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Science

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science
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essay

Quantum theory

Quantum dialectics

When quantum mechanics posed a threat to the Marxist doctrine of materialism, communist physicists sought to reconcile the two

Jim Baggott

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video

Cosmology

Tiny, entangled universes that form or fizzle out – a theory of the quantum multiverse

11 minutes

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essay

Quantum theory

We are not empty

The concept of the atomic void is one of the most repeated mistakes in popular science. Molecules are packed with stuff

Mario Barbatti

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video

Physics

There’s a striking link between quantum and astronomic scales. What could it mean?

5 minutes

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essay

Quantum theory

Untangling entanglement

Why does the quantum world behave in that strange, spooky way? Here’s our simple, four-step explanation (no magic needed)

Huw Price & Ken Wharton

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essay

Quantum theory

All possible worlds

Long a matter of philosophical speculation, the idea of multiple realities has been given new artistic licence by physics

Timothy Andersen

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essay

Quantum theory

All is One

The ancient philosophy of monism and the physics of quantum entanglement agree: all that exists is one unified whole

Heinrich Päs

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video

Quantum theory

Why aren’t our everyday lives as ‘spooky’ as the quantum world?

7 minutes

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video

Physics

The tangled tale of how physicists built a groundbreaking wormhole in a lab

17 minutes

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Cosmology

Cogitating black holes

The Universe cannot always be understood through observation. Instead, physicists explore by devising thought experiments

Michael Dine

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essay

Mathematics

Imaginary numbers are real

These odd values were long dismissed as bookkeeping. Now physicists are proving that they describe the hidden shape of nature

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

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essay

Quantum theory

Quantum Wittgenstein

Metaphysical debates in quantum physics don’t get at ‘truth’ – they’re nothing but a form of ritual, activity and culture

Timothy Andersen

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video

Computing and artificial intelligence

From ‘chandeliers’ to entangled qubits, here’s what happens inside a quantum computer

9 minutes

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video

Quantum theory

Mind-bending new quantum experiments are blurring past, present and future

10 minutes

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Economics

A softer economics

Financial markets are entangled and uncertain. When will economists let go of physics envy to embrace the quantum revolution?

David Orrell

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essay

History of science

Calculate but don’t shut up

The cliché has it that the Copenhagen interpretation demands adherence without deep enquiry. That does physics a disservice

Jim Baggott

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video

Physics

The Standard Model might be the most successful theory in science. But what is it?

16 minutes

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essay

Physics

The unified Universe

Physics displays an uncanny alignment at its very deepest levels. Is a grand theory of everything finally within reach?

James Wells

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video

Physics

Time is fundamental, space is emergent – why physicists are rethinking reality

9 minutes

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essay

Quantum theory

Quantum music

Physics has long looked to harmony to explain the beauty of the Universe. But what if dissonance yields better insights?

Katie McCormick

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video

Quantum theory

‘Moving paintings’ evoke a quantum particle collision at the Large Hadron Collider

4 minutes

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essay

Biology

Life with purpose

Biologists balk at any talk of ‘goals’ or ‘intentions’ – but a bold new research agenda has put agency back on the table

Philip Ball

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essay

Physics

From chaos to free will

A crude understanding of physics sees determinism at work in the Universe. Luckily, molecular uncertainty ensures this isn’t so

George Ellis

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video

Quantum theory

Quantum entanglement is tough to dumb down, but this analogy can help detangle it

20 minutes