Think like a physicist. Wonder like a human. Into the Impossible is where Cosmic Conversations happen — uniting Nobel Prize winners, iconoclasts, authors, and technologists to explore reality’s deepest questions. From AI to aliens, from biophysics to the brain, from the cosmos to the multiverse, Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego covers it all.
If you’ve ever asked What’s out there? or What’s next?, this is where curiosity meets clarity.
Learn to think like this. 🎙 Full episodes, notes & more: briankeating.com/podcast
All content for Into the Impossible With Brian Keating is the property of Big Bang Productions Inc. and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Think like a physicist. Wonder like a human. Into the Impossible is where Cosmic Conversations happen — uniting Nobel Prize winners, iconoclasts, authors, and technologists to explore reality’s deepest questions. From AI to aliens, from biophysics to the brain, from the cosmos to the multiverse, Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego covers it all.
If you’ve ever asked What’s out there? or What’s next?, this is where curiosity meets clarity.
Learn to think like this. 🎙 Full episodes, notes & more: briankeating.com/podcast
From Pipe Bombs to Viagra: Nobel Prize Winner’s Secrets Revealed
Into the Impossible With Brian Keating
53 minutes
11 hours ago
From Pipe Bombs to Viagra: Nobel Prize Winner’s Secrets Revealed
Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥
Lou Ignarro went from building pipe bombs as a curious teen to winning the Nobel Prize for discovering how a gas—nitric oxide—regulates blood flow, fuels Viagra, and revolutionized cardiovascular medicine. In this explosive conversation, we trace how one molecule transformed sex, science, and the story of human health.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Intro
00:55 The molecule that saves and kills
04:00 The invention of the X-ray
05:44 Nitroglycerin: explosive or life-saving drug?
11:07 Fine-tuning and Lou’s religious beliefs
14:38 Judging a book by its cover
16:56 The importance of curiosity
20:00 Thoughts on the Nobel Prize
24:58 What does Viagra do and how does it work?
32:10 The importance of collaboration in scientific research
35:15 Achieving the breakthrough discovery
41:02 What happens if a woman takes viagra?
42:55 Other applications of nitric oxide
47:57 Lou’s heart-healthy diet
52:41 Outro
Additional resources:
➡️ Follow Lou Ignarro:
✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/drignarro
📚 Dr. NO by Lou Ignarro: https://a.co/d/gSarIKX
➡️ My new book:
📖 Into the Impossible Volume 2: Focus Like a Nobel Prize Winner: Lessons from Laureates to Concentrate Your Creativity and Ignite Your Career: https://a.co/d/hi50U9U
➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:
✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating
🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1
📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list
✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/
🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast
—
Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.
Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Into the Impossible With Brian Keating
Think like a physicist. Wonder like a human. Into the Impossible is where Cosmic Conversations happen — uniting Nobel Prize winners, iconoclasts, authors, and technologists to explore reality’s deepest questions. From AI to aliens, from biophysics to the brain, from the cosmos to the multiverse, Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego covers it all.
If you’ve ever asked What’s out there? or What’s next?, this is where curiosity meets clarity.
Learn to think like this. 🎙 Full episodes, notes & more: briankeating.com/podcast