This year, Professor Cumrun Vafa was invited to speak at the World Science Festival on a panel discussion titled "Darkness Visible: Shedding New Light on Black Holes." Moderated by the Chairman of the Board of the World Science Festival and Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Colombia University, Brian Greene, Professor Vafa is introduced to the program at 1:13:00.

Black holes may hold the key to understanding the most fundamental truths of the universe, but how do you see something that’s, well, black? Astronomers think they have the answer. Thanks to a global array of radio telescopes that turn the Earth into a giant receiver, we may soon have the first picture of the event horizon of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. And, with the power of math, scientists are going even further, using equations to “look” inside black holes, peering at the central singularity where general relativity and quantum mechanics collide. Join Brian Greene and other leading physicists and astronomers on a journey to make darkness visible.

View the full clip here.

"Darklessness Visible: Shedding New Light on Black Holes." YouTube. World Science Festival. June 2, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JE_KMfuEWk.