Theory of everything: do we really need one?
The quest for a theory of everything – explaining all the forces and particles in the universe – is arguably the holy grail of physics. While each of our main theories of physics works extraordinarily...
12 Apr 202357min
Will we ever have a fundamental theory of life and consciousness?
What’s the difference between a living collection of matter, such as a tortoise, and an inanimate lump of it, such as a rock? They are, after all, both just made up of non-living atoms. The truth is, ...
5 Apr 202347min
Quantum mechanics: does objective reality exist?
It is hard to shake the intuition that there's a real and objective physical world out there. If I see an umbrella on top of a shelf, I assume you do too. And if I don't look at the umbrella, I expect...
30 Mar 202352min
Is there a multiverse?
Interest in the multiverse theory, suggesting that our universe is just one of many, has spiked since the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once was released. The film follows Evelyn Wang on her jour...
30 Mar 202341min
Fundamental constants: is the universe fine tuned for life to exist?
Imagine a universe with extremely strong gravity. Stars would be able to form from very little material. They would be smaller than in our universe and live for a much shorter amount of time. But coul...
30 Mar 202341min
Is time an illusion?
Without a sense of time, leading us from cradle to grave, our lives would make little sense. But on the most fundamental level, physicists aren't sure whether the sort of time we experience exists at ...
10 Mar 202344min
Uncharted Brain 3: the role viruses may play in Alzheimer’s
There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer's disease. For more than 30 years, Ruth Itzhaki has been accumulating evidence that viruses are involved in its development in the brain. ...
15 Nov 202228min
Uncharted Brain 2 : the family trauma of dementia from sports injuries
Dementia doesn’t just affect older people. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a form of dementia that athletes from a whole range of sports can develop. It’s now at the centre of a number of le...
15 Nov 202225min
