PBS Space Time PBS Space Time

What Happens After the Universe Ends?

Oct 24, 2026 · 23m

Summary

This episode explores Sir Roger Penrose’s Conformal Cyclic Cosmology, a hypothesis suggesting that the infinite future of one universe is mathematically equivalent to the Big Bang of the next. The host explains how massless radiation allows these transitions, potentially explaining the early universe’s low entropy without inflation. The segment also covers Penrose’s controversial claim of detecting inter-universal signals in the cosmic microwave background and discusses the theoretical possibility of communication between universes.

Topics discussed

Sponsor: Progressive Truck Insurance Introduction: The Big Bang and Cosmic End Overview of Conformal Cyclic Cosmology Explaining Conformal Scaling and Light Spacetime Diagrams and Event Separation Sponsors: Progressive and HubSpot Proper Time, Clocks, and Massless Particles The Late Universe: Radiation and Higgs Field The Early Universe: Massless Particles Penrose Diagrams and Conformal Infinity Sponsors: Progressive and HubSpot Stitching Universes: Aeon and Dark Energy Entropy, Inflation, and Smoothing Black Holes, Information, and Testing CCC CMB Evidence and Inter-Universal Communication Patreon Thanks and Joke Sponsors: Progressive and HubSpot Special Patreon Shoutout Comments: Alien Viruses and Protocols Sponsors: Progressive and HubSpot
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