Toggle light / dark theme

As part of Conversations on the Quantum World, a webinar series hosted by the Caltech Science Exchange, Professor of Theoretical Physics Kathryn Zurek and Professor of Physics Rana Adhikari talk about one of the biggest mysteries in physics today: quantum gravity.

Quantum gravity refers to a set of theories attempting to unify the microscopic world of quantum physics with the macroscopic world of gravity and space itself. Zurek, a theorist, and Adhikari, an experimentalist, have teamed up with others to design a new tabletop-size experiment with the potential to detect signatures of quantum gravity.

In conversation with Caltech science writer Whitney Clavin, the scientists explain that at the microscopic, or quantum, level, matter, and energy are made up of discrete components; in other words, quantized. Many scientists believe that gravity is also quantized: if you magnify space itself enough, you should see discrete components. In this webinar, Zurek and Adhikari discuss why measuring quantum gravity is so difficult and how they plan to go about searching for its elusive signatures.

The Opening Interview: The Reality Beyond Spacetime — with Donald Hoffman — 5.15pm GMT, 12.15pm ET

Donald Hoffman famously argues that we know nothing about the truth of the world. His book, The Case Against Reality, claims the process of survival of the fittest does not require a true picture of reality.

But the question remains, on what basis can Hoffman claim his own theory is true? Furthermore, Hoffman claims spacetime is not fundamental. So, what does he think lies beneath spacetime, and what can we know about it?

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to http://to.pbs.org/DonateEons.
↓ More info below ↓

Learn more about CuriosityStream at http://curiositystream.com/eons.

There are fossils of viruses, of sorts, preserved in the DNA of the hosts that they’ve infected. Including you. This molecular fossil trail can help us understand where viruses came from, how they evolved and it can even help us tackle the biggest question of all: Are viruses alive?

Produced for PBS Digital Studios.

Summary: 2022 has been a fantastic year for neuroscience and brain science research. Here, we take a look back over some of the most popular neuroscience research articles of the year.

Source: Neuroscience News.

For over 20 years, Neuroscience News has reported on the latest, ground-breaking neuroscience research. Every year, we like to take a look back at some of the most popular articles we have published on the website.