In this episode, I speak with Professor Nikita Nekrasov, one of the most original minds in theoretical physics. We dive into why quantum field theory still isn’t fully understood, despite its experimental success and why a complete axiomatic foundation might not even be possible. Nikita walks us through his solution to the Seiberg-Witten puzzle, the birth of the Nekrasov partition function, and how exotic structures in four dimensions could underlie the chemistry of life. This conversation blends deep math, quantum weirdness, and personal stories from the front lines of discovery. If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to understand reality, this one’s for you. Every episode days early, ad-free, plus my essays: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Nikita’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bKV59LwAAAAJ&hl=en •⁠ ⁠Nikita’s Lecture: https://scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/44062 •⁠ ⁠Two Dimensional Gauge Theories [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9204083 •⁠ ⁠Richard Borcherds [TOE]: https://youtu.be/U3pQWkE2KqM •⁠ ⁠Edward Frenkel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/n_oPMcvHbAc •⁠ ⁠Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/RX1tZv_Nv4Y •⁠ ⁠Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [Part 2]: https://youtu.be/0AC-Ol1z5vI •⁠ ⁠String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY •⁠ ⁠Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU •⁠ ⁠Cumrun Vafa [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw •⁠ ⁠Garrett Lisi [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z7ulJmfFvd8 •⁠ ⁠Chiara Marletto [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Uey_mUy1vN0 •⁠ ⁠Debunking “All Possible Paths” [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0 •⁠ ⁠Peter Woit [TOE]: https://youtu.be/TTSeqsCgxj8 •⁠ ⁠Leonard Susskind [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok •⁠ ⁠Seiberg-Witten Prepotential from Instanton Counting [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0206161 •⁠ ⁠Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo •⁠ ⁠Leptons and Quarks [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9814603007?tag=toe08-20 •⁠ ⁠Brian Greene [TOE]: https://youtu.be/O2EtTE9Czzo •⁠ ⁠David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM •⁠ ⁠Jenann Ismael [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7kvXihDAOi0 •⁠ ⁠Claudia de Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hNPMKy6RxCE •⁠ ⁠Yang-Mills [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.19097 SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science #physics