universe

In a trillion or so years’ time, the Universe will have exhausted all of its star-forming material. The last star will be born and from thereon the Universe will face a slow death as gradually each and every star burns out. Fermilab’s Dan Hooper discusses how life will struggle to survive into the deep future but dark energy is intent on stealing the stars 100–150 billion years into the future.

Physicists use particle accelerators to replicate the early Universe’s conditions, revealing insights from the Big Bang to the formation of atoms. Data generated in particle physics experiments and theoretical physics can offer a glimpse into the earliest moments of the cosmos.

Kmele Foster, host of Dispatches from The Well, visited Fermilab last spring to speak with scientists about how exploring the mysteries at the heart of particle physics can help us better understand some of the most profound mysteries of our universe. This Big Think production features Bonnie Fleming, Don Lincoln, Doga Kurkcuoglu and Rachel Pfaff.

What is the shape of space itself?

Don Lincoln explores Einstein’s theory of general relativity as introducing the concept of space having a shape. So, what is the shape of space?