Episode 5: The Three-Body Problem

The Plot

This series, originally based on author Liu Cixin’s novel, The Three-Body Problem, begins during the 1960s cultural revolution in China. We are introduced to a young Ye Wenjie who witnesses her father, who is a professor, brutally murdered at a revolutionary rally. Ye is sent to a labor camp as a result. However, recognized for her scientific ability, specifically in the field of physics, she is taken to and begins working at a radio telescope lab that was attempting to find life in the universe. She has an idea while working at the lab to bounce their signal off of the Sun in order to amplify its strength. This idea proves to be successful and she is contacted by aliens who warn her that if she responds to them again, they will travel to Earth and conquer the human race. Ye Wenjie, who was shown the brutality and darkness of mankind as a young woman, believes that humanity is incapable of looking after itself and decides to send them a response. 

The series then moves into the present day and we are introduced to a group of young scientists who have all pursued various sects of physics. The story focuses on physicist Jin Cheng who is secretly approached by the original alien group known as the San-Ti. Jin and fellow scientist Jack Rooney are given virtual reality headsets from the aliens that transport them to a world that is constantly being destroyed by natural disasters. Their objective within this game is to figure out what phenomena is causing these disasters and destroying that virtual world’s civilization periodically. Eventually, Jin solves the game and realizes that they are on a planet with three stars: a three body-system. Jin and Rooney are then approached by a human ambassador of a group led by Ye Wenjie that is in direct contact and service to the San-Ti in the real world. They reveal to Jin and Rooney that the three-body problem represents the real planet of the San-Ti, who are on their way to conquer Earth. Jin and Rooney are then asked to attend a secret meeting and join the San-Ti, to which Rooney declines and Jin accepts. Later that night, the group murders Rooney for rejecting their offer. 

Throughout this part of the story, a detective named Wade becomes suspicious of the activity executed by the San-Ti ambassador group. After Rooney’s death, he becomes involved with Jin and her friends as they attempt to infiltrate the group, revealing Ye Wenjie as the leader. They also find out that the San-Ti are 400 years from arriving on Earth. This becomes an international scandal and scientists from around the world are called to work together to prepare to fight the San-Ti. This leads to multiple ideas from the scientific team, including the Staircase Project which fails. In addition, the San-Ti send a spy computer called a sophon to relay and hinder scientific progress made on Earth. The story will continue in season 2.

Our Guest

I would like to introduce Zili Shen who is joining me today on the AstroArticulated Podcast. Ms.Shen earned her bachelor's degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She has continued her education at Yale University and is currently a fifth year Ph.D. student in Astronomy. In 2023, Ms.Shen won the Yale 3-minute thesis competition in which Ph.D. students were tasked with explaining their thesis to a non-specialist audience in under three minutes. She is currently an author for the astronomy blog Astrobites and a speaker for Astronomy on Tap.

Episode Content

This episode will tackle both the physics of a real three-body problem as described in the novel and the message that author Liu Cixin is attempting to communicate about human nature and society's approach to science in times of turmoil through THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM.