In this episode of Theories of Everything, MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser explores primordial black holes which are hypothetical entities that may have formed before stars or atoms. David discusses their potential role in explaining dark matter, their connections to cosmic inflation, and how they might reshape our understanding of the early universe. This conversation connects the realms of quantum theory, cosmology, and the history of physics.As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toeJoin My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.comListen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOEBecome a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/joinLinks Mentioned:•⁠ ⁠David Kaiser's published papers: https://arxiv.org/a/kaiser_d_1.html•⁠ ⁠Bell, J. S. “On the Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen paradox” (1964): https://cds.cern.ch/record/111654/files/vol1p195-200_001.pdf•⁠ ⁠“Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos from Primordial Black Holes” (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2503.19227•⁠ ⁠“Cosmic Bell Test Using Random Measurement Settings from High-Redshift Quasars” (2018): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1808.05966•⁠ ⁠“Close Encounters of the Primordial Kind” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2312.17217•⁠ ⁠“Primordial Black Holes from Multifield Inflation with Non-minimal Couplings” (2022): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2205.04471•⁠ ⁠“Testing Bell’s Inequality with Cosmic Photons” (2013): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1310.3288•⁠ ⁠“Planck Constraints & Gravitational-Wave Forecasts for PBH Dark Matter Seeded by Multifield Inflation” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.02168•⁠ ⁠“Light Scalar Fields Foster Production of Primordial Black Holes” (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.13251•⁠ ⁠“Debye Screening of Non-Abelian Plasmas in Curved Spacetimes” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.15385•⁠ ⁠“Primordial Black Holes with QCD Color Charge” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2310.16877•⁠ ⁠A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553380168•⁠ ⁠In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat – John Gribbin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553342533•⁠ ⁠How the Hippies Saved Physics – David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/039334231X•⁠ ⁠Drawing Theories Apart – David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y5W2X2Timestamps:#science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices