Like stretch marks left on skin that expanded too quickly or cracks embedded in freezing ice, cosmic strings are artifacts of ...

In an unprecedented step, researchers crafted a detailed model compatible with the universe’s accelerated expansion.

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. String theory captured the hearts and minds of many physicists decades ago because of a beautiful simplicity. Zoom in far enough on a ...

Recent advances in machine learning have opened transformative avenues for investigating complex problems in string theory and geometry. By integrating sophisticated algorithms with theoretical ...

Does string theory—the controversial “theory of everything” from physics—tell us anything about consciousness and the human ...

In 1980, Stephen Hawking gave his first lecture as Lucasian Professor at the University of Cambridge. The lecture was called "Is the end in sight for theoretical physics?" Forty-five years later, ...

String theory attempts to unify all forces and particles in the universe using vibrating strings. It aims to explain the Standard Model of particle physics, which is incomplete. String theory predicts ...

But despite its extraordinary popularity among some of the smartest people on the planet, string theory hasn’t been embraced by everyone–and now, nearly 30 years after it made its initial splash, some ...

For more than a century, scientists have wondered why physical structures like blood vessels, neurons, tree branches, and other biological networks look the way they do. The prevailing theory held ...

In the moments before the Big Bang, our universe was a hot, dense, and extremely high-energy place. That all changed when the universe exploded 13.8 billion years ago. Rapid inflation divided a single ...