My Beliefs

Archive for the ‘Science’ Category

As cosmologists try to go even further to understand the beginning of the universe itself, our ideas become less fi rm. Einstein’s general theory of relativity has provided the theoretical foundation for a century of progress in our understanding of the evolution of the universe. Yet it is inconsistent with the other pillar of contemporary physics, quantum theory , and the discipline’s greatest challenge is to reconcile the two. Only with such a unifi ed theory will we be able to address the very earliest moments of the universe, the so called Planck era prior to about 10–43 second, when spacetime itself was taking shape.

Tentative attempts at a unifi ed theory have led to some remarkable speculations about our very beginnings. String theory, for example, predicts the existence of additional dimensions of space and possibly other universes fl oating in that larger space. What we call the big bang may have been the collision of our universe with another The marriage of string theory with the concept of infl ation has led perhaps to the boldest idea yet, that of a multiverse namely, that the universe comprises an infi nite number of disconnected pieces, each with its own local laws of physics.