Carbon is necessary for all life. If the element carbon did not exist, scientists believe the universe would be sterile, no life anywhere. Among more than a hundred different chemical elements, only carbon has the atomic structure, with six electrons surrounding a nucleus with six protons, necessary to serve as the basis for such complex organisms. We take carbon for granted, but it is miraculous that it exists.
“Why there is something, rather than nothing?” is a timeless question in both science and philosophy. In this video, Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln explains the theory of leptogenesis, which might be the answer. The international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, hosted by Fermilab, will test this idea.
Here’s a homework problem for you budding scientists: Figure out how to turn coal into big beautiful diamonds and get very rich.
If there’s one thing that we think we understand, it’s matter. However, all is not as it seems. Over the last century, scientists have learned that matter is very different from the way we traditionally think about it.