Brian Cox wants you to consider the nature of the space-time continuum.
That might seem like a big lift, but the world- renowned physicist is here to walk you through it. Cox is currently touring the U.S., bringing audiences a show filled with stunning images of the universe and simulations of black holes, but also big questions: Why are we here? How did life evolve? Is space and time as important as we think?
Cox asks these questions and leads the audience on a journey in answering them, from past discoveries by Albert Einstein to current research that is changing our understanding of reality.
Physicists and philosophers say that time might not exist.
Cox told Space.com that space and time are not fundamental in the field of theoretical physics.
The idea that space and time are not fixed, unchanging things but rather made up of parts is known as the "emergent space-time" concept. The theory suggests that there are more layers in the universe.
Cox said that scientists are studying the idea of space-time through black holes. Black holes pose a lot of problems, such as the fact that they have a temperature and glow and evaporate and disappear.
Cox said that one question afflicting physicists is "Do black holes destroy information?" It is not easy to think about the question. The problem deals with the idea of radiation. The theory suggests that black holes have a temperature. Where does the temperature come from? Imagine two particles sharing information, one falling into a black hole, and the other not. A burst of radiation destroys the particle that fell into the black hole.
The two particles share information even if they are millions of light-years apart. What happens to the twin if one particle is destroyed? Information can't be destroyed in the quantum world. We are left with a dichotomy.
There are many mysteries about the universe and our place within it. Cox wants audiences to walk away with a sense of awe because the discoveries humans have made since we first turned our eyes to the sky and how humanity fits into it all are what he wants them to remember.
The more we learn about biology and the evolutionary history of life on Earth, the more it looks like, and it might be very rare.
It is possible that we are the only beings in the universe who have the ability to think about the big questions like reality.
For the last 300 or 400 years, science has kept us out of the center of the universe.
Are you interested in probing these mysteries further? The North American tour schedule for "Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey" is here.
We encourage you to follow us on social media.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
