The Life Scientific

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The Life Scientific: Clifford Johnson on making sense of black holes and movie plots

Clifford Johnson on making sense of black holes and movie plots

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Clifford Johnson on making sense of black holes and movie plots

Jim Al-Khalili hears about new approaches to quantum questions and using science in films.

Professor Clifford Johnson discusses his work demystifying string theory and black holes – and advising Hollywood movie-makers on science for the big screen.

Clifford Johnson's career to date has spanned some seemingly very different industries - from exploring quantum mechanics around string theory and black holes, to consulting on some of Hollywood's biggest movies; but it makes sense once you understand his ambition of making science accessible to all. 
A Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Clifford's worked in the United States for decades – but was born in the UK, then spent his formative years on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, before moving back to England to study.  
Here, he fell in love with quantum mechanics - before moving to the US, where he's broken new ground in finding ways to talk about quantum gravity and black holes.
Clifford's other big passion is getting as many people as possible engaged with science, making it more exciting, entertaining and most importantly diverse - and it's this attitude that's led to regular work as a science consultant on various TV shows and films; and even a recent cameo in a major movie...

Produced by Lucy Taylor.

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