Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!The unsurprising non-detection of intelligent aliensLife arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where’s everyone else?·12 min read·14 hours ago--1--1
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!If photons have mass, could they explain dark matter?Our Universe requires dark matter in order to make sense of things, astrophysically. Could massive photons do the trick?·10 min read·1 day ago--4--4
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrongPractically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so… solid?·12 min read·4 days ago--10--10
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!The big idea of Grand Unified Theories of physicsIf the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at higher energies, something even grander happens?·14 min read·5 days ago--4--4
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!Not a constant: the Hubble “constant” changes over timeThe Universe is expanding, and the Hubble constant tells us how fast. But how can it be a constant if the expansion is accelerating?·11 min read·6 days ago--2--2
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!Does light itself truly have an infinite lifetime?In all the Universe, only a few particles are eternally stable. The photon, the quantum of light, has an infinite lifetime. Or does it?·12 min read·Apr 23, 2024--14--14
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!No, the expanding Universe doesn’t break the speed of lightYes, the Universe is expanding, but if you’ve ever wondered, “How fast is it expanding,” the answer isn’t in terms of a speed at all.·10 min read·Apr 22, 2024--9--9
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!The consequences of traveling in a straight line foreverIs the Universe finite or infinite? Does it go on forever or loop back on itself? Here’s what would happen if you traveled forever.·10 min read·Apr 19, 2024--9--9
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!The physical reason behind quantum uncertaintyNo matter how good our measurement devices get, certain quantum properties always possess an inherent uncertainty. Can we figure out why?·10 min read·Apr 18, 2024--6--6
Ethan SiegelinStarts With A Bang!Why humanity must invest in exploring the UniverseThere are so many problems, all across planet Earth, that harm and threaten humanity. Why invest in researching the Universe?·10 min read·Apr 17, 2024--10--10