Margaret Wertheim is the co-creator and curator of the Institute for Figuring in Los Angeles. She is the author of “Pythagoras’ Trousers,” “The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet,” “Physics on the Fringe: Smoke Rings, Circlons and Alternative Theories of Everything,” and “Crochet Coral Reef.” This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode “Margaret Wertheim — The Grandeur and Limits of Science.” Find more at onbeing.org.