It’s “Dr. Kaku’s Universe.” We Just Live In It

This morning Big Think is pleased to present a kind of double feature: a full-length interview with CUNY theoretical physicist, futurist, and radio host Michio Kaku, and the launch of his brand-new Big Think blog: “Dr. Kaku’s Universe.” Though Dr. Kaku has long been a prolific author, speaker, and public educator in the sciences, this marks his first flight into the blogosphere. His maiden post appears this morning.

Kaku, who envied comic book characters’ superpowers as a kld, has arguably carved out a place for himself as the Flash Gordon of physics. From his childhood attempt to build an atom smasher in his family’s garage to his adult investigations of the weirdest properties of the universe, he has tirelessly advocated the value of imagination in science—and the importance of promoting that value through public outreach. As an extension of that outreach, his new blog aims to explore cutting-edge science in all its strangeness and beauty.

Though Dr. Kaku is a popularizer of science, he is not afraid to criticize the discipline. In his interview, he identifies the “secret weapon” of American science as the country’s constant influx of immigrant academics, whose quality of science education far exceeds what U.S. schools can provide. He also skewers the rampant sexism that has characterized science throughout history, recalling Nobel-worthy female scientists whose ideas were stolen and noting: “The lesson here is, if you ever make an astounding discovery, tell me first.”