universe

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?

From Big Think, Feb. 6, 2023: For the first time, the proton’s size and structure was measured using Fermilab’s MINERVA detector by studying proton/neutrino interactions. This new method, which studies weak force interactions, is a first step in which scientists can use to better understand the laws of the Universe.

From National Geographic (Poland), Feb. 2, 2023: A group of 150 scientists, including researchers from Fermilab and the University of Chicago, has published one of the most precise measurements of the distribution of matter in the Universe. The analysis is groundbreaking because it used data from two very different telescope surveys and it indicated that something is missing in the current standard model of the universe.

From Big Think, Jan. 31, 2023: Fermilab researchers are part of a group who studied analysis from the South Pole Telescope and the Dark Energy Survey in a series of three scientific papers describing the expansion history of the Universe is tells a confusing tale. The predictions and measurements disagree slightly, it could be a hint that our theories about the Universe need to be revised.