WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "COSMIC QUERIES," NEIL deGRASSE

TYSON.

YOU GOT A NEW BOOK HERE.

IT'S OUT TODAY.

IT'S CALLED "COSMIC QUERIES," OKAY, ADDRESSING QUESTIONS LIKE,

"WHAT IS LIFE?

HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BIG QUESTION TO PONDER, NEIL TYSON?

>> YEAH, SO, I HAVE MANY BIG QUESTIONS TO PONDER.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BIG QUESTIONS IS THAT THEY DON'T-- YOU CAN'T

SEAL THEM UP IN A TIDY ANSWER.

THEY'RE THESE DANGLING EDGES THAT FORCE YOU TO KEEP THINKING

AND ADDING PIECES AND PARTS TO IT.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW WILL IT ALL END?

ALL RIGHT.

SO THERE'S HOW EARTH ENDS, BUT THAT'S BORING.

WE ALREADY KNOW THAT.

BUT HOW WILL THE UNIVERSE -- >> Stephen: WAIT, HOW WILL

EARTH END?

>> WE GOT THIS ONE.

I WANT TO GET TO-- OKAY.

>> Stephen: ONE SENTENCE.

COME ON, WHATEVER.

THE SUN EXPANDS?

THE SUN EXPANDS?

>> YEAH, THE SUN EXPANDS.

>> Stephen: FINE, MOVE ON.

WAS THAT SO HARD?

>> IT'S DEADLY.

SO THE SUN EXPANDS, EARTH GETS HOT, OCEANS ENTER A ROLLING

BOIL, EVAPORATE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE ATMOSPHERE EVAPORATES INTO SPACE.

AND EARTH BECOMES THIS CHARRED EMBER AS WE DESCEND INTO THE

CALDERON THAT IS THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

AND IT IS THERE THAT WE VAPORIZE.

>> Stephen: THAT'S ALL, FOLKS.

OKAY, NOW WHAT'S THE BIG ENDING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?

>> THE BIG ENDING-- NO, THE UNIVERSE IS ACCELERATING IN ITS

EXPANSION, WHICH SOUNDS PEACEFUL ENOUGH, OKAY.

I DON'T-- I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.

UNTIL YOU REALIZE THAT THAT ACCELERATION WILL NOT ONLY

OCCUPANT STRIP ALL GRAVITATIONAL FORCES CURRENTLY HOLDING THINGS

TOGETHER.

IF THAT ACCELERATION CONTINUES -- AND THERE'S NO REAL REASON TO

DOUBT IT AT THIS POINT-- IT WILL EVENTUALLY OVERCOME MOLECULAR

BONDS THAT ARE HOLDING YOUR FLESH TOGETHER.

>> Stephen: WAIT A SECOND-- >> I'M NOT DONE.

>> Stephen: ARE YOU SAYING I'M EXPANDING, TOO?

>> NOT YET, BECAUSE THE MOLECULAR FORCES REMAIN STRONGER

THAN THE ACCELERATING FORCES IN THE UNIVERSE.

BUT THE ACCELERATING FORCES WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN STRENGTH AS WE

EXPAND.

BECAUSE IT'S A PROPERTY OF THE VACUUM.

AND THE BIGGER THE UNIVERSE, IS THE MORE VACUUM WE HAVE.

ASK THIS WILL CONTINUE, RIP YOUR MOLECULES APART, AND THEN IT

WILL RIP YOUR ATOMS APART.

AND THEN THERE'S A POINT WHERE IT RIPS-- I SHOULDN'T SAY RIP.

IT SEPARATES THEM.

THEN THE VERY FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME ITSELF WILL FALL VICTIM

TO THIS EXPANSION.

AND WE CALL THAT "THE BIG RIP."

AND I AM TERRIFIED WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WOULD

FEEL LIKE.

AND I LAY WEAK AT NIGHT LOOKING UP AT THE CEILING WONDERING.

>> Stephen: WOULDN'T THERE BE SOME TREMENDOUS RELEASE OF

ENERGY ON EACH OF THESE BONDS BEING TORN?

>> SO, WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU GET THE-- SO, THERE ARE OTHER

SCENARIOS IN THE UNIVERSE WHERE YOU HAVE TREMENDOUS RELEASES OF

ENERGY, AND YOU MAKE BASICALLY OTHER BIG BANGZ.

THIS IS HOW YOU GET THE MULTIVERSE.

BY THE WAY, THERE ARE LAYERS OF MULTIVERSES THAT ARE CURRENTLY

-- >> Stephen: DID I JUST-- DID I

JUST REASON MY WAY TONDING THE MULTIVERSE, NEIL?

>> A LITTLE BIT.

YOU WERE-- I WILL GIVE YOU A B-PLUS ON WHERE YOU WERE HEADED.

>> Stephen: I BOAT A BITTY VERSE, A LITTLE BITTY VERSE.

>> A B-PLUS AVERSE.

>> Stephen: WHY ARE THESE EXPANSIONS ACCELERATING?

>> WELL, WE DON'T KNOW, BUT IT IS.

WE MEASURE IT.

AND WE CALL THE THING THAT'S MAKING THAT HAPPEN "DARK

ENERGY."

WE COULD CALL IT FRED.

IT IS DARK, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S MADE OF OF.

IT'S CALLED DARK ENERGY, BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW-- BUT WE CAN

MEASURE IT AND WE KNOW IT'S REAL.

AND IT IS HAPPENING, AND IT IS CURRENTLY OUTSTRIPPING GRAVITY

IN THE LARGEST OF SCALES.

SO, YEAH-- SO, SO-- IF WE DON'T HAVE THE BIG RIP AND WE JUST

EXPAND INTO WHAT WE CALL THE HEAT DEATH, WHERE WE APPROACH

ABSOLUTELY ZERO AND NOTHING HAPPENS, THEN THE-- HOW WILL THE

WORLD END?

NOT WITH A BANG BUT WITH A WHIMPER.

NOT IN FIRE, BUT IN ICE.

>> Stephen: WELL, NEIL, ON THAT POETIC NOTE, THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR BEING HERE "COSMIC QUERIES: STARTALK'S

GUIDE TO WHO WE ARE, HOW WE GOT HERE, AND WHERE WE'RE GOING" IS

AVAILABLE NOW.

PONDER THE BIGGIES WITH NEIL deGRASSE TYSON.

>> IF I CAN LEAVE YOU WITH ONE THOUGHT.

LEARN TO LOVE THE QUESTIONS THEMSELVES.

BECAUSE THEREIN ARE THE SEEDS OF ALL CURIOSITY AND WONDER.

>> Stephen: WHY SHOULD I?

( LAUGHS ) WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY JON BATISTE.

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