The universe might have emerged from a quantum fluctuation—not absolute nothing

Even in a perfect vacuum, empty space is full of quantum activity

Scientists have tried to create “nothing” by removing all matter, energy, and heat from a container, but the uncertainty principle and relativity prevent such conditions within any period of time. This means the universe is full of quantum foam, which can produce forces from nothingness.

Understanding how and when time began requires a theory of quantum gravity

Rewinding the universe to the big bang compresses all matter, energy, space, and time into a single point, necessitating a model that combines general relativity with quantum mechanics. Although physicists understand time to have begun when the universe did, a clear understanding of the mechanisms involved remains unclear.

The universe may have been reborn from a state of emptiness

Some physicists propose the universe might be the latest in an eternal cycle of universes, each emerging from the empty remains of the one before. This model is inspired partly by Norse and Egyptian myth, suggesting the universe is a cosmic ouroboros—a self-consuming serpent representing an eternal return.

Alternative models to the Big Bang lack as much scientific evidence

The cosmic microwave background radiation and the observed expansion of the universe suggest that the cosmos began from a tiny, dense state, whose resulting properties we see throughout space. While physics allows for cyclical expansions and crunches, ongoing inflationary aeons, and localized inflation to create bubble universes, evidence for these alternatives has not yet been found.

Modern physics suggests that many universes with different physical laws could exist

Physicists suggest that quantum fluctuations in the early universe could have given rise to these universes. Ancient Greek philosophers like Chrysippus proposed a version of the multiverse over 2,000 years ago—millennia before its adoption into various theoretical frameworks today.

Scientists are experimenting with ways to probe the multiverse theory

Researchers are simulating vacuum bubbles—the theorized starting points of universes—using quantum computers, digital models, and exotic lab setups to study how they form, expand, and possibly collide. One experiment aims to "blow" artificial universe-like bubbles inside ultra-cold quantum gases, potentially capturing real-time glimpses of cosmic birth processes in a lab.

The Big Bang theory describes how the universe began and continues to expand

Rooted in Lemaître’s 1927 idea of a growing universe and confirmed by Hubble’s redshift data, the theory is backed by evidence like cosmic microwave background radiation—remnants of the universe’s fiery birth detected in the 1960s. The radiation was first misidentified as interference from pigeon droppings inside a telescope antenna.

Why did the Big Bang produce something, rather than nothing?

One of the more remarkable things—among many remarkable things—about the big bang is how matter seemingly won out over antimatter. Int that initial moment of creation and annihilation, it turns out, neutrinos may well have pushed the universe toward forming matter over antimatter. This New York Times article delves deeply, asking several scientists for their input.

Quantum field theory overestimated the value of dark energy by 120 orders of magnitude

Physicists in the 1960s used their most successful theory to determine whether the accelerated expansion of the universe arises from quantum fluctuations in empty space. However, the mismatch between vacuum energy density and dark energy was so severe that it has been referred to as "the worst theoretical prediction in the history of physics."

The Big Bang became physically plausible thanks to Stephen Hawking’s thesis

Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis mathematically showed that singularities—points of no volume and infinite density—are an expected feature of nature. It laid the theoretical groundwork for a model of the universe where everything originates from a single point.

The universe expands by stretching space itself, not into anything beyond it

Thanks to Einstein’s relativity and Hubble’s observations, scientists understand that space stretches, like rising bread dough between raisins, with no "outside" to expand into. Some theories suggest our universe might be just one "bubble" in a vast multiverse, possibly floating on a higher-dimensional surface called a brane.

Quantum field theory reveals that particles are ripples in universal fields

Instead of being made of indivisible particles, all visible matter in the universe is built from underlying quantum fields—smooth, invisible entities that behave like waves. The theory suggests these fields are fundamental, and particles are disturbances that move through them.

How a quantum quirk allowed neutral atoms to form soon after the Big Bang

At the beginning of the universe, high-energy photons prevented atomic nuclei from combining with electrons to form neutral atoms. Rather than waiting for the universe to expand and cool completely, a rare quantum phenomenon—a two-photon transition—allowed neutral hydrogen atoms to form sooner, expediting the formation of stars, planets, and life.

Emergent quantum phenomena can produce nonfundamental quasiparticles

While physicists have discovered new particles by colliding known ones at high speeds, placing known particles in extreme environments or configurations can allow quantum mechanics to produce bizarre behaviors, making them seem like new types of matter.

Time may be an emergent, rather than a fundamental, property of the universe

Some theories of everything—mathematical models that try to explain all aspects of the universe, including quantum phenomena and gravity—do not incorporate time. If a time-neglecting version of such a theory were ever validated, it might suggest that time is a feature that emerges from our limited perception of the universe.

Oscillating matter in the early universe left behind patterns detailing cosmic expansion

As gravity tried to bring matter closer together in the early universe, its high temperature produced an outward pressure that caused it to expand. These competing forces caused matter to vibrate and produce the equivalent of sound waves, which spread outward as the universe expanded and cooled, serving as relics of dark energy's history.

The mysterious origins of the universe’s biggest black holes

Think you know everything about black holes? You might be surprised. Thought of as massive vacuum cleaners sucking up everything in their cosmic path, black holes actually accrete matter at an incredibly slow pace. Yet, some black holes existed when the universe was only a few billion years young. Learn more in this BBC report.

One study suggests that dark matter may have originated from a dark Big Bang

A student-faculty team at Colgate University modeled the event as occurring months after the conventional Big Bang and determined the potential gravitational wave signal that would have been left behind. Future gravitational wave detectors are expected to be sensitive enough to observe this signal, if it exists.

The quantum model of the atom resulted from over two millennia of scientific thinking

In 440 BCE, Democritus proposed that everything was made up of tiny particles surrounded by empty space, which varied in size and shape based on the substance's properties. It was not until the 20th century that experimental evidence validated elements of Democritus' model.

Within quantum physics, the order of events across time may not follow causality

Although time is considered a fixed, ordered mapping of events, where the past affects the future, quantum superposition breaks down causality, suggesting that future events can occur simultaneously with past ones. Within the quantum model, the notion of cause and effect is not a fundamental feature of our universe.

The universe only evolves toward increasing disorder, providing a direction to time

Within physics, the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy always increases, as seen by a concentrated drop of dye slowly diffusing throughout a cup of water, increasing disorder. Because such processes do not unfold in reverse, entropy may be what provides time with a single direction, unlike space.

Most of the observable universe's volume consists of voids and supervoids—enormous regions of space with little to no galaxies, stars, or light.

Due to dark energy, the universe is expected to end as a dark, sparse place

While the sun is expected to continue shining for another five billion years, the expansion of the universe will cause nearby stars and galaxies to become ever more distant, until they are too far to observe. Once the last old, red, dim stars cool into darkness after trillions of years, the universe will settle into a state of eternal, dark emptiness.

The ultraviolet catastrophe is the infinite energy prediction of classical physics

When scientists first tried calculating the radiation emitted by a heated object, their assumption was that energy was equally distributed across wavelengths and produced infinite energy at low wavelengths. This contradicted observations, which showed near-zero energy intensity at those values.

Quantum mechanics-based technology may explain the Fermi paradox

It describes the discrepancy between the high likelihood of life beyond Earth given the vastness of the universe and the lack of evidence for such life, since extraterrestrial civilizations have not communicated with us. However, quantum communication—a more information-dense and effective method than classical means—requires massive receivers and very narrow signals, which would easily miss Earth, making a lack of signals expected.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

A look at the giants of quantum mechanics

German physicist Max Planck publishes his groundbreaking study of the effect of radiation on a “blackbody” substance, and the quantum theory of modern physics

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

Stars appear to twinkle because turbulence in the motion of molecules in Earth's atmosphere causes light to bend and wiggle rapidly on its way to the surface—a phenomenon called scintillation.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Fireworks make a loud booming sound after exploding due to air expanding faster than the speed of sound.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

One disco producer saw 'Star Wars' four times on its opening weekend and was so inspired that he recorded the album 'Star Wars and Other Intergalactic Funk,' which produced a chart-topping single.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.