The universe burst into existence some 13,799,000,000 years ago. Why did it become this universe? Why does it have quarks and electrons; and elements including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen; and gravity to grow galaxies; and planets orbiting vast numbers of stars; and all of the ingredients that lead to life? Doing this required many […]
Tag Archives: history
Taking Lessons from the Universe
Arithmetic is fundamental to science; but we tend to take it for granted. Few realize its foundations are shaky. Now there are exciting ways to firm them up. We are sold a knowledge pyramid like this: Sciences rest on a foundation of physics; physics on math; math on arithmetic. And arithmetic on logic— but, actually, […]
The Laws of Physics Are Not Sacrosanct
We like to think of laws of physics as fundamental, as properties of the universe. Actually, not. They are our inventions, tales we tell ourselves in terms of concepts we construct. They are good statistical approximations. But they don’t tell us what’s really going on. The real world is happening at Planck scale, named for […]
Is Our World Analog or Digital
We need new physics; and new physics needs new math. It won’t be easy but it is a huge opportunity. More than a hundred years ago physics chose to assume the universe is analog. It is now becoming clear that this is wrong: our universe is digital. We took a wrong turn that is having […]
Evidence-Based Policy: The Case for Torture in Interrogation
The classic case comes from the world of pulp fiction: Entombed, a kidnapped child is running out of air; arrested, the prime suspect will not say where. Do you tear his toenails out or calmly interrogate him? The question takes on practical significance with news anchors wondering what we can inflict on the accused Paris […]
Is Climate Change Causing Europe’s Refugee Crisis?
Is Bassar al-Assad causing all those Syrian refugees to flee? Well, yes, in a way — but also no. Science now has something to say of this though few have noticed: Chances are that climate change led to the war the refugees are fleeing. They lived in a region that both climate modeling and weather […]
One Hundred Years Old – A Bit Weird
It’s a season for something personal, another kind of time travel, a different kind of history. Here is a guest blog authored by my father, Don, a short sketch of his long life so far (he skips over his M.Sc. and careers in science and management). It is based on an article he published in […]
Avogadro and the Eaters of the Dead
We can find fundamental physics while meditating in unlikely places. My wife’s father had a fishing camp on a small island in a lake. He died when she was young. His remains lie in a village cemetery by a sandy track amid boreal forest. It is a lovely place. We visit it from time to […]
Canada’s Oil Sands Are the Target of Saudi Survival Strategy The House of Saud is locking oil sands in the ground
Strategy—as I use the term—is all about survival in a situation. So much of what we know of it relates to war. But the world has many other life-and-death situations. Seeing them through the eyes of those who choose to live can cast new light on complex questions. Recent news gives us an example: Why […]