Sabine Hossenfelder's Blog, page 4

Does Acceleration Create Particles from Nothing? These Physicists Say they can test it

For half a century, physicists have wondered whether the vacuum is actually made of particles, and falls apart under acceleration. Most physicists think it does: It is called the “Unruh effect” after Bill Unruh who developed the mathematics for it. Now, researchers say they’ve come up with a way to test this effect. Really? I’ve had a look at the paper.

He Just Wants You To Survive: Bryan Johnson's Strange New Philosophy

In today's video I have a look at Bryan Johnson's quest for longevity and his philosophy of life. It's much stranger than you might think and is all about what comes after the artificial intelligence revolution. I am broadly speaking sympathetic to his ideas though I do have a few reservations.

How long will it take to solve the 5 big physics problems?

Progress in the foundations of physics is moving slowly. And yet it moves. Today I look at the five biggest problems in physics, what their status is, and how long it will take to solve them: quantum gravity, dark matter, dark energy, the origin of the universe, and a theory of everything.

Academia's Scam Problem is Getting Worse

Academic research is deteriorating at an increasing pace. We’ve talked several times previously about how organized fraud is spreading in science, and today I have some recent stories that document this is becoming a global problem which has now reached Europe. America, brace yourself, soon this will hit you, too.

Is the recent global warming a “termination shock”?

You might know the term “Termination shock” from science fiction, but recently it has appeared in real world headlines. It refers to a jump in global temperatures that occurs when small particles (aerosols) are removed from the Earth’s atmosphere. In science fiction, this happens when we stop geoengineering efforts, but we’re experiencing this in the real world now because we’ve been cleaning up

In which I lose faith in quantum computing

Quantum computing is one of the most anticipated new technologies on the horizon, with many quantum computing firms earning themselves billion-dollar valuations. In today’s video I explain why I strongly doubt that the technology will ever have a sensible return on investment.

Why People Aren’t Having Kids & How To Fix It

People in Western countries are having fewer kids, making politicians worried about the future of their nations’ populations. Let’s take a look at how bad the problem is, what governments are doing to fix it, and why it’s happening.

DNA Data Storage 5 Years Away, New Report Says

DNA is more than just a cool little shape that stores genetic information inside your cells. It’s actually a remarkably useful molecule which researchers are trying to use for a wide variety of mind-blowing applications – these include storing data, building neural networks, and creating materials for specific applications. Let’s have a look at the future of DNA innovations.

This New Time Crystal is Visible

Normal crystals have their structures repeat across space, while time crystals also have their structures repeat across time. This new phenomenon has attracted a lot of attention among physicists in the past decade. In a new study, material scientists report they have created liquid time crystals, opening up new possibilities for practical applications of the fascinating phenomenon. Let’s take a

Did Graphene Just Break A Fundamental Law?

Graphene is a sort of miracle material which is exceptionally strong and conducts electricity and heat better than most other materials. In a new study, physicists claim that a super-cleaned version of graphene breaks a fundamental law of nature and could even be used to somehow study black holes. Sounds intriguing, let’s take a look.