Surprising Science — February 8, 2011

Science and Music

Michio Kaku

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Physics are nothing but the laws of harmonies on a string, and the universe is a symphony.

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Musical notes and prime numbers, including 2, 5, 17, 29, and 43, are arranged on a staff with blue horizontal lines on a light background, blending mathematics with music.

Mini Philosophy

From Messiaen to Radiohead: How great music uses prime numbers

The strange, undulating sound of mathematics.

A geometric collage with partial photos of two people, a delivery robot labeled "prime" inspired by Amazon robotics, and vintage map textures, overlaid by the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER.

Business

A deep dive into Amazon robotics and AI

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Starts With A Bang

A quantum miracle enabled the formation of neutral atoms

If it weren’t for the intricate rules of quantum physics, we wouldn’t have formed neutral atoms “only” ~380,000 years after the Big Bang.

A frayed rope descends from above and is attached to the top of a blue Earth, symbolizing fragility or tension.

Mini Philosophy

Fringe or frontier: Is our current scientific paradigm still the best fit?

A paradigm should be elastic enough to accommodate new data and broad enough to explain the world. For Rupert Sheldake, ours does neither.

Large crowd of well-dressed people socializing at an indoor event; "Substack" is projected on a wall above.

The Future

Why Substack will be the intellectual engine of the 21st century

The platform is a digital Royal Society for today’s greatest minds — and it could play an essential role in shaping the next civilization.

Up Next

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