All posts tagged: Einsteins

Physicists rewrite Einstein’s equations to define spacetime evolution

Physicists rewrite Einstein’s equations to define spacetime evolution

Published by Jenni Sidey

Spacetime is often described as the stage on which the universe unfolds, a four-dimensional blend of space and time that bends, stretches and shifts as matter and energy move through it. However, despite more than a century of work since Einstein introduced general relativity, physicists still struggle to describe how that stage evolves when gravity becomes violent, nonlinear and hard to predict. A new theoretical study points to a different way of looking at the problem. Instead of treating spacetime only as geometry, researchers found that some of its structures may behave more like features in an electrically conducting fluid. In this view, these structures stay connected as spacetime changes. That idea comes from researchers at Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile and Columbia University, whose work was published in Physical Review Letters. Using tools borrowed from electrodynamics and plasma physics, they argue that spacetime can contain what they call gravitational field connections. Additionally, they describe conserved quantities that place topological limits on how curved spacetime can evolve. In plain terms, topology deals with what stays …

Einstein’s theories fuel the drama in Project Hail Mary

Einstein’s theories fuel the drama in Project Hail Mary

Published by skeptic

The science fiction film Project Hail Mary brilliantly uses authentic science to underscore the human drama and narrative tension of the story. Based on the novel by Andy Weir, the story revolves around an effort to save the Earth – threatened by an alien organism that is consuming the Sun. By combining real science, compelling characters and a gripping narrative, the filmmakers have crafted a science fiction odyssey that might just inspire a whole new generation of scientists. The story begins with the main protagonist, Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), waking from a coma in a sealed lab with no windows. Affected by amnesia, the novel describes how he nevertheless applies his knowledge of high-school physics to deduce that gravity in the lab is 50% greater than on the surface of the Earth. He concludes that he must either be in a constantly accelerating spaceship, or on the surface of another planet. This opening scene perfectly illustrates a concept that Einstein described in 1907 as his “happiest thought”. Einstein realised that while a person is in …

Albert Einstein’s brain: What have scientists discovered?

Albert Einstein’s brain: What have scientists discovered?

Published by José Betancourt

For decades, scientists have sought to understand the biological foundations of genius by examining the physical characteristics of Albert Einstein’s brain. Various studies indicate that while his brain weighed a normal amount, it possessed distinct anatomical features and enhanced connectivity that may have contributed to his extraordinary cognitive abilities. These findings offer a glimpse into the potential neural substrates of his mathematical and visuospatial prowess. Albert Einstein is widely recognized as one of the most influential physicists in history. In 1905, often referred to as his annus mirabilis or miraculous year, he published four groundbreaking papers that fundamentally altered the scientific understanding of the universe. These works addressed the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy. He later developed the general theory of relativity, cementing his reputation as a scientific revolutionary. Because of his immense intellectual achievements, significant curiosity surrounded the source of his genius. Researchers and the public alike questioned whether his abilities stemmed from his environment and education or if he possessed a unique biological advantage. This …

Newborn magnetar offers rare evidence of Einstein’s relativity in a stellar explosion

Newborn magnetar offers rare evidence of Einstein’s relativity in a stellar explosion

Published by Jenni Sidey

The light did not fade the way it was supposed to. After blazing into view about a billion light-years from Earth, the supernova known as SN 2024afav settled into something stranger. Its brightness rose, peaked, and then began to dip in a series of rhythmic bumps. Each pulse came a little faster than the one before it, like a chirp tightening in pitch. That unusual pattern has now given astronomers what they say is their clearest evidence yet that some of the universe’s brightest stellar explosions are powered by newborn magnetars, dense neutron stars with extreme magnetic fields and rapid spin rates. The results, published in Nature, also point to a role for Einstein’s general theory of relativity in shaping the light from a supernova for the first time. “The idea that magnetars are involved has seemed to have a magical aspect for theoretical astronomers,” stated Dan Kasen, a UC Berkeley physicist. “However, with this evidence, we can now conclude with certainty that there is, indeed, a relevant and substantial magnetar component. The supernova’s light …

What was Albert Einstein’s IQ?

What was Albert Einstein’s IQ?

Published by José Betancourt

If you search the internet for the smartest people in history, one name appears more than any other. That name is Albert Einstein. His wild hair and expressive face have become the universal symbol for genius. But what was his IQ score? Einstein was a theoretical physicist born in Germany in 1879. He is best known for developing the theory of relativity. This work fundamentally changed how humanity understands the universe. Before Einstein, the laws of physics seemed set in stone. Isaac Newton had described a world of absolute time and space. Einstein challenged this view. In 1905, often called his “miracle year,” he published four groundbreaking papers. One of these papers introduced the famous equation E=mc². This equation demonstrated that mass and energy are interchangeable. He did not stop there. He went on to explain the photoelectric effect, which was a vital step toward quantum theory. This specific work won him the Nobel Prize in Physics. His contributions led to technologies we use every day. Without his theories, we would not have GPS navigation …

Albert Einstein’s Optimistic Politics – The Atlantic

Albert Einstein’s Optimistic Politics – The Atlantic

Published by José Betancourt

As Albert Einstein wrote elegantly about our experience of time and space, he also devoted his days to the process of social transformation: the question of how one world becomes another. He was concerned about not just the perils of progress—including modern science’s role in the creation of apocalyptic weapons—but also the promise of a more just society. From his very first years in the United States, Einstein wrote powerfully in opposition to American segregation, drawing on his personal experience of Nazi persecution as well as his ties to the long-standing African American community in Princeton, New Jersey, where he lived. In 1946, deep in the Jim Crow era, he visited the nation’s first degree-granting historically Black institution, Lincoln University, where he gave talks and accepted an honorary degree. Eighty years later, after searching through the archives of his correspondence that are housed in Princeton, I’m reflecting on the full scope of what we have inherited from him. Einstein was among the first faculty members of the Institute for Advanced Study, which was founded in …

Prove Einstein’s relativity for yourself for under 0

Prove Einstein’s relativity for yourself for under $100

Published by Jenni Sidey

Sign up for the Starts With a Bang newsletter Travel the universe with Dr. Ethan Siegel as he answers the biggest questions of all. As you stand on the surface of the Earth, what is it that you experience? Yes, the surrounding atoms and molecules of the atmosphere collide with your body, as do photons: particles of light. Some of these particles are particularly energetic, and can kick electrons off of the atoms and molecules they’re normally bound to, creating free electrons and ions that can strike you as well. There are ghostly neutrinos and antineutrinos passing through your body, although they rarely interact with you. But there’s more that you experience than you realize. All throughout the Universe, from stars, black holes, galaxies, and more, cosmic rays are emitted: particles that stream through the Universe at high-energies. They strike Earth’s atmosphere and produce showers of both stable and unstable particles. The ones that live long enough before decaying eventually make their way down to Earth’s surface. Every second, somewhere between 10 and 100 muons …