Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Did Einstein have any choice in formulating the general theory of relativity? Brian Greene speaks with Claudia de Rham, professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London and a pioneer of massive gravity, a framework that asks what happens if the graviton, the particle thought to transmit the gravitational force, carries a tiny but nonzero mass.
They trace the idea from Fierz and Pauli in the 1930’s, through the no-go theorems of the 1970s that seemed to rule it out entirely, to the modern breakthrough showing the theory can be made mathematically consistent. Along the way they explore the bounds on the photon and graviton masses, why gravity gravitates, the puzzle of the cosmological constant, and whether massive gravity could explain the accelerating expansion of the universe. Plus, what Einstein himself would make of it all.
This program is part of the Rethinking Reality series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
Participant: Claudia de Rham
Moderator: Brian Greene
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW:
youtube.com/worldsciencefestival?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL:
The World Science Festival (WSF) is a multimedia organization bringing the most transformative ideas in science to global audiences. Through long- and short-form videos spanning physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology, neuroscience, consciousness, medicine, space exploration, the dilemma of free will, artificial intelligence, engineering, robotics, and beyond. WSF gathers world-renowned scientists, artists, and thinkers for dynamic discussions, debates, lectures, performances, films, and immersive live experiences.
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York City, the World Science Festival is a production of the World Science Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to cultivate a public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future. With live events reaching millions worldwide and hundreds of millions of digital views, WSF continues to expand its global impact through festivals, educational initiatives like World Science U, and digital content that explores the near and far future of our world.
FOLLOW WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL:
Website: worldsciencefestival.com
Instagram: instagram.com/worldscifest
TikTok: tiktok.com/@worldscifest
X(Twitter): twitter.com/worldscifest
Facebook: facebook.com/worldsciencefestival
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/world-science-festival
Chapters:
00:00 Did Einstein Have Any Choice in Creating His Theory?
01:39 Why Gravity Captivates Us From the Start
04:04 How Einstein Reimagined Gravity as the Geometry of Spacetime
07:38 Thinking of Gravity Like Electromagnetism
11:10 Is Gravity Quantum Mechanical?
15:14 What Is the Speed of Light, Really?
18:22 How Hard Is It to Give the Photon a Mass?
22:16 The Graviton: What We Know and What We've Bounded
29:27 The First Attempt at Massive Gravity
32:37 Extra Dimensions and Copies of Gravity With Mass
37:43 Why a Massive Graviton Seemed Impossible
41:48 A Way Out of the Discontinuity
48:03 Why the the Boulware-Deser Ghost Theory Seemed to Break Down
51:36 The Cosmological Constant Problem
56:51 Massive Gravity as a Solution to Accelerated Expansion
01:01:01 How the Theory Finally Became Mathematically Consistent
01:05:31 Numerical Solutions: Black Holes in Massive Gravity
01:13:25 How Well Does It Solve the Original Cosmological Problem?
01:17:57 What to Look For in Gravitational Waves
01:20:10 What Would Einstein Think of Massive Gravity?
01:21:51 Is There Beauty in a More Complex Theory of Gravity?
Does Einstein Need an Upgrade? | World Science Festival
youtu.be/ypRYKVI4VUc
Did Einstein have any choice in formulating the general theory of relativity? Brian Greene speaks with Claudia de Rham, professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London and a pioneer of massive gravity, a framework that asks what happens if the graviton, the particle thought to transmit the gravitational force, carries a tiny but nonzero mass.
They trace the idea from Fierz and Pauli in the 1930’s, through the no-go theorems of the 1970s that seemed to rule it out entirely, to the modern breakthrough showing the theory can be made mathematically consistent. Along the way they explore the bounds on the photon and graviton masses, why gravity gravitates, the puzzle of the cosmological constant, and whether massive gravity could explain the accelerating expansion of the universe. Plus, what Einstein himself would make of it all.
This program is part of the Rethinking Reality series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
Participant: Claudia de Rham
Moderator: Brian Greene
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW:
youtube.com/worldsciencefestival?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL:
The World Science Festival (WSF) is a multimedia organization bringing the most transformative ideas in science to global audiences. Through long- and short-form videos spanning physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology, neuroscience, consciousness, medicine, space exploration, the dilemma of free will, artificial intelligence, engineering, robotics, and beyond. WSF gathers world-renowned scientists, artists, and thinkers for dynamic discussions, debates, lectures, performances, films, and immersive live experiences.
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York City, the World Science Festival is a production of the World Science Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to cultivate a public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future. With live events reaching millions worldwide and hundreds of millions of digital views, WSF continues to expand its global impact through festivals, educational initiatives like World Science U, and digital content that explores the near and far future of our world.
FOLLOW WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL:
Website: worldsciencefestival.com
Instagram: instagram.com/worldscifest
TikTok: tiktok.com/@worldscifest
X(Twitter): twitter.com/worldscifest
Facebook: facebook.com/worldsciencefestival
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/world-science-festival
Chapters:
00:00 Did Einstein Have Any Choice in Creating His Theory?
01:39 Why Gravity Captivates Us From the Start
04:04 How Einstein Reimagined Gravity as the Geometry of Spacetime
07:38 Thinking of Gravity Like Electromagnetism
11:10 Is Gravity Quantum Mechanical?
15:14 What Is the Speed of Light, Really?
18:22 How Hard Is It to Give the Photon a Mass?
22:16 The Graviton: What We Know and What We've Bounded
29:27 The First Attempt at Massive Gravity
32:37 Extra Dimensions and Copies of Gravity With Mass
37:43 Why a Massive Graviton Seemed Impossible
41:48 A Way Out of the Discontinuity
48:03 Why the the Boulware-Deser Ghost Theory Seemed to Break Down
51:36 The Cosmological Constant Problem
56:51 Massive Gravity as a Solution to Accelerated Expansion
01:01:01 How the Theory Finally Became Mathematically Consistent
01:05:31 Numerical Solutions: Black Holes in Massive Gravity
01:13:25 How Well Does It Solve the Original Cosmological Problem?
01:17:57 What to Look For in Gravitational Waves
01:20:10 What Would Einstein Think of Massive Gravity?
01:21:51 Is There Beauty in a More Complex Theory of Gravity?
Does Einstein Need an Upgrade? | World Science Festival
youtu.be/ypRYKVI4VUc
