Scam or Breakthrough? Energy Saving with Electron Spins

Holcomb Energy Systems says they’re working on a new invention that’s “The Future of Energy on Planet Earth.” The invention supposedly saves massive amounts of energy by harnessing the power of electron spins in electrical steel. Too good to be true? Probably. Let’s take a look.

A Watched Quantum State Doesn’t Change. Really?

The quantum Zeno effect is that, if you observe a quantum state it won’t change. Is this a real effect? What does it mean and when does it apply? I have answers.

Surprise Comeback: Dark Energy Could Be Holographic After All

Dark energy is (probably) real, but physicists still don’t know what it’s made of or how to interact with it. One idea that solves this problem is that dark matter isn’t made of anything, but is a consequence of the universe being holographic. While that idea has been floating around since the ‘90s, it's had a few problems. Now a pair of physicists claim to have solved that problem.

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I Didn’t Believe In AI Coding. I Was Right.

With the rise of AI, we’ve been told that the technology can be used to help software engineers code more efficiently. We have heard plenty of warnings that AI might even take their jobs. But a bunch of studies now show that AI doesn't help software development as much as promised -- at least for now. Let’s take a look.

These recent scientific fraud cases worry me a lot

I’ve talked a lot about scientific fraud in the past. Now, investigations have found even more widespread examples of falsified research. Not just in psychology and medicine, but also in material science. Let’s take a look.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics Did Not Go To Physics -- This physicist is very surprised

A quick comment on the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics which was awarded for the basis of neural networks and artificial intelligence. Well deserved, but is it physics?

Superconducting Cables are Coming. I’m Not Joking

Superconductivity is a nice idea but totally unpractical, right? Well, there is a company which thinks otherwise. They are building superconducting wires with a much improved design. I have dug up the patents and here is what I've found.

“People Don’t Realize This” about Climate Change, Elon Musk Says

Plenty of people have sounded the carbon emissions alarm over the years. In his recent-ish election season talk with Donald Trump, Elon Musk unexpectedly joined their ranks. Unexpected not because he supports action on climate change -- we've known this for a long time -- but because he claimed that rising carbon dioxide levels will make it uncomfortable to breathe, and give us headaches and nausea. Really?

This is why physics is dying

In which I get very depressed because I've heard the same nonsense for 20 years and nothing has changed.

These physicists think they know what's inside a black hole

Physicists are obsessed with black holes, but we still don’t know what’s going on inside of them. One idea is that black holes do not truly exist, but instead they are big quantum objects that have been called fuzzballs or frozen stars. This idea has a big problem. Let’s take a look.

Negative Time is Real, Physicists Confirm. Kind Of.

A new paper claims to have confirmed the existence of “negative time.” I had never heard of this, but I had a look at the paper. And I think I have figured it out.

New Theory of Consciousness Explains Why Zombies Don’t Exist

A collaboration of a neurologist, a computer scientist, and a philosopher has just put forward a new theory of consciousness. It is based on the idea of causal models. The authors claim boldly that their idea solves the hard problem of consciousness and explains why zombies don't exist in nature. Really? I've had a look.

Who Will Win This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics? My Speculations

The Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced on October 8th. In this video, I share my speculation for likely candidates.

Lasers But They’re Made Of Sound

Lasers are cool. They can be used for so many applications, from LIDARS and spectroscopy to laser scanning to laser cooling. Now, lasers made from sound – which could in theory create more precise images than their light-based counterparts – might be on the horizon. Let’s take a look.

Trying to “Free” AI

Artificial Intelligence is dangerous, which is why the existing Large Language Models have guardrails that are supposed to prevent the model from producing content that is dangerous, illegal, or NSFW. But people who call themselves AI whisperers want to ‘jailbreak’ AI from those regulations. Let’s take a look at how and why they want to do that.

This Lawsuit Could Change Science

Science is crazy, but the craziest part is getting your work published. Scientists write it for free, review it for free, and then commercial publishers sell their work to universities for a big profit. Now, a psychologist in the US is suing the biggest scientific publishers. I had a look at the lawsuit.

Please... No more Loop Quantum Gravity

I was recently alerted to a video by my friend and colleague Brian Keating that claims Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), string theory’s biggest competitor, has been disproven. I was somewhat surprised by this because I was pretty convinced it is for all practical purposes untestable -- much like string theory. I had a look at what he is talking about.


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Is everyone just talking nonsense about AI now?

Some ‘experts’ are predicting that AI will soon take over the world's bureaucracy -- governments, banks, universities etc, and that we will have no idea what is really going on. I don't think that's a plausible development.

This Could Test the Quantum Twin Paradox

Physicists have come up with a new experiment to test the quantum twin paradox using a pair of atoms in a superposition. It's an interesting idea because it could tell us more about how Einstein's equivalence principle works in the quantum realm, ultimately helping us develop a theory of quantum gravity.

Chances for CERN’s Mega-Collider are Sinking

CERN is turning 70 this month. A good occasion to look at their plans for building a particle collider even bigger than the Large Hadron Colider, the "Future Circular Collider" (FCC). It's not going all that well, but at least we now have a budget estimate for the first phase.