Surprising Science — April 8, 2014

Exploring Science, Religion, and the Big Bang

Physicists used to believe that the universe existed forever, there was no beginning, and there would be no end. The universe seemed as constant, as dependable as the night sky that never failed to show up, night after night. Of course, this view conflicted with religions that had stories on the creation of the universe. So it makes sense that the Big Bang Theory–the idea that our universe had a beginning, because it’s expanding–was first developed by a priest.

Georges Lemaître, a Belgian Roman Catholic priest, astronomer, and professor of physics at the Université catholique de Louvain, was the first to propose that the universe was expanding. His work paved the way for the Big Bang Theory.

But is physics taking us back to the theory that the universe is in fact eternal? MinutePhysics explores the science and some of the religion behind the Big Bang Theory:

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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