Signals from across the universe point toward a fascinating possibility.
Search Results
You searched for: Physical Constants
Some constants, like the speed of light, exist with no underlying explanation. How many "fundamental constants" does our Universe require?
The information we have in the Universe is finite and limited, but our curiosity and wonder is forever insatiable. And always will be.
Does it have a deeper significance — or is it just a number?
Two of the answers add a dimension to physics that doesn’t belong there. Maybe we could call it "astrotheology."
A cute mathematical trick can "rescale" the Universe so that it isn't actually expanding. But can that "trick" survive all our cosmic tests?
Researchers devise a record-breaking laser transmission that avoids atmospheric interference.
Measurements of the acceleration of the universe don’t agree, stumping physicists working to understand the cosmic past and future. A new proposal seeks to better align these estimates — and is likely testable.
For many years, cosmologists have claimed the Universe is 13.8 billion years old. A new paper says no, it's 26.7 billion. How do we decide?
Not even Einstein immediately knew the power of the equations he gave us.
When Einstein gave General Relativity to the world, he included an extraneous cosmological constant. How did his 'biggest blunder' occur?
Perhaps the most remarkable fact about the Universe is simply that it, and everything in it, exists. But what's the reason why?
No matter what physical system we consider, nature always obeys the same fundamental laws. Must it be this way, and if so, why?
We need a hypothesis that accounts for both the fine-tuning of physics for life but also the arbitrariness and gratuitous suffering we find in the world.
Your sexual education was probably inadequate. Here’s the information you always needed.
▸
9 min
—
with
The conservation of energy is one of the most fundamental laws governing our reality. But in the expanding Universe, that's just not true.
There is no such thing as a void in the Universe.
Michael Faraday's 1834 law of induction was the key experiment behind the eventual discovery of relativity. Einstein admitted it himself.
Explanations for the cosmic speed limit often conflate mass with inertia.
There are two methods to measure the expansion rate of the Universe. The results do not agree with each other, and this is a big problem.
Analog could serve as "always-on" computing, while digital is turned on only when necessary.
It may be time for a cosmological paradigm shift.
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.
The ultimate definition of trauma, explained by leading psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk.
▸
8 min
—
with
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.
When what we predict and what we measure don't add up, that's a sign there's something new to learn. Could it be a new fundamental force?
Holograms preserve all of an object's 3D information, but on a 2D surface. Could the holographic Universe idea lead us to higher dimensions?
The multiverse pushes beyond the limits of the scientific method. From our vantage point in the Universe, we cannot know if it's real.
We know the Universe is expanding, but scientists don't agree on the rate. This is a legitimate problem.