Professor Brian Cox, the UK’s best-known experimental physicist, has taken millions on journeys across the solar system and into deep space through his many TV series, talks and books. This month, he shared some of his fascinating insights with the IQUW team and brokers as part of our IQUW Live series.
In his talk, Clarity in the Chaos: Simplifying the Supermassive, Professor Cox made the mysteries of the universe seamlessly simple – well, as simple as it can be! He painted a picture of the vastness of space, explaining that the universe is about 13.8 billion years old, with an estimated 400 billion stars in the Milky Way and 20 billion Earth-like planets. Using these mind-blowing numbers, he described how scientists estimate the universe’s age by calculating the time it takes for light from the oldest stars to reach us.
Professor Cox shared insights about the James Webb Space Telescope and its ability to explore distant galaxies, like Stefan’s Quintet, located 300 million light-years away. From here, he moved into Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, describing how space and time are interconnected and how they warp under the influence of mass and energy. He went on to discuss the concepts of the Big Bang, the ever-expanding universe, and the question of whether the universe is truly infinite or finite. Yes, we got quite lost too.
To illustrate the Big Bang theory simply, he showed an image of the cosmic microwave background radiation—the faint glow from the birth of the universe. Then flowing into the introduction of black holes, he explained how time slows as it approaches a black hole’s event horizon and how black holes themselves warp space-time in unimaginable ways.
Professor Cox shared Stephen Hawking’s discovery that black holes emit particles—a finding that could help reveal more about the universe’s fundamental structure. He then linked this to the potential of quantum computing, which may unlock further cosmic mysteries.
He touched on the intriguing “holographic principle,” suggesting our universe might be a projection of a deeper reality, but humorously reassured us that we aren’t living in a simulated world like The Matrix. He emphasised that quantum computing could help us understand the real nature of space-time.
During the Q&A, he was asked whether the universe existed before the Big Bang and admitted that we still don’t know. When asked about the next big scientific discovery, he suggested it would be finding signs of life beyond Earth. He explained that probes like the Europa Clipper, which will search for biosignatures on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, might provide answers about extra-terrestrial life within the next decade or two.
In wrapping up, Professor Cox spoke about the importance of research and innovation in pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. At IQUW, we share that same commitment to making the complex simple. Through intelligent underwriting and seamless service, we help clients navigate uncertainty, offering innovative insurance and reinsurance solutions that make every risk seamlessly simple.
