The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
Our mission: to answer, scientifically, the biggest questions of all.
- What is our Universe made of?
- How did it become the way it is today?
- Where did everything come from?
- What is the ultimate fate of the cosmos?
For countless generations, these were questions without resolutions. Now, for the first time in history, we have scientific answers. Starts With A Bang, written by Dr. Ethan Siegel, brings these stories — of what we know and how we know it — directly to you.
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Why power generated through nuclear fusion will be the future, but not the present, solution to humanity’s energy needs.
It’s a strange idea to consider: that a tiny building block of matter, the atomic nucleus, holds the greatest potential for energy release.
And yet, it’s true; while electron transitions in atoms or molecules typically release energy on the order of ~1 electron-Volt, nuclear transitions between different configurations release energies a million times as great, on the order of ~1 Mega-electron-Volt.
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From before the Big Bang to the present day, the Universe goes through many eras. Dark energy heralds the final one.
A wild, compelling idea without a direct, practical test, the Multiverse is highly controversial. But its supporting pillars sure are stable.
The surface and atmosphere is colored by ferric oxides. Beneath a very thin layer, mere millimeters deep in places, it’s not red anymore.
The first supernova ever discovered through its X-rays has an enormously powerful engine at its core. It’s unlike anything ever seen.
Just 13.8 billion years after the hot Big Bang, we can see 46.1 billion light-years away in all directions. Doesn’t that violate…something?
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We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: General Relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don’t work together.
Sooner or later, Earth is going to be hit by a large enough space object to cause significant damage to humanity. Stopping them isn’t easy.
No matter what physical system we consider, nature always obeys the same fundamental laws. Must it be this way, and if so, why?
The James Webb Space Telescope viewed Neptune, our Solar System’s final planet, for the first time. Here’s what we saw, and what it means.
From here on Earth, looking farther away in space means looking farther back in time. So what are distant Earth-watchers seeing right now?
When people pick the greatest scientist of all-time, Newton and Einstein always come up. Perhaps they should name Johannes Kepler, instead.
Yes, NASA’s Perseverance rover found organics on Mars. So did Curiosity. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean anything in the search for life.
No matter how good our measurement devices get, certain quantum properties always possess an inherent uncertainty. Can we figure out why?
Since the time of Galileo, Saturn’s rings have remained an unexplained mystery. A new idea may have finally solved the longstanding puzzle.
Black holes aren’t just the densest masses in the Universe, but they also spin the fastest of all massive objects. Here’s why it must be so.
In our common experience, you can’t get something for nothing. In the quantum realm, something really can emerge from nothing.
The first set of James Webb’s images blew us all away. In just 2 mere months, it’s seen highlights that no one could have predicted.
As recently as 1990, we didn’t know of any planets beyond our Solar System. Today, with 5000+, we’re deep into the weeds of how they form.
At a fundamental level, only a few particles and forces govern all of reality. How do their combinations create human consciousness?
No planet enters retrograde more frequently than Mercury, which does so 3-4 times each year. Here’s the scientific explanation for why.
With the right material at the right temperature and a magnetic track, physics really does allow perpetual motion without energy loss.
Remembering Frank Drake, who transformed the search for alien life & extraterrestrial intelligence into a full-fledged scientific endeavor.
Einstein’s relativity teaches us that time isn’t absolute, but passes relatively for everyone. So how do telescopes see back through time?
Planets can create nuclear power on their own, naturally, without any intelligence or technology. Earth already did: 1.7 billion years ago.
The last 70 years have taken us farther than the previous 70,000. But can we accomplish more than creating a record saying, “We were here?”
If you can model anything in the Universe with an equation, mathematics is how you get the solution(s). Physics must go a step further.
From black holes to dark energy to chances for life in the Universe, our cosmic journey to understand it all is just getting started.
No. No no no. Just… no. The JWST has truly blown our scientific minds, but it’s a pure crackpot idea that the Big Bang is now disproven.
Is science absolute? Its truths and discoveries guide us toward the nature of reality, but we must always remain open-minded to revisions.
As we gain new knowledge, our scientific picture of how the Universe works must evolve. This is a feature of the Big Bang, not a bug.
Einstein’s “happiest thought” led to General Relativity’s formulation. Would a different profound insight have led us forever astray?
As we look to larger cosmic scales, we get a broader view of the expansive cosmic forest, eventually revealing the grandest views of all.
Our model of the Universe, dominated by dark matter and dark energy, explains almost everything we see. Almost. Here’s what remains.
Magnetic monopoles began as a mere theoretical curiosity. They might hold the key to understanding so much more.
The anthropic principle has fascinating scientific uses, where the simple fact of our existence holds deep physical lessons. Don’t abuse it!