How did Scientists come up with the Big Bang Theory?

Summary

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Who Smarted? - How did Scientists come up with the Big Bang Theory?

Podcast by Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media
Release Date: May 29, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Who Smarted?" takes young listeners on a humorous, imaginative space adventure to explore the origins of the universe and how scientists came up with the Big Bang Theory. The hosts use a playful storyline aboard the "USS Smarty Pants," interactive trivia questions, and lively characters (including the returning fortune-teller Virga) to explain key scientific concepts, the evidence for the Big Bang, and how modern astronomy peeks into the ancient past of our cosmos. The show maintains a light, witty tone throughout, making complex ideas accessible and fun for kids and families.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Big Bang—When & What Was It?

• The episode kicks off with a trivia question:
  “How long ago do scientists believe the Big Bang happened?”
  • Correct answer: About 14 billion years ago (02:09).
• Clarification between estimates (13.7 vs 13.8 billion years), with jokes about “overshooting” time travel (03:17).
• Framing the Big Bang as the moment the universe began—not with literal noise or fireworks, but as a cosmic event scientists have pieced together through scientific evidence.

2. How Do Scientists Study the Universe’s Beginning?

• Introduction of Virga, a fortune-teller character, who turns the conversation from literal time travel to scientific "seeing" into the past (04:26).
• Analogy with Spider Webs:
  Virga mentions “the magic of spiders” to hint at the James Webb Space Telescope (09:01-10:02).
  • Quote:
    • Virga: “Yes, yes, that’s it. A web.” (09:30)
• Trivia:
  What web is meant? Correct answer: The James Webb Space Telescope (09:44).
• Key Concept:
  Astronomers can see light emitted billions of years ago thanks to the speed of light—so looking at distant objects is like looking back in time (10:15-10:58).

3. Evidence for the Big Bang: The Expanding Universe

• Edwin Hubble’s Discovery (1929): Most galaxies appear to be moving away from us—the universe is expanding (11:43-12:27).
  • Quote:
    • Host: “If it’s expanding now, if you go back in time, you’ll eventually reach a point when everything was close together. The point when the universe began.” (12:27)
• Introduction of the term “Big Bang”:
  • Coined by English astronomer Fred Hoyle on a radio show in 1949, partly to contrast with the earlier idea that the universe was unchanging (13:10-13:34).

4. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)

• Trivia leads to the discovery of “microwaves” as further proof of the Big Bang, not related to kitchen appliances (13:41-14:16).
• Key Point:
  The light from the early universe, stretched as the universe expanded, became microwaves (CMB)—discovered in 1965 and considered strong evidence for the Big Bang (16:44-17:17).

5. What Was the “Bang” Really Like?

• The episode emphasizes that the Big Bang wasn’t really an explosion, but a rapid stretch ("inflation") of space:
  • Quote:
    • C (Virga): “Eh, it was more of a stretch than an explosion.” (16:25)
• Universe went from a tiny point to vastness in less than one second—cosmic inflation (15:56-16:07).
• Over hundreds of thousands of years, the universe cooled; particles formed atoms, leading to stars, galaxies, and planets (16:29-16:44).
• What did the Big Bang sound like?
  • In fact, the early universe was dense enough to carry sound! University of Washington physicist John Kramer converted CMB data to audio (17:42-18:15).
  • Memorable moment:
    • When played, the sound is underwhelming—more a hum than a bang, leading to jokes about 1980s video games and fart noises (18:15-18:38).

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Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• The Host, joking about dangerous time travel:
  • “Danger is my middle name!”
    • Number One: “I thought it was Trusty.” (04:03)
• Virga, clarifying the idea of seeing the Big Bang:
  • "You can study the big bang with spiders." (08:39)
• On the expanding universe:
  • “Galaxies are literally repulsed by us. Maybe they don’t like the smell, especially from garbage trucks, kitty litter and broccoli?” (12:15, Virga, jokingly)
• On the “sound” of the Big Bang:
  • “Who Smarted?” replays the theoretical sound—a low, rumbling hum, not a Hollywood-style bang (18:15).
  • Number One: “That’s not quite a bang, Captain. Kind of reminds me of a video game from the 1980s.” (18:15)
• On cosmic microwaves:
  • Virga: "No. These microwaves are not as intense as the microwaves that cook food." (17:03)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:09 – Trivia: When was the Big Bang?
• 03:17-04:26 – Discussion on traveling back to the Big Bang; Virga (fortune-teller) arrives
• 07:44-09:09 – The universe’s size and “spider web” hint
• 09:44-10:02 – James Webb Space Telescope explained
• 10:15-10:58 – How we see the universe’s past via light
• 11:43-12:27 – Edwin Hubble and the expanding universe
• 13:10-13:34 – Origin of the term “Big Bang”
• 14:50-16:07 – Universe inflation, how fast it happened
• 16:44-17:17 – Cosmic Microwave Background discovery
• 17:42-18:15 – What did the Big Bang really sound like?
• 18:15-18:38 – Actual CMB "sound," jokes about fart noises

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Summary Table – Core Concepts

| Concept | Kid-friendly Explanation | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Big Bang | The point when the universe began—about 14 billion years ago | | Universe's Size & Light Years | Universe is vast—estimated at 92 billion light years across; light we see from far away is REALLY old | | Evidence: The Expanding Univ. | Galaxies are moving away from us—meaning the universe is still getting bigger | | The James Webb Telescope | A powerful tool that helps us see “back in time” by looking at very distant, ancient light | | Cosmic Microwave Background | Faint microwave “afterglow” from the Big Bang found everywhere in space; helps scientists confirm the universe’s hot, early state | | The Sound of the Big Bang | The early universe was so dense, it could carry sound—in reality, it’s more of a deep rumble than a “bang” | | Inflation | A super-fast expansion that happened in less than a second, before the universe cooled and formed atoms, stars, and galaxies |

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Why This Episode Shines

• Engages: Uses sci-fi, jokes, and recurring zany characters to keep kids listening.
• Educates: Breaks down complex physics (inflation, CMB, telescope data) into interactive, visual analogies and trivia.
• Encourages Curiosity: Leaves some questions open (“What triggered inflation is still a mystery”), inviting listeners to keep asking and thinking about the cosmos.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard It

This episode is a stellar (pun intended) example of blending facts, trivia, and storytelling. It answers how scientists pieced together the mystery of the universe's beginning, highlights pivotal discoveries, and clarifies misconceptions (no cartoon rabbits named the "Big Bang"!). Kids will come away knowing the universe is unimaginably large and old, that we can truly see its past by looking at old light, and that every new question is a great opportunity for more smarting!

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

My pleasure, Captain.

[A]

Yes, the Big Bang. The moment scientists believe the universe began. I don't think there was any crying or giggling, Smarty Pants. How long ago do scientists believe the Big Bang happened? Is it A, about 65 million years ago, B, about 14 billion years ago, or C, about 57 billion years ago? If you said B about 14 billion years ago, you're right. And guess what? Today you and I are going back in time to see it. Well, it's a podcast, so we're gonna hear it. Uh, number one.

[B]

Haha, sorry, wrong sound effect.

[A]

But that was a sound effect.

[B]

Yes, I meant to play right.

[A]

As I was about to say, fortunately, Smarty pants, our high tech spaceship has time traveling capabilities. So I guess I'll just set our teleportation clock and go back 14 billion years. Should be easy enough.

[B]

Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, Captain, but wouldn't that be overshooting the Big Bang?

[A]

Overshooting? Whatever do you mean?

[B]

Well, some estimates say the universe is 13.7 billion years old, while others say 13.8. If we go back 14 billion years, we might end up in nothing.

[A]

Hmm. You make a good point, Number One.

[B]

Thank you, Captain. One other thought. If this is a bang so big it started the entire universe, are we sure we want to be close to it? Wouldn't that be, ahem, dangerous?

[A]

Perhaps. But, hey, danger is my middle name.

[B]

I thought it was Trusty.

[A]

What? How could my middle name be Trusty? What would my first name be?

[B]

The.

[A]

Listen, do me a favor, Number One. Just set a course for. Oh, boy. Is this another one of your special effects? And what's with the smoke?

[B]

It wasn't me.

[C]

It is I, Ferga, seer of all things above. Weather, eclipses, the future, the past, and as of last Tuesday, the Big Bang.

[A]

Virga, the strange fortune teller Y woman from the weather episode. What are you doing here?

[C]

I am here to stop you from making a grave mistake.

[A]

Mistake? What kind of mistake?

[C]

You were going to go back in time to see the Big Bang.

[A]

Yeah. How else would we see something that happened nearly 14 billion years ago?

[C]

Oh, there are ways. Allow me to help you. Help me help you?

[A]

Uh, smarty pants, what do you think? How do we know about the beginning of the universe without time travel? How exactly did the universe begin and what did the big Bang really sound like? It's time for a big, banging whiff of science and all encompassing history.

[B]

On who smarted, who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun, but who's smarted?

[A]

Hang on, smartypants. We'll be back with more smarting right after this quick ad break and a word from our sponsors.

[D]

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[A]

Now back to who Smarted? As I'm sure you know, smarty pants, the universe is a pretty big place.

[B]

How big is it?

[A]

Well, nobody knows for sure, but scientists have an idea. Smartypants, what do you think their estimate or educated guess is? Is it 57 billion light years, 92 billion light years, or 164 billion light years?

[B]

Oh, wow. I'm gonna need to make an educated guess and say I don't know.

[A]

Thanks. Very helpful. Number one, smartypants, if you said 92 billion light years, you're right. And I know it sounds weird to be measuring size by years, but a light year is a unit of distance, not time. And because one light year is about 5.88 trillion miles, or 9.46 trillion kilometers, it's a much better way to measure the super huge distances of the universe.

[B]

92 billion light years. I'm trying to visualize that.

[A]

Good luck. But maybe this will help. Imagine the Earth and sun were just one teeny weeny millimeter apart. About as wide as a coin. Well, the size of the universe would still be the distance from where you are all the way to the dwarf planet Pluto.

[B]

Yep, that feels pretty far.

[C]

Yes, but I see a universe that was much, much smaller than that tiny millimeter billions of years ago. It was at the time of the Big Bang. What? Is that the best sound you can do?

[B]

Sorry, I only have a few big bang sound effects. How's this?

[C]

Better.

[A]

Okay, Virga, I need to know. How are you seeing this?

[C]

With the magic of spiders.

[A]

Seriously, you can study the big bang with spiders.

[C]

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Imagining creepy crawly spiders in lab jackets, creating hypotheses about the stars. No, no, no. I said the magic of spiders.

[A]

Oh boy. Smarty pants, do you know what virga here is referring to? Uh huh. Me neither.

[C]

You're a smart boy, Trusty. Figure it out.

[A]

Okay, okay. Trusty likes a challenge. It's like a riddle, smarty pants. Let's see, what are spiders known for? Yep, eight legs, multiple eyes, crawling into your home, surprising you in the shower, sitting beside Ms. Muffet, um, making webs.

[C]

Yes, yes, that's it. A web.

[A]

Oh, now I get it. Smarty pants. What's the web Virga is talking about? Is it A, the Internet, B, a telescope, or C, duck feet?

[B]

Captain, it's highly illogical for ducks to be in space.

[A]

That's what you're worried about? Never mind that. The answer, smarty pants, is b. Telescope, as in the James Webb Space Space Telescope, which is currently orbiting the Earth?

[C]

Yes, yes. And with this telescope, scientists and fortune tellers like me can study the Big Bang right now. No time travel needed.

[A]

Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Smarty pants. How can astronomers see the past without traveling back in time? Is it A, by examining the light and behavior of faraway objects? B, by sending probes to the outer solar system, Or C, by asking questions to a magic crystal ball?

[C]

I knew you threw answer C in for me, but it's not C. Nope, smarty pants.

[A]

The answer is A. And here's why. You see, it takes time for light to travel across the universe. So the light you see in the sky actually comes from the past. Even the daytime light you see right now left the sun about eight minutes ago.

[C]

Yes, yes, yes. And the stars are much farther away. With our eyes, we can see how the stars looked thousands of years ago. With regular telescopes, we can go back millions of years. And now, with ultra powerful telescopes like the Webb, we can see the light that was sent from space objects billions of years ago all the way back to around the time of the Big Bang.

[B]

Okay, okay, I get it. There are things out there that are very old and very far away. But how does that get people to believe some sort of Big Bang happened after all? It sounds a little

[A]

smarty pants. To learn more about the Big Bang, astronomers studied light, but they also studied something else. The behavior of space objects. Astronomer Edwin Hubble made a major discovery in 1929. Smarty pants, what do you think he found? Is it A, most galaxies are getting larger? B, most galaxies orbit a central point of the universe? Or C, most galaxies are moving away from us? The answer is C. Yes.

[C]

Yes. Galaxies are literally repulsed by us. Maybe they don't like the smell, especially from garbage trucks, kitty litter and broccoli?

[A]

No, it's not that. Galaxies are moving away because the universe is expanding. And if it's expanding now, if you go back in time, you'll eventually reach a point when everything was close together. The point when the universe began.

[C]

A point smaller than a millimeter from which came the Big Bang.

[A]

Smarty pants, can you guess who first used the term Big Bang? Was it A, a TV show about nerdy college students, B, an astronomer on a radio show, or C, a talking rabbit during a cartoon special break? A pack of firecrackers. This.

[B]

Boom.

[A]

Bah.

[C]

You can learn a lot from a talking rabbit. I talk to rabbits all the time.

[A]

Of course you do. But trust me, a cartoon rabbit didn't come up with the term Big Bang? The answer is B. English astronomer Fred Hoyle used the term on a radio show in 1949 as he was trying to show the difference between this expansion belief and the then popular belief that the universe never changed in size. Hoyle first said it, and Hubble provided evidence to support it.

[C]

Yes, but that's not all. There's another piece of evidence. Microwaves.

[B]

Ooh, I surely could go for some space popcorn.

[C]

Ah, I see much disappointment in your future, smarty pants.

[A]

What do microwaves have to do with the Big Bang? And what did the Big Bang really sound like? The answers to those questions are coming up right after this quick advertising break and a word from our sponsors. Now back to who smarted? Smartypants, you've heard how astronomers have been able to study faraway stars and the movement of galaxies to support the Big Bang theory.

[B]

Ah, yes, I love that show.

[C]

No, not like the TV show. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Haven't you been listening? The Big Bang theory is a scientific belief about the beginning of the universe. Scientists say it started with a teensy weensy point. Infinitely small. And then something happened to trigger inflation.

[B]

You mean like how a pizza costs more today than it did a year ago?

[A]

No, no, not that kind of inflation. More like how a balloon inflates and stretches as it gets bigger.

[B]

I see. But wait, what exactly happened to trigger the inflation?

[C]

That is still a mystery.

[A]

Which is why the Big Bang is a theory and not a known fact. To this day, scientists still don't know exactly what powered universe inflation. But whatever it was, it happened very, very, very fast.

[B]

Really, Captain?

[A]

Yes, really, Number One. Smartypants, can you guess how long scientists believe this universe inflation took? Was it 30,000 years? 24 years, 2 days? Or less than an hour?

[B]

Um, it takes me over an hour just to get out of bed in the morning. I'm sure it took longer than that to create the universe.

[A]

Guess again. The answer is D. Less than an hour.

[C]

And by less than an hour, we mean way less. It's thought that the inflation happened in less than one second.

[A]

That's right, virga. And when this rapid inflation stopped, energy transferred to matter and light, and it was very, very hot, with particles of neutrons, electrons and protons everywhere. And that, smarty pants, is the Big Bang.

[C]

Eh, it was more of a stretch than an explosion.

[A]

Over nearly 400,000 years, the foggy universe cooled as its particles became atoms, those tiny, tiny things that eventually formed gases, stars, planets, galaxies, and so forth.

[C]

Yes, yes, and that light from the early universe. It still exists, though you can't see it with your eyes. The light waves stretched with the universe, becoming microwaves.

[B]

Oh, so does that mean we can pop popcorn in space?

[C]

No. These microwaves are not as intense as the microwaves that cook food.

[A]

But they are everywhere. They were discovered in 1965. Scientists say this so called cosmic microwave background strongly supports the Big Bang theory.

[B]

It all started with a big Bang?

[A]

Nope, not that Big Bang Theory. And it may help us know what the Big Bang truly sounded like.

[B]

All started with a big Bang.

[A]

Nope, not that sound.

[B]

Sorry, Captain, but does it really matter what sound effect I use? After all, there's no sound in space, smarty pants.

[A]

Is that true? Why, yes. Yes, it is right now. But the early universe was dense enough to allow sound to go through it. So the Big Bang actually did create a noise. Whoa. And a University of Washington physics professor, John Kramer, came up with something that could be it. He had a computer convert data from the cosmic microwave background into sound. And after increasing the volume dramatically, he heard this.

[B]

Huh. That's not quite a bang, Captain. Kind of reminds me of a video game from the 1980s.

[A]

Well, I guess that's because the universe started with a big stretch instead of a big bang. Number one, could you please stop with the fart sound effects?

[B]

Uh, my apologies, Captain, but that was not a sound effect.

[A]

Oh, boy.

[C]

Ew. How do I get off this spaceship?

[A]

A big shout out to my smarty friends, Arev and his dad, Lokesh, who love who Smarted, especially episodes on science and space topics. Thank you both so much for all the wonderful praise for our show. I'm so glad AREV loves listening every day and is always recommending who's Smarted to his friends. And we love that. Lokesh quit his corporate job to follow his calling to teach science and physics. We are thrilled to have your family as part of our smarty family, and we appreciate all you do to make this a smarter world. This episode, the Big Bang Theory, was written by Dave Bazinga Beaudry and voiced by Adam Dopler Davis, Olivia Dark Matter Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hydrogen Hahn. Our associate producer is Microwave's Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Singularity Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. This has been an Atomic Audio production.

[B]

Who Smarted.