Physicists Say They Know How Cold Fusion Works

Nuclear fusion reactors require massive amounts of heat and pressure to re-create conditions similar to those at the center of the Sun. Cold fusion (sometimes called “Low Energy Nuclear Reactions”) is the idea that we could make nuclear fusion work instead at much lower energy within certain materials, typically palladium. This research area has been plagued by fraud, hype, and just bad science. But now, a group of physicists say they've figured out the theory for how it works.



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I Believe The Universe Might Be Able To Think.

In my second book, Existential Physics", I wrote about the possibility that the universe might be able to think. You might think I’m joking, or gone off the deep end, or both – but hear me out.

Have Researchers Found The First Evidence For String Theory?

The BBC claims that researchers have found the first evidence for string theory, citing a recent discovery of long-wavelength gravitational waves that might indicate the existence of so-called “cosmic strings.” Crazier still, they think that this could allow time travel! But do these gravitational waves actually mean that cosmic strings exist? And what, if anything, does it have to do with time travel?



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Is Carbon Dioxide Removal the Next Stock Market Bubble?

According to the New York Times, carbon dioxide removal tech is “the new climate gold rush.” Investors have poured billions of dollars into the tech, and market analysts predict that it might become a trillion-dollar industry in the future. But does reality match the hype? Let’s look at what the numbers really say.

String Theory Can Be Proven Wrong, String Theorists Say

String theory is one of the leading theories of everything, but it’s been criticized for being impossible to prove wrong – if it can’t be falsified, there’s no way to test it against empirical evidence. Now, though, a group of scientists claim they’ve found a way to prove the theory wrong, making it more legitimate. I am not convinced.

Will We Get AGI In 2025?

The recent announcement of OpenAI’s o3 has caused rumours that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) has arrived. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a model that’s smarter than humans at “a lot of hard problems” will be available by the end of 2025. But what does that even mean, and what can we expect for 2025?

The Hydrogen Bubble Is Finally Bursting

Over the past decade, governments all over the world have invested heavily into the hydrogen economy, that is the idea to use hydrogen to store and transport energy from intermittent renewables. Over the past year, stocks of most key companies in the business have tumbled by as much as 50%. There are good reasons for this.

Quantum Hype Goes Crazy. But Why?

Late last year, quantum computing stocks saw a massive spike in value, with companies like D-wave, Rigetti, and Ion Q jumping by more than 600%. What’s behind this sudden shift? Is it all hype, or something else? I recently came across an interesting recording of a panel discussion that sheds light on what is going on. Let’s take a look.

Climate Scientists are Very Confused

Over the course of 2024, global temperatures hit record highs, yet again. Climate scientists are beginning to worry that temperatures are increasing faster than their models led them to expect. A paper that recently appeared said that the reason for the rapid warming is a reduction in certain types of clouds. If this is correct, and if that’s a trend, it’s very bad news. Welcome to 2025.

Dark Energy Is Not Real, New Data Analysis Finds

According to our current understanding of astrophysics, the universe is not only expanding, but also growing at an ever-increasing rate. The most-accepted model for this expansion attributes the accelerated expansion to dark energy – but what if it’s wrong? A group of astrophysicists have offered up a different explanation, which they call the “timescape” model. They claim that it fits the data better than dark energy. Let’s take a look.



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Civilization as we know it is ending, prominent forecaster says

According to ecologist Crawford Holling, complex systems go through cycles of four phases: growth, maturity, release (or breakdown), and exploration (or reconfiguration). In a paper that just appeared, a prominent forecaster claims that human civilization is currently in the release phase, meaning we will soon have to dramatically reconfigure our social and economic order. What are we to make of this? Let’s take a look.

Jeff Bezos’ Strange Space Vision

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also owns an aerospace company named Blue Origin, and the former bookseller has ideas. Those include housing humans in rotating cylinders around Earth’s orbit and moving all heavy industry into space. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Let’s take a look.

Physicists Claim They Solved Schrödinger's Cat Problem

The Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment illustrates the absurd consequences of the mathematics of quantum physics: A cat trapped in a box seems to be both alive and dead at the same time. We all agree that that’s absurd, but just why do we not ever see dead-and-alive cats? This question has vexed physicists for more than a century. A group of researchers now say they’ve solved the problem. Let’s take a look.



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This Physicist Says We’re Using Maths Entirely Wrong

Intuitionist mathematics is the idea that the entire discipline of maths is a mental construct based on human thought rather than a platonic realm of eternal truths. According to physicist Nicolas Gisin, one of this idea’s biggest proponents, that maths is based on human intuition is the reason why quantum mechanics seems so strange. Let’s take a look.

This Firm Says It’s 6 Years Away From Making Energy From Fusion

Nuclear fusion is one of the most promising “new” technologies that humanity is currently developing. If we’re able to generate net energy from nuclear fusion, humanity could prosper at levels we can’t even imagine yet. But first, we have to get there. Let’s take a look at a quite recent startup, OpenStar, which claims it will create energy from fusion as early as 6 years from now. They use a reactor design I had never heard of before, and it does have some notable advantages. Could this be the way that fusion finally becomes reality?



If you are still reading this blog in 2024, I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Scientists See Hidden Order in Quantum Chaos: A First

Chaos doesn’t exist in the world of quantum physics, as quantum physics is a linear theory. So how come we observe chaos all around us? Researchers have now come one step closer to understanding how it happens. They have for the first time measured a “quantum scar”, that is a quantum effect which deviates from chaos. Why does this matter and what could it be good for? Let’s take a look.

Science Does Not Work By Consensus – Don’t Poll Us

A group of philosophers and sociologists have come up with the idea to regularly poll scientists in order to establish and maintain a “scientific consensus.” While this might sound plausible, it’s a terrible idea. Here’s why.

The Biggest Physics Stories of 2024

2024 has been quite the wild ride, but now it’s time to take a step back and appreciate how far we’ve come this year. Let’s take a look at the five most important developments in physics in 2024, according to me.



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Neil Degrasse Tyson & The Trans Athlete Issue

Neil DeGrasse Tyson made waves recently by giving his take on transgender athletes and how they should be allowed to participate in sports. The discourse around this tiny issue has become increasingly toxic over the years, meaning it’s time for us to dive in too. Let’s take a look.

Why Musk Is Wrong About Mars

Elon Musk wants to build a colony on Mars with at least 1 million people. While this might sound like an exciting and worthwhile goal, many prominent voices in science are skeptical about it. What does Musk want to do, what are the problems, and why is he facing criticism? Here’s a brief summary.