contractions, we produced a finely honed hour of audio. Download the entire, unedited conversation and let us know what you think.

SoundSeen: Video
SoundSeen: Jonathan Lethem and Janna Levin on truth and beauty"On Truth and Beauty" (Flash, 7:30)

The science magazine Seed held a salon with acclaimed fiction writer Jonathan Lethem and physicist and novelist Janna Levin in March 2007. They discuss the importance of truth in their art and the impurity of metaphor — and therein lies elegance and beauty.
Voice on the Radio
Janna Levin Janna Levin
Levin is an assistant professor of Astrophysics at Columbia University's Barnard College. She's also the author of two books, including A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines.