Niayesh Afshordi
@nafshordi.bsky.social
Cosmologist, Astrophysicist, He/him, Brother of the Night's Watch 🏰🐉, Professor @uwaterloo and @Perimeter
https://nafshordi.com/
https://nafshordi.com/
Pinned
#BattleoftheBigBang is finally here!
Take advantage of a 30% discount by using this discount code (UCPNEW) when ordering from:
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Take advantage of a 30% discount by using this discount code (UCPNEW) when ordering from:
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
We spoke to Hassan recently at @perimeterinstitute.ca, where he's working with @nafshordi.bsky.social to detect quantum echoes in #GravitationalWaves as a way to prove #QuantumGravity.
November 7, 2025 at 5:05 PM
We spoke to Hassan recently at @perimeterinstitute.ca, where he's working with @nafshordi.bsky.social to detect quantum echoes in #GravitationalWaves as a way to prove #QuantumGravity.
What if the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning at all?
On Nov 10 @ 6:30 PM ET, I’ll join Lisa Randall at @harvard.edu Science Book Talks to discuss my new book Battle of the Big Bang.
science.fas.harvard.edu/event/harvar...
(1/3)
On Nov 10 @ 6:30 PM ET, I’ll join Lisa Randall at @harvard.edu Science Book Talks to discuss my new book Battle of the Big Bang.
science.fas.harvard.edu/event/harvar...
(1/3)
November 3, 2025 at 3:26 AM
What if the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning at all?
On Nov 10 @ 6:30 PM ET, I’ll join Lisa Randall at @harvard.edu Science Book Talks to discuss my new book Battle of the Big Bang.
science.fas.harvard.edu/event/harvar...
(1/3)
On Nov 10 @ 6:30 PM ET, I’ll join Lisa Randall at @harvard.edu Science Book Talks to discuss my new book Battle of the Big Bang.
science.fas.harvard.edu/event/harvar...
(1/3)
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
Yesterday I was waiting at an ICE office with a client to make sure that she was not going to get deported. It was a 5 hour excruciating wait without internet access and I was reading the book, Battle of the Big Bang by @nafshordi.bsky.social This passage made me stop and rethink reality :)
October 18, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Yesterday I was waiting at an ICE office with a client to make sure that she was not going to get deported. It was a 5 hour excruciating wait without internet access and I was reading the book, Battle of the Big Bang by @nafshordi.bsky.social This passage made me stop and rethink reality :)
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
I also texted a physicist friend, Spiros Michalakis (when I would get reception occasionally) about the passage and he agreed and asked me about the book. Thank you to @seanmcarroll.bsky.social for the podcast with @nafshordi.bsky.social which intrigued me enough to get the book.
October 18, 2025 at 12:46 AM
I also texted a physicist friend, Spiros Michalakis (when I would get reception occasionally) about the passage and he agreed and asked me about the book. Thank you to @seanmcarroll.bsky.social for the podcast with @nafshordi.bsky.social which intrigued me enough to get the book.
🎃 Haunted Cosmology Celtic Tour: Dublin & Edinburgh 🕯️
This October, Phil and I are taking our ghost-hunting into the heart of cosmology.
Join us for a journey through cosmic ghosts, phantoms, and monsters — not from folklore, but from the deepest mysteries of physics.
(1/4)
This October, Phil and I are taking our ghost-hunting into the heart of cosmology.
Join us for a journey through cosmic ghosts, phantoms, and monsters — not from folklore, but from the deepest mysteries of physics.
(1/4)
October 17, 2025 at 11:21 PM
🎃 Haunted Cosmology Celtic Tour: Dublin & Edinburgh 🕯️
This October, Phil and I are taking our ghost-hunting into the heart of cosmology.
Join us for a journey through cosmic ghosts, phantoms, and monsters — not from folklore, but from the deepest mysteries of physics.
(1/4)
This October, Phil and I are taking our ghost-hunting into the heart of cosmology.
Join us for a journey through cosmic ghosts, phantoms, and monsters — not from folklore, but from the deepest mysteries of physics.
(1/4)
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
Oh, hi, yeah by the way, US democratic party, Trump is getting the credit for this peace deal because you were so useless. Trump. Think about that.
October 13, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Oh, hi, yeah by the way, US democratic party, Trump is getting the credit for this peace deal because you were so useless. Trump. Think about that.
New Debate Out Now
“Has Science Just Proved God?”
I had the privilege of debating alongside Michel-Yves Bolloré, under moderator John Nelson, on whether modern science points toward a divine creator.
Watch here ▶️ youtu.be/DO5iArbukzg
#ScienceAndFaith #Cosmology #Philosophy
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“Has Science Just Proved God?”
I had the privilege of debating alongside Michel-Yves Bolloré, under moderator John Nelson, on whether modern science points toward a divine creator.
Watch here ▶️ youtu.be/DO5iArbukzg
#ScienceAndFaith #Cosmology #Philosophy
(1/2)
Has Science Just Proved God? Michel-Yves Bolloré v Niayesh Asfshordi hosted by John Nelson
YouTube video by Premier Unbelievable?
youtu.be
October 10, 2025 at 2:12 AM
New Debate Out Now
“Has Science Just Proved God?”
I had the privilege of debating alongside Michel-Yves Bolloré, under moderator John Nelson, on whether modern science points toward a divine creator.
Watch here ▶️ youtu.be/DO5iArbukzg
#ScienceAndFaith #Cosmology #Philosophy
(1/2)
“Has Science Just Proved God?”
I had the privilege of debating alongside Michel-Yves Bolloré, under moderator John Nelson, on whether modern science points toward a divine creator.
Watch here ▶️ youtu.be/DO5iArbukzg
#ScienceAndFaith #Cosmology #Philosophy
(1/2)
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
The Royal Institution: Prof. Niyayesh Afshordi lecture on what really happened during the #BigBang iroon.com/irtn/vlog/55...
#Cosmology #Physics #Science
#Cosmology #Physics #Science
August 8, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The Royal Institution: Prof. Niyayesh Afshordi lecture on what really happened during the #BigBang iroon.com/irtn/vlog/55...
#Cosmology #Physics #Science
#Cosmology #Physics #Science
Was the Big Bang really the start of it all? 💥 Phil Halper explains how, in modern cosmology, the rapid expansion of the Universe (cosmic inflation) triggers endless Big Bangs.
Watch the full talk with Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx0n...
Watch the full talk with Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx0n...
September 19, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Thanks @danfalk.bsky.social and @reviewcanada.bsky.social for this thoughtful review of our #BattleoftheBigBang
@philhalper.bsky.social
@uchicagopress.bsky.social
@philhalper.bsky.social
@uchicagopress.bsky.social
How well do we understand the big bang? I review "Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins" by Niayesh Afshordi ( @nafshordi.bsky.social ) and Phil Halper,
for the Literary Review of Canada ( @reviewcanada.bsky.social )
#physics #science
reviewcanada.ca/magazine/202...
for the Literary Review of Canada ( @reviewcanada.bsky.social )
#physics #science
reviewcanada.ca/magazine/202...
In the Beginning | A review of “Battle of the Big Bang” by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper | Literary Review of Canada
Dan Falk reviews “Battle of the Big Bang,” a book which explores competing theories of the origin of the universe.
reviewcanada.ca
September 13, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Thanks @danfalk.bsky.social and @reviewcanada.bsky.social for this thoughtful review of our #BattleoftheBigBang
@philhalper.bsky.social
@uchicagopress.bsky.social
@philhalper.bsky.social
@uchicagopress.bsky.social
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
Why dark energy does not rule out a cyclic cosmos. @nafshordi.bsky.social and I debunk this commonly held myth in our new video www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHzo...
Big Bang myths . Does dark energy disprove a cyclic cosmos?
YouTube video by Phil Halper (aka Skydivephil)
www.youtube.com
September 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Why dark energy does not rule out a cyclic cosmos. @nafshordi.bsky.social and I debunk this commonly held myth in our new video www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHzo...
@chanda.bsky.social was my first PhD student, and this was my first PhD cake!
She has now surpassed me in every way, and I couldn’t be prouder.
She has now surpassed me in every way, and I couldn’t be prouder.
Fifteen years ago today, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation, "Cosmic Acceleration as Quantum Gravity Phenomenology" and my co-PhD advisor @nafshordi.bsky.social had this cake made to celebrate.
I have since graduated three PhD students of my own! 😅
I have since graduated three PhD students of my own! 😅
September 11, 2025 at 9:41 PM
@chanda.bsky.social was my first PhD student, and this was my first PhD cake!
She has now surpassed me in every way, and I couldn’t be prouder.
She has now surpassed me in every way, and I couldn’t be prouder.
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
Celebrate this anniversary with me by
1. Preordering my next book
1. Preordering my next book
The Edge of Space-Time by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: 9780593701683 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
A fresh, charming, socially conscious tour of the mysteries of space-time, from the award-winning author of The Disordered Cosmos In her highly acclaimed debut, distinguished cosmologist and particle...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Celebrate this anniversary with me by
1. Preordering my next book
1. Preordering my next book
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
I’m doing a public talk with @perimeterinstitute.ca in Waterloo!
www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-the-un...
(Tickets are free but you have to be quick — Eventbrite ticket reservations open at 9am Eastern Sep 2, which is in… 5 minutes)
www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-the-un...
(Tickets are free but you have to be quick — Eventbrite ticket reservations open at 9am Eastern Sep 2, which is in… 5 minutes)
How the Universe Ends - Katie Mack (CIGI)
The Big Bang started the universe 13.8B years ago - but how might it end? Here's what modern astrophysics says about its ultimate fate.
www.eventbrite.ca
September 2, 2025 at 12:55 PM
I’m doing a public talk with @perimeterinstitute.ca in Waterloo!
www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-the-un...
(Tickets are free but you have to be quick — Eventbrite ticket reservations open at 9am Eastern Sep 2, which is in… 5 minutes)
www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-the-un...
(Tickets are free but you have to be quick — Eventbrite ticket reservations open at 9am Eastern Sep 2, which is in… 5 minutes)
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
What if scientists hadn’t waited until this point to speak about politics
Every time I see a headline like this, my brain just shouts
Like what if scientists hadn’t sat around silently watching everyone around them get attacked
Maybe the fight on campus would have gone differently
Every time I see a headline like this, my brain just shouts
Like what if scientists hadn’t sat around silently watching everyone around them get attacked
Maybe the fight on campus would have gone differently
"Tao is one of the most prominent mathematicians and academics to publicly oppose the administration’s actions, calling them an “existential threat” to his field, and academic science, more broadly. He said public advocacy is a priority over his research, for now."
www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...
www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...
The 'Mozart of Math' rarely speaks about politics. The wide-ranging cuts to science funding made him change that.
UCLA's Terence Tao called the Trump administration's actions an "existential threat" to academic research in the U.S.
www.nbcnews.com
August 28, 2025 at 12:34 PM
What if scientists hadn’t waited until this point to speak about politics
Every time I see a headline like this, my brain just shouts
Like what if scientists hadn’t sat around silently watching everyone around them get attacked
Maybe the fight on campus would have gone differently
Every time I see a headline like this, my brain just shouts
Like what if scientists hadn’t sat around silently watching everyone around them get attacked
Maybe the fight on campus would have gone differently
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
The only prayer that matters when it comes to the regular and repeated murder of American children while they are at school is the kind of prayer that is taking action, the kind of prayer that materially fights for the living, the kind of prayer that says "never again" and means it, from MN to Gaza.
August 27, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The only prayer that matters when it comes to the regular and repeated murder of American children while they are at school is the kind of prayer that is taking action, the kind of prayer that materially fights for the living, the kind of prayer that says "never again" and means it, from MN to Gaza.
Time is running out to apply for our workshop:
"50 years of the black hole information paradox: November 3 -7 , 2025"
at Simons Center for Geometry and Physics
scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/45328
"50 years of the black hole information paradox: November 3 -7 , 2025"
at Simons Center for Geometry and Physics
scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/45328
August 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Time is running out to apply for our workshop:
"50 years of the black hole information paradox: November 3 -7 , 2025"
at Simons Center for Geometry and Physics
scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/45328
"50 years of the black hole information paradox: November 3 -7 , 2025"
at Simons Center for Geometry and Physics
scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/45328
@cosmicskeptic.bsky.social was so kind to host both @nafshordi.bsky.social and I on his amazing show Within Reason. Thanks so much Alex, for saying these words about our book Battle of the Big Bang www.youtube.com/shorts/LMYEI...
Alex O'Connor on Battle of the Big Bang "a triumph" #cosmology #science #bigbang #alexoconnor
YouTube video by Phil Halper (aka Skydivephil)
www.youtube.com
August 22, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
This is one of the worst developments in higher education in an era of terrible developments. If faculty classroom speech is government speech, there’s no such thing as academic freedom. It would lead to a collapse of free inquiry and classical liberal education.
Federal court refuses to block Alabama’s “divisive concepts” law, says university faculty classroom speech is government speech with no First Amendment protection. This dangerous development allows lawmakers to dictate what professors say in class. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
August 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
This is one of the worst developments in higher education in an era of terrible developments. If faculty classroom speech is government speech, there’s no such thing as academic freedom. It would lead to a collapse of free inquiry and classical liberal education.
#BattleoftheBigBang is having a party 🥳
August 13, 2025 at 12:43 AM
#BattleoftheBigBang is having a party 🥳
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
-- What Came Before The Big Bang? - The Latest Evidence --
(@nafshordi.bsky.social and @philhalper.bsky.social at @cosmicskeptic.bsky.social's)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rscD...
#science #cosmogony #cosmology #philosophy #physics #books
(@nafshordi.bsky.social and @philhalper.bsky.social at @cosmicskeptic.bsky.social's)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rscD...
#science #cosmogony #cosmology #philosophy #physics #books
What Came Before The Big Bang? - The Latest Evidence
YouTube video by Alex O'Connor
www.youtube.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
-- What Came Before The Big Bang? - The Latest Evidence --
(@nafshordi.bsky.social and @philhalper.bsky.social at @cosmicskeptic.bsky.social's)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rscD...
#science #cosmogony #cosmology #philosophy #physics #books
(@nafshordi.bsky.social and @philhalper.bsky.social at @cosmicskeptic.bsky.social's)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rscD...
#science #cosmogony #cosmology #philosophy #physics #books
Reposted by Niayesh Afshordi
An incredible honour to give a talk at the Royal Institution in London with @nafshordi.bsky.social about our book Battle of the Big Bang. You can see it here , the Q and A will be released in a few days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx0n...
What really happened during the Big Bang? - with Niyayesh Afshordi
YouTube video by The Royal Institution
www.youtube.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM
An incredible honour to give a talk at the Royal Institution in London with @nafshordi.bsky.social about our book Battle of the Big Bang. You can see it here , the Q and A will be released in a few days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx0n...
🚨 Take the Big Mysteries in Physics Survey! 🌌🧠
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)
Take the Big Mysteries in Physics Survey
Did time start at the big bang? What happens if you fall into a black hole? What explains the mysterious dark matter? Weigh in on the toughest questions facing physicists today.
physics.aps.org
July 30, 2025 at 1:41 AM
🚨 Take the Big Mysteries in Physics Survey! 🌌🧠
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)
Take the Big Mysteries in Physics Survey
Did time start at the big bang? What happens if you fall into a black hole? What explains the mysterious dark matter? Weigh in on the toughest questions facing physicists today.
physics.aps.org
July 30, 2025 at 1:35 AM
🚨 Take the Big Mysteries in Physics Survey! 🌌🧠
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)
We want to know: What drives your curiosity about the universe?
Big Bangs, black holes, or something deeper?
📝 Start here → physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
#physics #cosmology #sciencecommunication
🧵 (1/6)