New Experiment Explains Why We Don't See Quantum Effects Everywhere

We don’t see the effects of quantum physics outside the submicroscopic scale. That’s why your lunchbox can’t be in two places at once and cats aren’t dead and alive at the same time. But why, exactly, is this true? According to physicists who’ve recently published a paper on that question, the theory of Quantum Darwinism can answer it. Let’s take a look.

Are We Causing a Mass Extinction?

You’ve probably heard that human industrialization is actually a mass extinction event that’s killed off hundreds of thousands of different animal species, I certainly did. But is that actually true? Recently, a group of ecologists published a paper comparing human-related extinctions to mass extinction events of the past. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Physicists Prove That Universe is not a Simulation

The Simulation Hypothesis is the idea that our universe is actually an algorithm being run on a mysterious supercomputer. In a recent paper, a group of physicists say they’ve disproved this theory by using Goedel’s theorem. Let’s take a look.

Nobel Prize for Dark Energy Awarded in Error?

The 2011 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for the discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. This conclusion rested on data from supernovae. A new analysis now looks at a larger set of supernovae data and finds that the Nobel Prize winning conclusion doesn't hold up.

This Simple Trick Solves Impossible Physics Problems

While physics is the branch of science that seeks to explain how the universe works, our understanding of the universe would be nothing without mathematics. Let’s take a look at one recent paper that caught my attention because it’s a lovely example of this relationship.

The Anti-AI Resistance Is Here

The AI resistance is building. Across social media, a growing number of people are expressing their frustration with the spread of AI technology, even as corporations and governments spend more and more money on AI development. But that’s not the only thing that’s going on. Let’s take a look at why humans are becoming increasingly anti-AI, and how the human-AI divide might change in the future.

Quantum Knots Created Matter, Physicists Say

In a recently published paper, a group of physicists outlined a new theory which might explain why our universe contains solid matter. According to the paper, the universe was at one point filled with tiny knots made up of pure energy. This sounds crazy, but the paper’s implications could rock the world of physics. Let’s take a look.

I was SO wrong about quantum computing.

Two years ago, I predicted that the hype around quantum computing would crash by 2024. With 2025 almost over, it’s clear that I was wrong. Let’s take a look at why quantum hype is still peaking, news about mass producing quantum computers, and the U.S. government’s role in all of this.

Finally, Real Battery Breakthroughs!

Our shift towards renewable energy relies on battery technology. Governments all over the world have poured money into battery research, which is why science press headlines are filled with new, eye-popping headlines promising a new revolution in battery technology each week. Most of that news is just hype, but science is actually bringing change to the world of batteries. Let’s take a look.

These Mathematicians Don’t Believe Large Numbers Exist. I’m Serious.

In our current understanding of mathematics, space and time extend infinitely and are made of infinitely many points of size zero. But according to a small group of physicists and mathematicians, this reliance on infinities has led us astray, forcing researchers to create strange concepts like multiverses or cosmological constants in order to explain away unwanted infinities. This sounds a bit kooky, but there might be something to it. Let’s take a look.

Mysterious “Dark Star” Made of Dark Matter Spotted in Webb Telescope Data (Maybe)

Dark stars, in theory, are stars fueled by burning dark matter – these theoretical stars burn faster and brighter than normal stars, though we haven’t actually seen any to date. At least, until now – according to a group of physicists, four objects in recent data collected by the James Webb Telescope match the theoretical properties of dark stars. Let’s take a look at whether or not these anomalies might actually be the dark stars we’ve been promised.

Physicist Discover Hidden Rules of Life

Physicists really do believe that their discipline is the basis for all other sciences because, well, it is. Recently, physicists have been applying physics to biology, using physics principles to predict how life itself evolves. Let’s take a look.

Whatever happened to the Electric Vehicle Revolution?

How is our supposedly glorious transition to electric vehicles going? Last year I said that I expect a shift towards more hybrid vehicles. Was I right, was I wrong? Let’s have a look at the problems the EV industry faces and what role hybrids play in the electric transition.

Physicist Solves 100 Year Old Problem. Really?

The idea that the constants of nature are not actually constant has been around since at least the 1930s. Physicists across the decades have put forth that speed of light, the strength of the electromagnetic force, and the strength of gravity all change over time. Now, a physicist claims that changing constants explain dark energy and dark matter, both of which are just an “illusion”. Well, wow. I’ve had a look.

Astrophysicists Find Evidence for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

A group of astrophysicists (which does not include Avi Loeb) says they have found evidence of unidentified aerial phenomena in old photographic plates dating back to before the time of the first satellites. The observations are difficult to explain with any known phenomenon and fit best with being of artificial origin. I forgot to mention it, but both of these papers have been peer reviewed. (Though it seems they have been rejected from the arXiv pre-print server.)

Positive Geometry Could Save Physics — or Destroy It

Positive Geometry is a recent approach to reformulate known physics and maybe even discover new physics. What is it and could it revolutionize physics? I’ve had a look and have some cautious words based on what happened to category theory.

Plagiarism Charges Against Nobel Prize for Artificial Intelligence

Jürgen Schmidhuber, a professor for computer science and expert on artificial intelligence, has claimed that the Nobel Prize for Physics 2024 was awarded for plagiarized work. This prize went to Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield for their groundbreaking contributions to research in artificial intelligence. But maybe their contributions were not as groundbreaking as we thought? I’ve had a look.

Current AI Models have 3 Unfixable Problems

If you’ve used current AI models, you know that they can’t reason like a human. “But so what?,” you might say, “they’ll get there eventually.” I don’t think so. Today I have a look at three major problems blocking current AI tech progress that I think are fundamentally unsolvable.

String Theory is “Fashion,” Penrose Said. We Finally Have a Response

Roger Penrose is a very well-known mathematician, physicist, and author who won the Nobel Prize a few years back. He’s repeatedly questioned string theory’s prominent role in physics today, most notable in his 2016 book “Fashion, Faith and Fantasy” (the “fashion” part refers to string theory). We finally have a response.

NASA Is Considering Nuking An Asteroid

Late last year, an asteroid made global headlines as astronomers discovered it had a 1% chance of hitting the Earth in 2032. That chance has since gone to almost zero, but astronomers say there’s now a 4% chance of it hitting the Moon. NASA is now considering two possible options for protecting our moon: deflecting the asteroid, or blowing it up with a nuke. Let’s take a look.