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When predicting something that science will never do, it’s wise to recall the French philosopher Auguste Comte. In 1835 he asserted that science will never figure out what stars are made of

Conventional wisdom has it that putting the words quantum gravity and experiment in the same sentence is like bringing matter into contact with antimatter. All you get is a big explosion; the two just don t go together. The distinctively quantum features of gravity only show up in extreme settings such as the belly of a black hole or the nascent universe, over distances too small and energies too large to reproduce in any laboratory.

Conventional wisdom has it that putting the words quantum gravity and experiment in the same sentence is like bringing matter into contact with antimatter. All you get is a big explosion; the two just don t go together. The distinctively quantum features of gravity only show up in extreme settings such as the belly of a black hole or the nascent universe, over distances too small and energies too large to reproduce in any laboratory.

Quantum entanglement is such a mainstay of modern physics that it is worth reflecting on how long it took to emerge. What began as a perceptive but vague insight by Albert Einstein languished for decades before becoming a branch of experimental physics and, increasingly, modern technology. Einstein s two most memorable phrases perfectly capture the weirdness of quantum mechanics

Here s the sort of crazy idea that animates our office conversation at Scientific American . It all started with my colleague Michael Moyer s joke that a certain politician could build his moon base using a balloon: just capture the hot air and float all the way up. Ha ha, we all know that balloons don t work in outer space

Quantum theory is one of the most profound discoveries of humanity. In my view, it s on a par with Cuban cigars and single malt whiskey. The theory has been hugely successful in showing us the inner workings of the universe.

Fabric of the Cosmos, starring theoretical physicist Brian Greene , premieres tonight on NOVA (with further episodes airing November 9, 16 and 23). The 4-part miniseries based on Greene s latest book of the same name is a remarkable journey into the jarring world of theoretical physics. I must admit that I was somewhat daunted by the task of watching these episodes could I really spend 4 hours of my life being entertained by physics?! Actually yes I could

Credit: Wikipedia/NASA NANTES, France--Makemake may well have the most exotic name of the dwarf planets, and it now looks to be just as unusual on its surface. [More]

%excerpt% View post: Faster-than-light neutrinos show science in action

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Scores of readers responded to my Galactic Challenge (proposed in Part I of this series), with lots of cool ideas. [More]

Where are all the space-art bloggers?

A simulation of galactic growth shows how a galaxy akin to our own Milky Way might have appeared 10 billion years ago.