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Theoretical Models
For generations, physicists have been searching for a quantum theory of gravity. But what if gravity isn't actually quantum at all?
Two of the answers add a dimension to physics that doesn’t belong there. Maybe we could call it "astrotheology."
Three fundamental forces matter inside an atom, but gravity is mind-bogglingly weak on those scales. Could extra dimensions explain why?
12mins
Quantum wormholes are mathematically possible — but might also be physically impossible. Physicist Janna Levin explains Hawking’s famous information paradox.
5mins
Gravity defies quantum mechanics. What does that mean for a theory of everything?
Einstein's laws of gravity have been challenged many times, but have always emerged victorious. Could wide binary stars change all that?
There may be unknown particles lurking inside the quantum foam.
Ultracold gases in the lab could help scientists better understand the universe.
Is mathematics woven into the very fabric of reality? Or is it merely a product of the human mind?
How are we to deal with the quantization of spacetime and gravity?
In 1974, Hawking showed that black holes aren't stable, but emit radiation and decay. Nearly 50 years later, it isn't just for black holes.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" is often taken to mean that your conceptions outweigh what's real. That's not what he said.
The multiverse is an idea that has gained a lot of traction in popular culture. But what does science have to say about it?
Theory without experiment is blind, and experiment without theory is lame.
Unless you confront your theory with what's actually out there in the Universe, you're playing in the sandbox, not engaging in science.
7mins
Frank Wilczek is celebrated for his investigations into the fundamental laws of nature that have transformed our understanding of the forces that govern our Universe. In this video, the MIT […]
3mins
Left–Right, Back–Forth, Up–Down. What’s the fourth dimension?
To Einstein, nature had to be rational. But quantum physics showed us that there was not always a way to make it so.
The difference between predictions and observations of the magnetic properties of muons suggests a mystery for the Standard Model.
The authors call it "wildly theoretical" — but let's take a look, anyway.
The science fiction dream of a traversable wormhole is no closer to reality, despite a quantum computer's suggestive simulation.
On July 4, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson, the missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics.
Experiments cannot confirm what theory predicts about neutrinos. And particle physicists have no idea why.
In all of science, no figures have changed the world more than Einstein and Newton. Will anyone ever be as revolutionary again?
4mins
Our world would be impossible without quantum mechanics — but we still don’t have a narrative of how it works.
John Templeton Foundation
Equations that describe time travel are fully compatible and consistent with relativity — but physics is not mathematics.
Singularities frustrate our understanding. But behind every singularity in physics hides a secret door to a new understanding of the world.
Is the multiverse real? It's one of the hottest questions in all of theoretical physics. We invited two astrophysicists to join the debate.
If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at even higher energies, something even greater happens?
Yes, the Universe is expanding, but you might wonder, "How fast is it expanding?"