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What was the Big Bang? The Big Bang Theory is the leading explanation for how the universe began. Simply put, it says the universe as we know it started with an infinitely hot and dense single point that inflated and stretched — first at unimaginable speeds, and then at a more measurable rate — over … Read more
General relativity is physicist Albert Einstein‘s understanding of how gravity affects the fabric of space-time. The theory, which Einstein published in 1915, expanded the theory of special relativity that he had published 10 years earlier. Special relativity argued that space and time are inextricably connected, but that theory didn’t acknowledge the existence of gravity. Einstein … Read more
Snowflakes can form in either a plate or column shape, but no one understood why – until physicist Kenneth Libbrecht investigated. His theory is the result of two decades making snow in the lab Humans 15 December 2021 By Kenneth Libbrecht Courtesy of Kenneth Libbrecht SNOWFALL in Pasadena, California, is so rare, it’s almost unheard … Read more
A long-awaited, 16-year study of an orbiting pair of spinning neutron stars has yielded the most wide-ranging tests yet of Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity. Unsurprisingly, the general theory of relativity, as it’s called, passed all the tests—a sign of its soundness, but also a null result that leaves physicists looking for clues to develop … Read more
General relativity has withstood perhaps its toughest challenge to date. The theory, which Albert Einstein published in 1916, revolutionized our understanding of physics and the cosmos. It explains gravity as a consequence of space-time’s flexibility: Massive objects warp space-time, creating depressions around which other bodies orbit. Scientists have put general relativity to the test repeatedly … Read more
Two pulsars locked in close binary orbit have once again validated predictions made by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Over 16 years, an international team of astronomers has observed the pulsar pair, named PSR J0737−3039A/B, finding that the relativistic effects can be measured in the timing of their pulses – just as predicted and expected. … Read more