Chiara Marletto x Philip Ball | Beyond Quantum Weirdness, Physics of Life, and Undiscovered Laws

In this episode of Curiosity Entangled, theoretical physicist Chiara Marletto and science writer Philip Ball dive deep into the meaning and future of quantum theory, exploring how physics may eventually help us understand life, thought, and the laws that govern complex systems. They reflect on what makes quantum mechanics feel strange, the conceptual leap brought by quantum information theory, and how foundational ideas in physics are increasingly influencing biology, computation, and even thermodynamics.

Chiara and Philip also explore what it would take to move past our current scientific frameworks—and whether new principles or laws may be hiding in plain sight, waiting to be articulated. This is a conversation about physics at the edge, curiosity without borders, and how new stories in science might soon emerge.

🌐 Learn more about the guests
Chiara Marletto – https://www.chiaramarletto.com/ Author of The Science of Can and Can’t – https://www.chiaramarletto.com/books/the-science-of-can-and-cant/
Philip Ball – https://philipball.co.uk/ Author of Beyond Weird – https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Weird-Everything-Thought-Different/dp/022655838X

🧠 5 Questions This Episode Might Leave You With
1. Could physics help predict the trajectory of life, not just describe it?
2. What would it take to move beyond quantum theory—and what parts of it will likely remain?
3. Why is it still so hard to agree on what quantum mechanics says about reality?
4. How might thermodynamics evolve in a world where information is fundamental?
5. Are we missing a set of universal laws that apply beyond particles—across biology, cognition, and complexity?

⏱️ Highlights & Timestamps
00:01:07 – Rethinking quantum theory: weirdness or beauty?
00:04:19 – Wheeler’s vision: telling quantum stories without equations
00:05:24 – Quantum information theory reframes superposition and entanglement
00:08:05 – Quantum mechanics as a theory about what we can know
00:14:34 – Proof in hardware: why quantum computers matter
00:20:59 – When fundamental theory becomes usable technology
00:24:00 – What might survive in the next theory after quantum mechanics?
00:26:10 – Testing if gravity is quantum—in the lab
00:34:08 – The struggle to unify interpretations of quantum theory
00:36:03 – Will quantum thermodynamics become a universal science?
00:44:52 – Searching for laws that transcend scale and subject
00:54:00 – Can physics make biology more predictive?
01:04:21 – Reflections on research, funding, and intellectual freedom