Some founders of quantum mechanics thought consciousness could influence phenomena

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.

Quantum mechanical principles are responsible for chemical properties

Besides quantization, the wave-particle duality, and probabilistic features, quantum theory's mathematics introduces the exclusion principle, quantum tunneling, quantum entanglement, and other phenomena foreign to our everyday experiences. Some suggest that all possibilities for a quantum system may also occur across the multiverse.

Can physics explain where consciousness comes from?

Consciousness is a complex emergent phenomenon of the brain, which is primarily composed of neurons and glial cells. Since all matter is composed of atoms that follow the laws of physics, there may be quantum processes beyond classical electrochemical interactions that can explain where consciousness comes from.

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.

Quantum superposition makes Schrödinger’s cat both dead and alive until observed

Erwin Schrödinger's famous cat thought experiment illustrates how quantum objects can exist simultaneously in multiple states. This superposition allows electrons to behave as particles and waves, enabling chemical bonds and the function of modern electronics.

Explaining the many-worlds interpretation

A mind-bending, jargon-free account of the popular interpretation of quantum mechanics, helping to explain how something can be in two states at once.

One of Einstein's papers challenged quantum theory but helped confirm entanglement

In 1935, Einstein suggested that quantum mechanics was incomplete due to its strange implications about entangled particles. Their challenge led to decades of experiments that eventually proved distant particles could affect each other instantly.

Studies of psychedelic use may help shed light on the nature of consciousness

The nature of consciousness—what it is, where it comes from, and how it manifests as moment-to-moment experience—remains under debate by scientists. Recent studies show psychedelics were found to boost low-frequency brain signals known as delta waves, a behavior also seen during dream states.

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.

Human teleportation through quantum principles raises questions about identity

Through quantum entanglement, particles have been "teleported" by measuring their state in one location and effectively transferring that state to a new location. Doing so for the particles that make up humans would destroy the state of the original particles, killing the person, and effectively creating a clone.

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.

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.

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

The origin of chaos theory, colloquially known as the 'butterfly effect'

The theory explains that systems following well-understood physical laws can still produce unpredictable outcomes due to small variations in their initial conditions. Originally identified in weather data, elements of chaos have been observed in stock market fluctuations, cardiac arrhythmias, and the evolution of online social movements.

Four video explainers on quantum fundamentals

Ready to level up your working knowledge of quantum mechanics? Check out these four TED-Ed Lessons written by Chad Orzel, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College

Noise and instability made quantum computing seem out of reach for decades

Recent advances in error suppression, mitigation, and correction are allowing quantum computers to perform practical tasks that challenge classical machines. IBM’s 2016 launch of its first cloud-accessible quantum computer attracted over 22,000 users in its first month alone.

Light has been modeled as a wave and a stream of particles throughout history

Isaac Newton first identified white light as composed of a spectrum of colors, which he believed consisted of particles of different hues. Various light phenomena, including refraction, led Christiaan Huygens to develop an alternative wave model. Quantum mechanics validated both models through the concept of wave-particle duality.

How science explains déjà vu

Take a fun look at the science explaining the odd experience of déjà vu, which some theories suggest is actually a sign of a healthy brain.

LIGO boosts its signal sensitivity by manipulating quantum uncertainty

According to the uncertainty principle, the amplitude, or height of a wave's peak, and its phase—the point in time when the first peak is observed—are inversely linked. Based on the frequency of the gravitational waves of interest, scientists sacrifice precision in one optical property to reduce noise in another.

Mathematicians often solve problems using wordless mental processes

It's a common technique among expert mathematicians, where thinkers rely on intuition, blurry perceptions and subconscious work—no writing, no formulas. The state is distinct from daydreaming, and often relies on sudden illuminations stemming from extended periods of subconscious reflection.

'Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.'

- Pablo Picasso

Neural implants blur the line between personal intention and machine execution

A key ethical dilemma—the contemplation conundrum—explores whether implants might misinterpret mere imagination as intent to act. Neuroscientists have found no brain signal that clearly marks when someone decides to act, making intent hard to detect in neurotechnological systems.

The free will versus determinism debate: major thinkers weigh in

Do we have free will in our actions or are we totally determined? An all-star cast of contemporary thinkers share insights on the crucial debate.

Meet the Dutch cardiologist who believes consciousness can exist outside the body

Dutch cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel conducted one of the largest studies of near-death experiences following cardiac arrest, publishing the results in the prestigous journel The Lancet. He later went on to argue (to significant criticism from peers) that his findings suggest consciousness can exist outside the body.

In 1898, Nikola Tesla wowed a crowd by controlling a boat with no visible connection

Some onlookers thought it was a trick, such a a monkey being inside the boat, rather than mind control or some other metaphysical phenomenon. In reality, Tesla was pioneering radio waves, proving wireless control was possible.

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

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

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.

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.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

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.

Salvador Dalí believed he was his own dead brother, who had died nine months before he was born

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

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

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.'

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.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

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

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

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.

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.

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

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

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.

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

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.