In logic, ‘reductio ad absurdum’ shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.
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For many years, some cosmologists embraced the idea of an eternal, steady state universe. But science triumphed over philosophical prejudice.
How scientists found out that we live in a cosmic aquarium.
Figuring out the answer involved a prism, a pail of water, and a 50 year effort by the most famous father-son astronomer duo ever.
Yes, dark energy is real. Yes, distant galaxies recede faster and faster as time goes on. But the expansion rate isn’t accelerating at all.
Emotion dysregulation has been linked to unhealthy risk-taking, relationship challenges, and negative physical health outcomes.
In the very early Universe, practically all particles were massless. Then the Higgs symmetry broke, and suddenly everything was different.
Named “Phoenix,” this AI-powered humanoid could be your next coworker.
The ultimate definition of trauma, explained by leading psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk.
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If nature were perfectly deterministic, atoms would almost instantly all collapse. Here’s how Heisenberg uncertainty saves the atom.
The second law of thermodynamics is an inviolable law of reality. Here’s what everyone should know about closed, open, and isolated systems.
Holograms preserve all of an object’s 3D information, but on a 2D surface. Could the holographic Universe idea lead us to higher dimensions?
If the evolution of the Universe is a movie, what happens when we rewind it all the way backward?
We know the Universe is expanding, but scientists don’t agree on the rate. This is a legitimate problem.
Empty space itself, the quantum vacuum, could be in either a true, stable state or a false, unstable state. Our fate depends on the answer.
Dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries in all the Universe. Is there some way to avoid “having to live with it?”
The difference between predictions and observations of the magnetic properties of muons suggests a mystery for the Standard Model.
Einstein called his idea “abominable,” but the world of physics came around to embracing the views of Georges Lemaître.
If the Universe is expanding, and the expansion is accelerating, what does that tell us about the cause of the expanding Universe?
Contrary to common experience, not everything needs a medium to travel through. Overcoming that assumption removes the need for an aether.
We think of physical reality as what objectively exists, independent of any observer. But relativity and quantum physics say otherwise.
Physicists just can’t leave an incomplete theory alone; they try to repair it. When nature is kind, it can lead to a major breakthrough.
A concept known as “wave-particle duality” famously applies to light. But it also applies to all matter — including you.
When cosmic inflation came to an end, the hot Big Bang ensued as a result. If our cosmic vacuum state decays, could it all happen again?
Scientists can make substantial progress without fully understanding exactly what they’re doing.
Early on, only matter and radiation were important for the expanding Universe. After a few billion years, dark energy changed everything.
Philosophy can focus on some dull topics. Luckily, some thinkers have spent lots of time on the philosophy of sex
Unless you confront your theory with what’s actually out there in the Universe, you’re playing in the sandbox, not engaging in science.
If our Universe were born a little differently, there wouldn’t have been any planets, stars, galaxies, or chemically interesting reactions.
Symmetries aren’t just about folding or rotating a piece of paper, but have a profound array of applications when it comes to physics.