A Meta-Theory of Physics Could Explain Life, the Universe, Computation, and More
You may think of physics as a way to explain the behaviors of things like black holes, colliding particles, falling apples, and quantum computers. But a small group physicists today is working on a theory that doesn’t just study individual phenomena; it’s an entirely new way to describe the universe itself. This theory might solve…
The Scientists Who Won’t Give Up on the Warp Drive
For most of us, traveling faster than the cosmic speed limit—the speed of light—is a science-fiction fantasy that breaks the very foundation of modern physics. But in the eyes of an engineering undergrad at the University of Alabama in Huntsville named Joseph Agnew, it’s a theory worthy of study. The idea first came to Agnew…
Why Do Physicists Keep Finding New States of Matter?
Ah, yes, the three states of matter: Solids, liquids, and gases. What a simple way to understand our physical world. Of course, if you remember a bit of high school science, you probably recall a fourth state of matter, plasma. And if you pay attention to science news, you’ve probably heard of another, Bose-Einstein condensates.…