String theory found its origins in an attempt to understand the nascent experiments revealing the strong nuclear force. Eventually another theory, one based on particles called quarks and force ...

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 ...

Could the universe have hidden dimensions we’ve yet to detect? The idea of extra dimensions has intrigued physicists for over a century, and while there’s no solid evidence to prove their existence, ...

Physicists are scrambling to understand why dark energy is weakening. In a surprising twist, we must now reconsider the ...

In 1919, physicist Theodor Kaluza hypothesized that extra dimensions might solve some outstanding problems in physics. And while we haven't found any evidence yet for anything outside our normal ...

For more than a century, physicists have suspected that the familiar three dimensions of space might be only a small slice of reality. The idea that the universe could be hiding several additional ...

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 ...

Moduli spaces form the mathematical framework for categorising the diverse solutions characteristic of string theory, providing a systematic means to parameterise the various vacuum configurations ...

String theory began over 50 years ago as a way to understand the strong nuclear force. Since then, it’s grown to become a theory of everything, capable of explaining the nature of every particle, ...

String theory proposes that the fundamental constituents of the universe are one-dimensional “strings” rather than point-like particles. What we perceive as particles are actually vibrations in loops ...

At the turn of the century, it sounded as if string theory could give us big answers about the universe. Well… has it? String theorists, this one may be for you. The theorized object warps spacetime ...