Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll

Dr. Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy — in effect, a joint appointment between physics and philosophy — at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Most of his career has been spent doing research on cosmology, field theory, and gravitation, looking at topics such as dark matter and dark energy, modified gravity, topological defects, extra dimensions, and violations of fundamental symmetries. These days, his focus has shifted to more foundational questions, both in quantum mechanics (origin of probability, emergence of space and time) and statistical mechanics (entropy and the arrow of time, emergence and causation, dynamics of complexity), bringing a more philosophical dimension to his work. 

9 min
Sean Carroll: Can we ever escape the logic of a clockwork universe?
“The universe clicks along in perfect accord with the laws of physics forever.”
A man in a suit sits on a chair against a yellow background with abstract blue and green wave patterns behind him.
1 min
Sean Carroll explains why physics is both simple and impossible
“I like to say that physics is hard because physics is easy, by which I mean we actually think about physics as students.”
A textured, circular black center is surrounded by radiating blue patterns and lines, resembling an abstract eye or a solar eclipse.
6 min
All of the universe’s disorder, explained in 6 minutes
Physicist Sean Carroll on entropy, complexity, and the origins of life:
A person dressed in a tailored suit emerges from a cloud of smoke against a backdrop adorned with kelvin physics equations and diagrams. In 1894, physics seemed complete. Then Kelvin spotted 2 looming “clouds”
Lord Kelvin is thought to have said there was nothing new to discover in physics. His real view was the opposite.
Illustration of a spacecraft, an astronaut, and a planet against a dark purple background.
36 min
How should we be thinking about the future?
Kmele talked with a planetary scientist, a physicist, and a futurist, to understand how visionaries across disciplines are thinking about the future of our planet and humankind.
8 min
The mind-bending physics of time
How the Big Bang gave us time, explained by theoretical physicist.
6 min
The physics of entropy and the origin of life
How did complex systems emerge from chaos? Physicist Sean Carroll explains.