Rachel Thomas

Article

The shape of things to come: part iii

This year's Nobel Prize for Physics brings together the physics of materials with one of our favourite areas of maths – topology. In this final article in a series, we asked Fiona Burnell to explain the maths behind the work, and how it may help lead to quicker and smaller electronics, and even the elusive quantum computer.
Article

The shape of things to come: part ii

This year's Nobel Prize for Physics brings together the physics of materials with one of our favourite areas of maths – topology. This is the second in a series of articles where we asked Fiona Burnell to explain the maths behind the work, and how it may help lead to quicker and smaller electronics, and even the elusive quantum computer.
Article

What is a block universe?

Has the future already already been written? Is time just an illusion? Take a step outside of spacetime with cosmologist Marina Cortês to discover the block universe.
Article

Time in a block universe

Fundamental physics says time is symmetric - so why does time move forwards for us in a block universe?
Article

Why not block time?

Is time real? Are we just puppets living out a future already written? Marina Cortês explains why she thinks time is fundamental and that we don't live in a block universe.
Article

The future is time

Marina Cortês is one of a growing number of physicists who believe time is fundamental. We ask her about the alternatives theories to the block universe, where time comes first.
News story

Introducing Andrew Wiles

In these two short videos the legendary Andrew Wiles talks about what it was like to prove Fermat's Last Theorem, and what it feels like to do maths.

Image © Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation / Flemming­ – 2016

News story

Spacetime does ripple

Physicists have finally detected the gravitational waves they have been chasing for nearly 100 years.