Scientists working with data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider have discovered a possible anomaly that may overturn our Standard Model of particle physics. The scientists, comprised of a team at the University of Maryland, studied data collected during the LHC’s initial run back in 2011-2012.
If time travel is possible…
So, 2013 is over, and now we have a whole new year of weird stories to look forward to. But before we get to those, here’s a quick look at some things that might actually happen in 2014.
There are a number of ways scientists believe the universe will ultimately end. The Big Rip, in which the universe stretches itself apart. The Big Crunch, kind of the opposite of the Big Bang, where the expansion of the universe reverses and all matter returns to a small chunk of space. And then there’s collapse.
I want you to travel back to 1997. It’s an exciting time; Disney’s Hercules is hitting theaters, Third Eye Blind’s Semi-Charmed Life is at the top of the charts. Mike Tyson is getting ready to bite Evander Holyfield’s ear off. Okay, well, maybe exciting isn’t the right word. But then a guy named Juan Maldacena …
Continue reading “The Universe Might Be A Hologram, But Not Really”
Here we have the smallest stop-motion film ever made, created by moving (and filming) single atoms. Presented by IBM, it clocks in at only a minute and a half long; watch it and be amazed. “The ability to move single atoms — the smallest particles of any element in the universe — is crucial to …
Continue reading “IBM Presents: A Boy And His Atom, The Smallest Stop-Motion Movie Ever Made”
In the very beginning of the universe, at the starting shot of the big bang, there existed equal amounts of matter and antimatter. But almost instantly, most antimatter vanished. Why? If this was the case, matter and antimatter should have annihilated each other, leading to…well, nothing. Or so you’d think.
A group of physicists intend to build a time crystal, a theoretical structure of particles that moves in a perpetual pattern (like a circle) without radiating energy, in hopes of constructing a better theory of time.
Physicists announced today that they have officially discovered the elusive Higgs boson. Since unveiling their near-discovery in July 2012, physicists working at CERN had referred to the particle as “Higgs-like,” unsure if it was the actual Higgs or a particle similar to it. Readings indicated the “Higgs-like” particle at 125 gigaelectronvolts (GeV). They’ve since had nearly a …
Continue reading “Physicists Confirm Discovery of the Higgs Boson”
Everyone hoping for CERN to create microsingularities will have to wait a while longer, as the Large Hadron Collider will soon be shutting down until 2015. A two-year downtime period will begin in February, when engineers will steadily warm the accelerator up to room temperature and begin necessary maintenance and upgrades, which will last until …
Continue reading “CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Is About To Take A Nap”
Produced by MIT Game Lab, A Slower Speed of Light is an open-source “game prototype” that takes players on a (very) short tour of the relativistic nature of light. It’s more a demonstration than a game, though. Players are tasked with collecting floating spheres, and for each sphere they collect, the speed of light slows …
Everyone has their own theories on the existence of time and time travel.
I’ve written about Nick Bostrom’s simulation hypothesis, and individuals such as Frank Tipler, who believe post-humans will create a universal simulation that will, in essence, grant us virtual immortality. You can read about both ideas in the article Simulated Reality At The End Of The Universe. We’ve even looked at the research of superstring theorist …
Continue reading “Scientists Search For Evidence That We Live Within A Computer Simulation”
