Surprising Science — February 8, 2011

The Search for Antimatter

Theoretically, there could be people and planets made out of antimatter rather than matter, but where are they?

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Every Wednesday, Michio Kaku will be answering reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comments section below and check back on Wednesdays to see if he answers it.

Today, Dr. Kaku addresses a question posed by Ron Or-El: Is it possible for antimatter to form complex structures such as molecules or even entire life forms?

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

A silhouette of a person sitting and reading under a white tree made from electronic circuit lines on a gray background.

The Present

AI is already in the classroom. It’s time colleges caught up.

“The rise of the internet brought about similar fears, yet it ultimately made learning richer and more accessible.”

Timeline of the universe from the Big Bang, as described in cosmology, showing inflation, formation of atoms, stars, galaxies, and expansion to the present day over 13.8 billion years.

Starts With A Bang

How to understand the Universe’s most important equation

If you want to understand the Universe, cosmologically, you just can’t do it without the Friedmann equation. With it, the cosmos is yours.

A digital 3D visualization shows translucent blue shapes in front of a blue wall and floor, illustrating an abstract concept—perhaps a universe without dark matter.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: What would the Universe be like without dark matter?

In our Universe, dark matter outmasses normal matter by a 5-to-1 ratio, shaping the Universe as we know it. What if it simply weren’t there?

Close-up illustration of a neuron cell with branching dendrites and axon, set against a dark background with small glowing particles, evoking the intricate physics of consciousness.

Starts With A Bang

Does physics truly have anything to say about consciousness?

Many, from neuroscientists to philosophers to anesthesiologists, have claimed to understand consciousness. Do physicists? Does anyone?

Illustration of a large particle accelerator facility underground, with scientists working and a city landscape above ground.

Starts With A Bang

A new collider can teach us about the origin of matter

The laws of nature are almost perfectly symmetric between matter and antimatter, and yet our Universe is made ~100% of matter only. But why?

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