New Alien Signal Rumour -- What's Behind It?

In the past week, we have seen several headlines claiming that an announcement is coming up that the SETI institute has found signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life. I've had a look at what we know about the rumours.

Most Age Records are Pension Fraud, Scientist Says

According to a new (not yet peer reviewed) study, there’s a strangely strong correlation between longevity and living in areas with low income levels and high crime rates. Are people who claim they’re over 110 years old really that old? Let’s take a look.

The Quantum Computing Collapse Has Begun

A year ago, I predicted that quantum computing would not have a good 2024. The year is almost over, so let’s take a look at developments in the world of quantum computing, which has been a wild mix of good and bad news, including IBM’s revised quantum roadmap, Google’s error correction progress, and the fate of other quantum computing firms.

New Theory: Is the Universe a Bubble? I had a look

I recently saw a new paper that claims our observations could be better explained if the universe was surrounded by a shell. According to the author, that could do away with dark energy and alleviate the Hubble tension. I had a look at the paper.

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.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

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.


This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:



You can now also create your own quizzes on my page: Just set up an account and a creator profile. It's free!

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.

Near-Collision With Other Star Jumbled Up Our Solar System, Physicists Says

In a normal solar system, planets orbit the central star in the same direction on the same plane. Our solar system, though, is a bit different: while most of our planets follow similar orbits along one plane, some of the celestial bodies circle the sun at different angles – or in the entirely wrong direction. In a new paper, a group of researchers say they figured out why. Let’s take a look.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

No, Einstein Didn’t Solve the Biggest Problem in Physics

A lot of people have asked me to talk about the video “Did Einstein Crack the Biggest Problem in Physics…and didn’t know it?” It’s a discussion about scientists who supposedly used a quantum computer to open a wormhole. But what does this have to do with Einstein?

AI Feels the Data Crunch

Artificial intelligence just seems to keep growing and growing and growing, fueled by largely unregulated access to massive amounts of free, publicly available data. But unfortunately for our future robot overlords, that data has begun drying up as websites and organizations have begun restricting access to their information. What does this mean for the AI industry? Let’s take a look.

An Electromagnetic Vortex Cannon, Finally!

Researchers say they’ve found a way to create a freely propagating vortex ring, like a smoke ring, but with electromagnetic waves. Why does this even matter? What might this discovery be used for? Let’s take a look.

German Company Reinvents the Wheel: Wundertech or Hype?

A German company says it’s developed a new wheel hub motor that can be used in electric cars. They also claim that the wheel hub motors could increase efficiency by up to 20%. Is that the full story? Of course not! Let’s take a look.

Who pays for all the quantum crap? Probably you

Quantum computing companies, despite lacking profitable revenue streams (or any significant results, really), are making a splash on the stock market. How is that possible, and what does that mean for the technology. In this video I want to tell you part of the story that's rarely talked about.

This New Idea to Detect a Quantum of Gravity Might Just Work

Gravitons are one of the most sought-after particles in physics. They could help physicists combine quantum physics with gravity to create a theory of "quantum gravity." We thought until recently they were for all practical purposes impossible to detect, but now scientists are coming up with some ideas for how graviton-detecting experiments could work for real. Let’s take a look.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

A new theory of everything just dropped!

I got a bunch of requests to comment on a new attempt at a theory of everything that supposedly combines quantum physics with general relativity. I had a look, and this is a quick comment. First reaction, basically. Didn't get far in the paper, as you will see. I am sorry in case I appear unkind, but this kind of stuff really pisses me off.

Cat Becomes Well-Cited Scholar With New Scam Method

A cat has seemingly "published" 12 papers, garnering itself over 100 citations. How has this even happened? This incident has given me a rather pessimistic outlook on the future of academia.

Is it Eugenics to Breed for Intelligence?

Screening embryos for diseases and other traits is becoming increasingly common. Some companies even claim that they can calculate your intelligence score from a genetic analysis. But how much do we really know about the genetic root of intelligence?

Nuclear Fusion Predictions are Nonsense

Nuclear fusion is one of the most important up-and-coming technologies, and contrary to jokes, it is indeed coming closer. But how long will it take to get a nuclear fusion reactor to put power in to the grid? According to two recent reports, the technology won’t be ready until 2050, too late to contribute to our net zero goals. If you look at national strategy plans, the situation looks different. What are we to make of such wildly different perspectives?

Coal Better Than Gas? Headline-Making Report Full Of Mistakes

Last year, a group of about 170 climate scientists signed an open letter to US President Joe Biden to cancel plans for a gas export terminal. One of the major reason was a new paper claiming that the climate impact of natural gas is even higher than that of coal, especially when exported to other countries. It turns out that this paper was riddled with mistakes.

The Nightmare Scenario for Dark Matter is Inching Closer

The idea of “dark matter” -- transparent stuff that supposedly makes up the bulk of matter in the universe -- has been around for a century, but researchers have thus far failed to detect even a single particle of if. What if dark matter exists but it interacts so rarely with our detectors that we will never be able to measure it?

I Said Hybrids Were The Future. Was I Right?

A few months ago, I said that hybrid cars would become the kings of the automotive industry as we slowly transition to electric vehicles. Let’s take a look at how that prediction has turned out so far and what others have said.

Oh No! Quantum Trading Is Back

On the stock market, being just a few milliseconds faster than your competitors can make you lots of money. Can quantum physics help thrifty traders make more money? Well, some of them think so.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

Btw, you can now create your own quizzes on my website. Just set up an account and a creator profile. It's free!

Core Meltdown Emergency Test At Chinese Nuclear Reactor

Chinese engineers at a nuclear reactor site reported that a safety feature emergency test was successful and they were able to prevent a core meltdown. They then published a paper with data gathered from the test. In this video I explain what they did and what happened.

Climate Tipping Points are Real, Stop Denying It

The New York Times recently published an article about various climate change tipping points. Anthony Watts, a climate change denier, then published a blogpost calling the article “nothing more than speculation.” In this video I want to put these claims into perspective.

Frozen Bees on the Moon

It never hurts to be prepared. That’s why humans have created multiple projects to store away seeds, DNA, and other biological samples in freezers and bunkers around the world. Now, researchers are considering building a vault on the Moon. Let’s take a look.

Whistleblower Report Reveals Fermilab's Troubles

One of the United States' most famous national labs, Fermilab in Chicago, has been in trouble for several years. Now a group of whistleblowers has written a report that details their misgivings. Ive had a look and picked out the most interesting bits for you.

Goodbye Meat, Hello Crickets: The Future of Food

The food industry is one of the biggest polluters on Earth, and as our planet’s population grows, we’ll need to find new ways to keep people fed while also protecting the climate. Today, I’m taking a look at some delicious (or not) food sources which might become common visitors to your dinner table in the future.

German Techno-Realist vs American Techno-Optimist

Billionaire and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen released a 5000 word essay coined the “Techno-Optimist Manifesto”, which covers his views of the world from the perspective of a “techno-optimist”. I read it so you don't have to.

Can Quantum Physics Explain Consciousness After All?

Nobel Prize winner Roger Penrose famously believes that the collapse of the wave-function in quantum mechanics causes consciousness. A group of physicists now tries to improve on Penroses idea in a new paper. I have some comments...

Will This Crazy Idea Make Mars Habitable?

If we ever want to populate other planets, Mars is the obvious test case. But how will we make the red planet habitable for humans? Today, I’ll be taking a look at a recent crazy idea to warm up Mars sufficiently to melt the water.

This Could Solve the Nuclear Waste Problem

Nuclear power is one of the most promising ways to create a clean, cheap, and consistent flow of electricity. Unfortunately, it also produces radioactive waste, which can stick around for…a very long time. However, that waste issue might just be changing thanks to a process called transmutation. Let’s take a look.

Fermi Paradox Explained by Quantum Communication

The Fermi Paradox is an estimate that says: Given all we currently know about the universe, we should have found extraterrestrial life already. So why haven’t we? In a paper that just appeared two weeks ago, a physicist has now put forward the idea that aliens use quantum communication. How does that solve the Fermi Paradox? I've had a look.

Are childless people a problem?

United States Vice President candidate JD Vance and Tesla founder Elon Musk have publicly voiced their fears that people just aren’t having enough babies nowadays. They aren't the only ones who worry. The US fertility rate is at a historic low and well below replacement level -- like that of all other industrialized countries, a trend that has given rise to the pro-natalist movement. In this video I have collected all facts and numbers that you need to understand what's happening.

Is the AI Bubble Popping?

AI stocks have been dropping, leading many to believe the AI bubble has finally burst. But in this video I want to make a case that this bubble which is currently bursting is not that of AI per se, it’s that of the specific type of AI called Large Language Models.

Crazy New Physics Anomaly: Anti-Matter Helium Detected

A small experiment aboard the International Space Station, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, found a crazy new physics anomaly: They have now detected 10 nuclei of anti-matter helium -- way more than expected. What could explain that? Most of the explanations that physicists have come up so far say it might be a relic of dark matter.

Is the AI Left-Bias Real?

ChatGPT has frequently been accused to lean toward the political left. A new study tested the political orientation of other popular large language models including GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok. The results were... somewhat surprising. Let’s have a look.

A Dark Matter Detector the Size of Planet Jupiter

80% of all matter in the universe is made up of dark matter, astrophysicists say. Yet they can't seem to find any evidence for the particles that dark matter is supposedly made up of. A new experiment used the entirely planet Jupiter as a dark matter detector. It didn't find any, but this will make some particle detectors on earth superfluous. Let’s have a look.

New quantum computing paradigm could make all the difference

A new approach to quantum computing -- working with photons, or "photonic computing" -- has recently attracted a lot of attention, not least because I've been talking about it, cough. But there's something I haven't mentioned, which is that photonic quantum computing uses a fundamentally different method -- measurement-based quantum computing -- that could push forward its competitors as well. It's a somewhat technical story, but I've tried my best to give you the summary.

How I lost trust in scientists

You all know that I am critical of some developments in physics and tech. I believe it is for this reason that I get a lot of comments of the sort "I am so disappointed in you that you fell for the climate hoax, I thought you are a sceptic". In this video, I want to explain that indeed I was highly sceptical of climate change a decade ago and I looked at the science -- and scientists -- very closely. Unfortunately it turned out that climate change is not a hoax.

Musk promises superhuman vision, Experts say it’s nonsense

Elon Musk recently tweeted that he wants to help restore vision in blind people, and not just that, but to give them better than normal human vision -- superhuman vision. His company Neuralink is currently developing new implant chips that circumvent the entire eye and send data directly to the visual cortex. Some researchers have now had a close look at the potential of this technology.

The Real Problem With Warp Drives

Some physicists recently suggested we should look for warp drive signals to find aliens. I had a look at the paper and have a few things to say about it...

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here

Time is an Illusion, And These Physicists Say They Know How It Works

Every few months, some headlines pop up saying that time is an illusion. But just do physicists mean when they say that things are illusions? Is it true that time is an illusion? And what was that recent headline about? I have had a look at the paper.

"Climate Change is a Myth" -- A Nobel Prize Winner's Embarrassing Ideas

I suffered through an 80 mins lecture by Nobel Prize winner John F Clauser so that you don't have to. It's frankly embarrassing he goes on about this, as climate scientists have told him multiple times that it's trivially wrong. I want to put this out there so that anyone who gets questions about it has an easy way to answer them.

Random Code Can Learn to Self-Replicate, New Study Finds

Researchers at Google have created self-reproducing code from noise. Does this mean that they’ve created artificial life? In this video, I look at what they have done and at what this might mean.

How could we tell whether AI has become conscious?

In this video I explain what I think are the minimal necessary ingredients for consciousness and have a look at whether ChatGPT, or any other large language models are conscious already. I also explain why I think that robots necessarily have a limited amount of consciousness.

Dark Matter Solves Longstanding Black Hole Problem

Physicists say that they might have solved a long standing problem: How do supermassive black holes manage to merge to larger ones. Their idea: dark matter gets the job done. Or does it? I've had a look.

New nuclear fuel "could be used to make a practical weapon", experts warn

Nuclear power is promising, but some experts have raised concerns about the fuel that many newly planned nuclear power plants will be using. What are small modular reactors? What is this fuel known as HALEU? Is it really a cause for concern? Let’s have a look.

Faster than Light Particles Could Exist After All, New Study Says

Physicists recently published a new paper noting that tachyons, particles that move faster than the speed of light, can exist after all. Is this just more hype over nothing, or is this science fiction becoming reality? What do these tachyons have to do with wormholes and warp-drives? Let’s have a look.


This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

Groundbreaking New Solar Energy System – Too Good to be True?

The company Wavja claims to have developed a new method of converting sunlight into electricity that is much more efficient than currently existing solar cells. Are their claims too good to be true? What’s up with their strange spheres? I've had a look, and here is what I think.

The Trouble With Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are supposed to reduce the carbon footprint from housing, yet they are surprisingly controversial. One the one hand you hear people say that they are just not getting warm enough to heat anything but the newest houses, on the other hand you have the green brigade claiming heat pumps are God's gift and they will save us all. I had a look at some of those claims.

“What one trillion dollar problem will AI solve?” – Business Analysts Ask

We’ve all heard how artificial intelligence will supposedly bring giant boosts in productivity, take our jobs, and end humanity, but some business insiders think that AI isn’t going to have remotely as big of an impact as others have said. Let’s have a look.

Americans Sue to Remain Misinformed

Several universities in the United States have launched research programs on the spread of misinformation on social media. They’ve been repeatedly sued by organizations on the political right who argue that what some scientists call misinformation isn’t misinformation at all. I have the summary for you.

Costs explode for Nuclear Fusion Flagship project

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ITER for short, was supposed to be the world’s first nuclear fusion machine to generate net energy. But just last week, the project’s leadership announced another delay and another price hike.

New Cold Fusion Device Generates Heat, Company Claims

A new cold fusion claim was made by the Indian company HYLENR. I had a look -- and I have some comments.

From Space Thruster to Nappy Bin: Plasmas are Everywhere

Plasma has become super trendy recently, with applications across a range of industries. From plasma scalpels to space thrusters diaper bins, what’s up with all that? Let’s have a look what this is all about.

Fossil Fuels Don’t Come From Fossils? Tucker Carlson Fact Check

In this video I provide context on a podcast that Tucker Carlson recently did with climate change denier Dr Willie Soon. It is mainly about the abiogenic petroleum theory, that is, the question whether the crust of planet Earth contains hydrocarbons that do not come from fossils, but I also have some comments on what Willie Soon said about the honesty of climate scientists.

Why don't we have better robots yet?

I’ve tried to understand why so many humans are worried that AI will end humanity. Then I’ve noticed that a lot these fears aren’t about AI, they’re about robots. But where are the robots? In this episode I look into why, despite impressive looking examples like Atlas from Boston Dynamics and Optimus from Tesla, we don't yet all have a robot at home.

This Climate Graph has a Nasty Secret

I love talking about things that climate scientists don’t want to talk about, and today I have a fun example. It's the reason why all those climate change graphs you've seen talk about a "temperature anomaly" rather than an absolute temperature.

Should You Invest in Quantum Computing Stocks?

I’ve talked a lot about quantum hype, but I only recently saw that some news outlets are now giving investment advice for what quantum tech to buy stocks of. I want to talk about this a bit because I don’t want you to lose your money...

New Batteries: It's not all hype

Despite dozens of press releases on new battery technologies being released every week, not much is happening. This is why I don't talk about battery tech any more. But recently I read an interesting study about the hype cycle of battery technology. Let’s have a look.

This Quantum Puzzle Tripped Me Up

I was recently reminded of a quantum puzzle that tripped me up and I wanted to share it with everyone to see if you could figure it out. Let’s have a look.

The Hydrogen Economy is Expensive Nonsense

Germany, the United States, the UK, the EU, and many other countries are looking toward hydrogen to be a clean miracle fuel to power the future. It sounds good at first, but hydrogen has a bunch of problems - one of which is that it’s highly inefficient.

Micro Fractals Could be Key to New Quantum Computers

recently saw some headlines saying that microbiologists discovered a protein that spontaneously folds into a fractal. I was jealous until I found out that we have microscopic fractals in physics, too. And even more amazing, these could form the basis of a new type of quantum computer -- in 1.58 dimensions. Let’s have a look.

Stop blaming fossil fuel companies – Climate Change is our own fault

Climate change has been heavily fuelled (ha) by fossil fuels, but can we really put the blame on the fossil fuel industry? Could they really have known what all the world's scientists didn't know? I don't think so. It's time we stop blaming others for our own faults.

Time ran slower in the past, study finds

Physicists from the University of Queensland in Australia have found evidence that time ran slower in the past. In this video I explain how time-dilation is related to redshift, what that means for light from distant galaxies, and what happens to an observer who falls into a black hole.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

Why I'm embarrassed to be German

In this video I want to make a personal statement to explain why I'm unhappy about the way that my country has been developing. Germany is not what it used to be.

AI could prove that reality doesn’t exist, physicists say

A group of physicists wants to use artificial intelligence to prove that reality doesn’t exist. They want to do this by running an artificial general intelligence as an observer on a quantum computer. I wish this was a joke. But I’m afraid it’s not.

Physicists Claim They Can Send Particles Into the Past

Can you really send a particle into the past? New Scientist published an article about this last week, and though I’m quite fond of the concept of retrocausality, I’m afraid to say that reality is much less interesting than fiction. Let’s have a look.

Why Bill Gates’ New Natrium Reactor is a Big Deal

Bill Gates has financed a nuclear reactor in Wyoming that just started construction. It’s what’s known as a Natrium Reactor and uses a sodium-cooled fast reactor combined with an energy storage system. That's a lot of words, but just what does the thing do? Let’s have a look.

GPT passed the Turing Test -- And No One Noticed

The Turing test used to be the key benchmark for artificial intelligence. The idea, going back to Alan Turing, was that a human interrogator would have a chat with a respondent, and the human needs to figure out whether the respondent is either human, or an AI. GPT has now officially passed that test. Would you be able to tell it apart from a human?

What will they think about us in 2085?

The more depressing the present becomes, the more I like thinking about the future. Here I have collected some speculations about what changes are on the horizon, from the end of monogamy to autonomous vehicles and synthetic wombs.

Superintelligent AI Will Try to Control Us, Geoffrey Hinton Says

A heated debate was recently ignited after Geoffrey Hinton gave an interview in which he says he is very worried that we will soon lose control over superintelligent AI. Meta’s AI chief Yann LeCun disagrees with the concern, and I… I think they’re both wrong. Let’s have a look.

MOND is so back

One of the biggest ongoing dramas in science is whether or not dark matter is real. A new update speaks strongly against dark matter and gives a boost to its alternative: Modified Newtonian Dynamics. Let’s have a look.

String Theorists Have Calculated the Value of Pi

String theorists have calculated the value of pi. Didn’t we already know the value of pi? At least the first one hundred trillion digits or so. Yes, but this is an interesting story about the relation between maths and physics. Let’s have a look.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

Why do people hate scientists?

A lot of people seem to dislike scientists. A recent poll in the United States showed that 7% of Americans think that scientists are not likeable. Is this a global trend? What are some reasons people don’t like scientists? Here are my thoughts.

Climate scientists can’t agree on how warm it is

I recently read that the world has crossed 1.5 degrees of warming above the pre-industrial level, the limit set in the Paris agreement. Then I read that we crossed it several years ago. Then some climate scientists objected. Why can’t climate scientists agree on how warm the Earth is? Have we already broken the Paris agreement? I have the summary.

Biggest Self-Own in Quantum Computing, Ever

Quantum computing, so the fairy tale goes, is the next big thing in technology. News has popped up time and time again noting major advancements in the field, but the latest statement from company D-Wave had people scratching their heads. Are quantum computers really the next big thing? Who’s at the forefront of the field now? Let’s have a look.

Gravity Without Mass Could Explain Dark Matter

I recently read that you can have gravity without mass. Ha, no way, I thought and had a look at the paper. It's wild, people. The author says that there are hollow spheres scattered across the universe that have no gravitational attraction and that these spheres explain dark matter. I will try to sort it out for you.

This New Idea Could Explain Complexity

The universe creates complexity out of simplicity, but despite many attempts at understanding how, scientists still have not figured it out. We do know that complexity relies on the emergence of new features and laws, but then again we don't understand emergence either. The first step must be to clearly define what we are talking about and to measure it. A group of scientists now put forward a way to do exactly this. Let’s have a look.

Dark Energy comes from Anti-Universe, New Theory Says

Dark Energy is the name that astrophysicists have given to what ever accelerates the expansion of our universe. In a recent paper, a physicist has now claimed that it's nothing to do with dark energy, it's that we are entangled with an “anti-universe.” I thought this was complete nonsense until I noticed the idea is closely related to Eric Verlinde’s emergent gravity that I was quite fond of before it basically disappeared.

Big News for Quantum Computing: First Scalable Platforms

A lot of big banks are banking on quantum computing because they think it’ll give them an edge in trading. Though I have on previous occasions noted my doubt that we’ll see any useful quantum computers within the next ten years, two new papers detailing new methods of scaling quantum computers have shifted my perspective. Let’s have a look.

Is the intelligence explosion near? A reality check.

I had a look at Leopold Aschenbrenners recent (very long) essay about the supposedly near "intelligence explosion" in artificial intelligence development. I am not particularly convinced by his argument. You can read his essay here.

This could test Stephen Hawking’s prediction

Stephen Hawking’s most famous prediction is that black holes decay by emitting radiation. This prediction has never been tested and most physicist, me included, think that it's basically impossible to test. So I was surprised to see that a group of astrophysics recently claimed they can put the prediction to the test because black hole mergers produce morsels. What does that mean? Let’s have a look.

AI Learned to Lie Deliberately (but it’s kinda funny)

We just saw another open letter about the risks of artificial intelligence, calling for more regulation. Justified or not, AI worry is making some people’s life miserable. Are concerns that AI will lead to humanity’s extinction overblown or not talked about enough? A recent review paper about AI learning to lie has been eye-opening. Let’s have a look.

The Benefits of Climate Change

Climate change is bad -- we hear this a lot. But this isn't the full story. Climate change also has benefits. And I think we need to talk about those too. Some regions of this planet will see milder climate and better conditions from agriculture. We'll see fewer people freeze to death, and, yes, some plants actually benefit from carbon dioxide.

Why Bitcoin Mining is Good for the Environment -- And why it isn't

I was under the impression that Bitcoin mining was bad for the environment. It turns out that the situation is much more controversial and interesting than I originally thought. So what is it, is bitcoin good? Or is it bad? Let’s have a look.

“Are we the idiots?” – Bill Gates on Planting Trees

Bill Gates has recently been under fire following an interview in which he said that planting trees won’t save us from climate change. Is he right? Is this just another quote taken out of context? What does the science say? Let’s have a look.

Musk is Right: Neutrinos Are Evidence for New Physics

Elon Musk made a surprising tweet about neutrinos, writing that “Anything that potentially challenges the Standard Model is a very interesting experiment.” What is he going on about? Is he correct? Let’s have a look.

AI’s Dirty Little Secret

here’s a lot of talk about artificial intelligence these days, but what I find most interesting about AI no one ever talks about. It’s that we have no idea why they work as well as they do. I find this a very interesting problem because I think if we figure it out it’ll also tell us something about how the human brain works. Let’s have a look.

The Hypersonic Arms Race: What You Need to Know

Hypersonic weapons have been in the headlines a lot over the past year as Russia, China, and the US race to develop the next generation of high-tech missiles. But are these supersonic sensations all hype and less hype-r? Let’s have a look.

Howard's Theory of Everything is Nonsense, but I try to Say it Nicely

Actor Terrence Howard claims that he has invented a theory of everything that improves physics, based on the idea that 1x1=2. After an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, his ideas have unfortunately attracted attention.

How to Detect Quantum Bullshit

Quantum physics could revolutionize everything… at least that’s what some news headlines would have you believing. For those with a few billion dollars to spare to invest in the next big quantum technology, there are a few things you should look out for.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

Seven Candidates for Dyson Spheres

Dyson Spheres are hypothetical megastructures built by highly advanced civilizations around their stars to harness energy. A group of astrophysicists says they have identified several possible candidates… and I think it's not as crazy as it sounds! Let’s have a look.

This Huge Cosmology Problem Might Just Have Disappeared

The rate at which the universe is currently expanding is known as the Hubble Rate. In recent years, different measurements have given different results for the Hubble rate, a discrepancy between theory and observation that's been called the “Hubble tension”. Now, a team of astrophysicists claims the Hubble tension is gone and it's the fault of supernovae data. Let’s have a look.

Unapproved Trial for Discredited COVID Cure: Scandal In France

In 2020, French physician Didier Raoult claimed that hydroxychloroquine was a cure for Covid-19. The results could later not be reproduced, but tens of thousands of people died because they did not receive or not seek treatment that might actually have helped them. Unbelievable as it sounds, the story of his unethical practices continues to this day. I have the summary.

The real problem with AI is us

Major developments have popped up for AI over the past few weeks. From Google’s new text to video tool to Open AI releasing a new GPT to studies finding that AI is really good at understanding humans, more changes to our daily lives are sure to come soon. And yes, this is a crazy fast development that worries me.

The physics of portals (made with love)

I've spent too much time thinking about how portals could work in the real world and, yes, I guess that is somewhat weird, but well. From energy conservation to momentum conservation to moving portals, I have it all sorted out for you. And the cake is not a lie.

Climate Change Violates Human Rights, Court Finds

An increasing number of people and organizations have sued their governments into acting on climate change, a emerging field of law known as "climate litigation". Are their cases successful? What are the potential consequences? Let’s have a look.

Space-Based Solar Power is Dead

Space-based solar power was an idea to use solar power arrays orbiting Earth to beam down energy 24/7. It would have been a way to have clean, abundant, renewable energy. Some recent reports have basically killed the idea. Let’s have a look.

Universe Was Once Divided into Cells, New Study Says

The idea that the universe is not the same everywhere has been flying under the radar for the last fifty years or so, and a new paper details a fresh perspective on this idea. According to the new paper, the decay of axion domain walls could explain dark matter and some unusual gravitational waves. Let’s have a look.

Einstein's Other Theory of Everything

Einstein completed his theory of general relativity in 1915 when he was 37 years old. What did he do for the remaining 40 years of his life? He continued developing his masterwork of course! Feeling that his theory was incomplete, Einstein pursued a unified field theory. Though he ultimately failed, the ideas he came up with were quite interesting. I have read a lot of old Einstein papers in the past weeks and here is my summary of what I believe he tried to do.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:

A new test for quantum gravity

I suspect that one of Einstein’s nightmares was that his theory of gravity would be turned into a quantum theory. I also suspect that we’re inching closer to that nightmare situation every day -- but not how Einstein might have expected. After countless attempts to develop a theory of quantum gravity, physicists are now trying their hand at measuring it through various experiments. Let’s have a look.

Time to get real about climate change

'm tired of both overly optimistic messages from climate activists and scare stories of the impending apocalypse. It's about time we get realistic. "Net zero” by 2050 is not a realistic goal and it's about time we admit it. I am afraid that many plans that are eating up money are fuelled by wishful thinking rather than by rational thought. Let’s have a look.

Rapid Advances in Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is everywhere, just right under our feet. So could it be the solution to climate change? Curiously, the idea is attracting little attention, unlike, say, nuclear fusion, where every small experiment has major headlines blaring. What are some recent advancements in geothermal energy technology? Is it the dark horse in the race to clean energy? Let’s have a look.

Does "Quark" Rhyme to "Dark"?

Brain Really Uses Quantum Effects, New Study Finds

When Roger Penrose originally came out with the idea that the human brain uses quantum effects in microtubules and that was the origin of consciousness, many thought the idea was a little crazy. According to a new study, it turns out that Penrose was actually right… about the microtubules anyways. Let’s have a look.

CERN Looks for Origins of Quantum Randomness

Particle physics have conducted a test using data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to see if the particles in their collisions play by the rules of quantum physics - whether they have quantum entanglement. Why was this test conducted when previous tests already found that entanglement is real? Is it just nonsense or is it not nonsense? Let’s have a look.

Scientific Progress is Slowing Down. But Why?

We see constant progress in the world every day, from better cars to faster phones to virtual reality and the internet of things. However, despite all the technological and engineering advances, science seems to be slowing down? Let’s have a look.

The era of nuclear precision has begun

Scientists finally succeeded in exiting an atomic resonance with a laser in the near ultraviolet. This sounds pretty lame but it's a remarkable feat that they've been working on since the 1970s. It could usher in the era of nuclear precision. Let’s have a look.

NASA named an asteroid after me

It's not a joke, they did indeed name an asteroid after me. You can look it up here.

How does gravity escape a black hole?

If nothing gets out of a black hole, how does gravity do it? Something with virtual gravitons? Is this really necessary? It's tricky question, but this is what I can say without resorting to equations.

Why Flat Earthers Scare Me

The flat earther community seems to be growing, and it's beginning to worry me. It's not just a question of lacking science education, there is more going on here.

Bird Flu Spreads to Dairy Cattle, Farm Worker Infected, Virus Fragments in Milk

The bird flu has spread to cattle in the United States. Inactive fragments of the virus have been found in milk. The World Health Organization rates the current risk for humans as low but epidemiologists all over the world are on high alert. I have the summary.

Many Worlds Theory Gets Even More Worlds

The idea of parallel universes is both crazy and not. In physics, it's prominently represented by the “Many Worlds” interpretation of quantum mechanics. A group of physicists now says that the many worlds interpretation contains many more worlds than we thought so far, meaning the infinite number of multiverses could be infinitely larger. Let’s have a look.

Fusion in Space: New Plasma Thruster Tested Successfully

Last week I saw a lot of headlines about a space propulsion system that uses nuclear fusion. The news comes from a company by name RocketStar Inc. which announced in a press release that they have “reinvented” spacecraft by releasing the “world’s first fusion-enhanced space thruster, the FireStar™ Fusion Drive. They claim that the FireStar TM Fusion Drive improves their water powered pulsed plasma thruster by harnessing aneutronic nuclear fusion by 50%. In this video I explain what this all means.

New Experiment Could Settle 100 Years-Old Debate about Quantum Tunnelling

Quantum Tunnelling is a fascinating process in which a particle goes through a barrier faster than the speed of light. At least that’s what some physicists think. Others say this is just a wrong interpretation of what is really going on. This debate has been going on for a century, but a new experiment could finally end the debate once and for all. Let’s have a look.

7 Strange Coincidences in the Laws of Nature

The universe seems to be ruled by equations and numbers. But why just these equations and why just those numbers? Is it just coincidence? In this video I have collected seven of the weirdest coincidences in physics.



This video comes with a quiz:

Scandal over Nuclear Phase-Out in Germany: What We Know

A recent investigation has revealed that the final steps in phasing out nuclear power in Germany was partly based on false information. And doesn’t look like it was a mistake, but a deliberate rewriting of what was originally accurate information. The ministry denies everything. A quick summary of what we know.

I thought Electric Cars Were the Future. I Changed my Mind.

I thought electric vehicles were the future of transportation. Not so much because they're clean, but because many car enthusiasts love them for their powerful acceleration. However, it's becoming increasingly clear that the necessary upgrades to the electric grid aren't going anywhere near fast enough to get the transition done according to plan. This is why I believe now we'll likely see a shift to hybrids in the near future.

Breakthrough Tech Makes Energy from Air – Really?

Australian television outlets were recently raving over a supposed “world-first breakthrough converting carbon dioxide into electricity”. It's a device that takes carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into power. The TV people say the technology is “not just carbon neutral but one step better, consuming CO2 and creating power”. Can this possibly be correct? Let’s have a look.

Are we surrounded by dark energy? A spacecraft tetrad will look for it

Most astrophysicists believe that 95% of the universe is dark stuff - dark matter and dark energy. We can’t see, feel, or hear it, but it’s supposedly all around us. NASA scientists recently proposed a new experiment to test what is going on with the dark stuff in our universe. The want to use four small spacecraft flying around the solar system in a tetrahedron formation to look for variations from Einstein’s theory of gravity. Let’s have a look.

Institute for Extinction Risk Shuts Down: What We Know

The Future of Humanity Institute announced last week that they have shut down. Located at the University of Oxford in the UK prior to its demise, the institute was one of the few places worldwide studying the risk of human extinction and a few other controversial research areas. Let’s have a look at the events leading to the institute’s closure.

Does time stop for light?

You might have heard that according to Einstein's theories of special and general relativity time doesn't pass for light, or that time actually stops for light. Can this possibly be correct? In this video, I will look at what the maths says and discuss what it means.

The Prof who Looked for Love and Ended up in Prison: The Supermodel Scam

This is the story of how particle physicist Paul Frampton ended up in prison for smuggling drugs after being scammed by someone who pretended to be a bikini model, and what happened next.

AI More Energy Efficient than Humans, New Study Finds

I recently read that using artificial intelligence creates fewer carbon emissions than human labour. Really? The human brain doesn't have much going for it, but we know that it is much more energy efficient than computers. What's going on here? Let’s have a look.

Modified Gravity Strikes Back

Most astrophysics are pretty convinced that 80% of the matter in the universe is some invisible stuff that they can’t detect - dark matter. The idea has become more popular recently modified gravity ran into trouble by making a wrong prediction about wide binaries. However, in a new paper, John Moffat showed that at least one version of modified gravity -- called MOG -- fits the data just fine. Let’s have a look

This Fusion Startup is a Strong Newcomer

A new nuclear fusion startup in German is working on a "quasi-isodynamic stellerator". I had a look at what that means and think it's a pretty cool approach that is among the most solid, low-risk ideas in nuclear fusion at the moment. Doesn't mean it will work, but definitely one to have an eye on!

The "Worst Prediction" Was Never Made

If you google the “worst prediction ever”, you will get hundreds of results that tell you it was the prediction of the cosmological constant that was infamously 120 orders of magnitude wrong. But there has never been any such prediction. Just where does this story come from and what is really the worst prediction ever?

Gravitational Waves Necessary for Human Existence, New Study Finds

A group of physicist has proclaimed that we owe our existence to gravitational waves. Really? What sense does that make. Aren't gravitational waves far too weak to have any effect on life on earth? Indeed, they do. This argument is a new application of the anthropic principle. Let’s have a look.

Warp Drives: New Simulations

Hyperjumps, wormholes, and warp drives sound like science fiction, but they’re actually based on real science! Though I believe out of the three, warp drives are the most plausible. The math seems to agree. Today I want to tell you about a new way of analysing and visualizing warp drives.

Randomness Improves Computation, No Really

It sounds weird, but randomness can actually improve computer calculations, in certain circumstances. After some digging into the reasons why, I’ve uncovered three different ways this can happen. The first one is noisy computation, then there’s stochastic computation, and then there’s probabilistic computation. What exactly are the differences and how do they help computation? Let’s have a look.

Electric Highways: A good idea?

Several European countries have done trials for electric highways , some of which have now been concluded. The results have been unexpectedly controversial. What are electric highways? Why are the results controversial? Could this be the answer to transitioning away from fossil fuels? Let’s have a look.

Musk: Are Quantum Computers even good for Something?

Elon Musk launched an XPRIZE for Quantum Applications! It’s a 3-year, 5 million dollar global contest that’s looking for ways to use quantum computers to solve real-world challenges that benefit society. Doesn't this basically mean quantum computers don’t currently have any good use cases? And what do you need to do to win? Let’s have a look.