Columnist Natalie Wolchover examines the latest developments in the “forever war” over whether string theory can describe the ...

(via Sabine Hossenfelder) Over the past decade, string theorists have struggled to reconcile their elegant mathematical theory with the reality of our observable reality, inventing what has been ...

Scientists seeking the secrets of the universe would like to make a model that shows how all of nature’s forces and particles fit together. It would be nice to do it with Legos. But perhaps a better ...

String theory is one of the most ambitious ideas in modern physics, aiming to unite all forces of nature into one framework. But its complexity and abstract concepts leave even experts divided. In ...

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, ...

We’ve all been there; you might’ve met a person you were attracted to and felt a deep connection with, but passed them by and didn’t think anything of it until years later when they magically ...

String theory's equations give rise to a near infinite variety of potential universes in a 'landscape.' This landscape is surrounded by a 'swampland' of solutions that are incompatible with any ...

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 ...