Explainers
Space-Time: The Biggest Problem in Physics
What is the deepest level of reality? In this Quanta explainer, Vijay Balasubramanian, a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania, takes us on a journey through space-time to investigate what it’s made of, why it’s failing us, and where physics can go next.
Read related article
Select Playlist
Space-Time: The Biggest Problem in Physics
Decoding Math’s Most Famous Fractal
P vs. NP – The Greatest Unsolved Problem in Computer Science
Math’s Famous Map Problem: The Four-Color Theorem
Could One Physics Theory Unlock the Mysteries of the Brain?
The Biggest Project in Modern Mathematics
How NASA’s Webb Telescope Will Transform Our Place in the Universe
The Standard Model: The Most Successful Scientific Theory Ever
Quantum Computers, Explained With Quantum Physics
Black Hole Jets: Unraveling One of the Biggest Mysteries in the Universe
Iceland Is a Portal to Mars
Why COVID-19 Models Don’t Predict the Future
The Riemann Hypothesis, Explained
Explore All Videos
How Did Life Begin on Earth?
David Kaplan explores the leading theories for the origin of life on our planet.
Where Did the Universe Come From?
David Kaplan explores the leading cosmological explanation for the origin of the universe.
What Happens if You Fall Into a Black Hole?
David Kaplan explores one of the biggest mysteries in physics: the apparent contradiction between general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Hiranya Peiris: How to Test If We Live in a Multiverse
University College London physicist Hiranya Peiris explains how the multiverse can be tested.
Alan Guth: How Many Two-Headed Cows in a Multiverse?
MIT cosmologist Alan Guth, 67, discusses why two-headed cows are an important problem in an infinite multiverse.
Subhash Khot: A Grand Vision for the Impossible
Subhash Khot’s bold conjecture is helping mathematicians explore the precise limits of computation.
In Noisy Equations, One Who Heard Music
Experts say Martin Hairer’s epic masterpiece in stochastic analysis “created a whole world.”
A Tenacious Explorer of Abstract Surfaces
Maryam Mirzakhani’s monumental work draws deep connections between topology, geometry and dynamical systems.
A Brazilian Wunderkind Who Calms Chaos
Artur Avila’s solutions to ubiquitous problems in chaos theory have earned him Brazil’s first Fields Medal.