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Interview: All of Physics in One Book with Hakeem Oluseyi | Particles of Thought

NOVA PBS Official | November 8, 2026



Our host, Hakeem Oluseyi, shares hot takes from his new book, Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible. Hakeem explains the nine realms behind existence, why Pluto and our Moon should be considered planets, and our chances of finding extraterrestrial life. Then things get strange as he tackles the Andromeda paradox, cosmic inflation, and what came before the Big Bang. He also explains why abundant energy and human imagination may decide whether our species survives.

Hakeem Oluseyi is host of Particles of Thought, an astrophysicist, author, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, science journalist, TV personality, science communicator, and inspirational speaker. His research is based on “hacking stars” to understand our universe better and develop innovative new technologies. Oluseyi’s work has resulted in 11 patents and more than 100 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics and the development of space missions, observatories, focal plane instruments, detectors, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion.

Caitlin Saks is a Senior Producer for NOVA.

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Comments

This post currently has 26 comments.

  1. @Жан-бай

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Вопрос, где легче бороться с шумами, на детекторе LIGO или в мобильном опыте Майкельсона в самолёте с разницей
    в 40 000 000 213 раз?
    Опыт Майкельсона + мобильный опыт Майкельсона = прямой на 100% опыт. где можем проследить за работой как «Доминантные гравитационные поля» через частоту света, корректируют её СКОРОСТЬ, энергию, направления в вакууме. «СВЕТ – это энергия упорядоченной вибрации квантов гравитации с квантовым перераспределение границ Лагранжа»

  2. @dremac3912

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Good to hear you spotlight the pivotal role your HBCU played in your journey. You have downplayed it before but it goes without saying that HBCUs are responsible for the vast majority of Blacks who go on to excel in STEM fields. Wish you would bring on other HBCU alumni in STEM fields or spotlight them more like Katherine Johnson, Maureena Robinson Snowden and others. Long live Tougaloo and all the incredible graduates it has produced.

  3. @alex79suited

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    The earth would not orbit Jupiter, both planets have an active core 😉. This is why EMFSYSTEMS is so important, they explain most everything in our star system working and beyond. Our star 🌟 system is a great working model for understanding our place in the Vacuum space environment.
    Peace ✌️ 😎 from Canada, eh.

  4. @NunoPereira.

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Living on Titan would not be pleasant at all due to the extreme cold, no oxygen and the fact that the sun would not be visible through the thick atmosphere. This book is amazing; it explains all aspects of the universe in a very clear, understandable way. Therefore, it is very important to disseminate this knowledge to educate the population so that as many people as possible have access to it. A great idea would be to adapt it into a 9-part documentary series, which Channels like Astro Beat or PBS Nova could produce and stream (or by other means).

  5. @simonm1617

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Holy crap, Hakeem!! Thank you for sharing this!! I'm only 15 mins in and I've been a fan, but hearing your personal story is so amazing. I've been lucky enough to escape poverty and lack of educational pedigree to be able to work in science and tech and it's so amazing to hear what you were able to overcome (with that ever-important help!). It's such a great reminder that there are so many kids teetering on the edge of a cliff where they might become a long-term drain on society, OR they might become pillars in their communities! The variables are things like access, and exposure, and support, and second chances. You and I had some of those things but many more people around us whose environments looked almost identical to ours, didn't. It's a reminder to give back and help to catch some of those kids so their lives might look a lot more like the blessings we've been able to realize, than they might without support and "helpers" along their way.

    I can tell that you feel blessed by where you are and so you might not need to hear the "thank you". But thank you anyway, man. This really made my day.

  6. @seanmadison6360

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    "Why you exist" is a stupid title. There is no why in the the universe when it comes to the creation of anything. The universe doesn't have an agenda. It's a "how". How you exist. Right off the bat I realize he's not very intelligent and can't even speak English correctly.

  7. @mickeybrumfield764

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    I enjoy listening to an optimistic Hakeem. I think the existence of the human species will be relatively short. Perhaps not millions of years. I don't think humans are the end of the evolutionary chain of life. I think we are destined to evolve into a more advanced species, and it will be relatively soon. The biggest factor in our advancement will come from the length of time individuals will live. With the advances in science, particularly the biological sciences, we should be able to live pretty much endlessly. This will change everything to such an extent that we will evolve into another species. Youth will not be wasted on the young 😊. We will become much more wise. We will no longer need to procreate. We will become another species. We will all be as optimistic and happy as Hakeem. Life is very good.

  8. @Ok92-q9j

    November 8, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    The quantum physics laid out completely destroys the favorite apologetic "first cause" argument. 

    The big bang wasn't a magical creation event ex nihilo that requires a deity. it was a simple phase transition where energy dumped from a preexisting inflaton field into our spacetime. Your body isn't an enchanted vessel. You’re literally just a temporary excitation of quantum fields governed by thermodynamics. Rebranding basic chemical inevitability and cosmological expansion as "intelligent design" is just vitalism for people who refuse to learn physics.

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