Ethan Siegel, Big Think

Ethan Siegel

Big Think

Portland, OR, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Big Think
  • Forbes
  • Medium

Past articles by Ethan:

11 fun facts to help celebrate Pi Day

It's the best-known transcendental number of all-time, and March 14 (3/14 in many countries) is the perfect time to celebrate Pi (π) Day! → Read More

Starts With A Bang podcast #91 — Hypermassive neutron stars

Somewhere out there in the Universe is the heaviest neutron star, and elsewhere lies the lightest black hole. Where's the line between them? → Read More

Ask Ethan: What does ER=EPR really mean?

Two very different ideas, wormholes and quantum entanglement, might be fundamentally related. What would "ER = EPR" mean for our Universe? → Read More

If neutrinos have mass, where are all the slow ones?

If you're a massless particle, you must always move at light speed. If you have mass, you must go slower. So why aren't any neutrinos slow? → Read More

Ask Ethan: Could reinterpreting our data eliminate dark energy?

Dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries in all the Universe. Is there some way to avoid "having to live with it?" → Read More

3 independent proofs that quantum fields carry energy

Are quantum fields real, or are they simply calculational tools? These 3 experiments show that if energy is real, so are quantum fields. → Read More

You absolutely must not attempt to shoot down spy balloons

Even if a balloon flies directly overhead, attempting to shoot it down with a conventional firearm is stupid, ineffective, and dangerous. → Read More

The Universe violates the perfect cosmological principle

Generations ago, cosmologists asserted that the Universe might not just be the same in all directions, but at all times. But is that true? → Read More

Ask Ethan: What are white holes, and do they really exist?

In General Relativity, white holes are just as mathematically plausible as black holes. Black holes are real; what about white holes? → Read More

This shockingly simple battery could store energy forever

Capacitors, acid batteries, and other methods of storing electric charges all lose energy over time. These gravity-fed batteries won't. → Read More

Sparkle-filled JWST galaxy solves a longstanding cosmic mystery

Most globular clusters appear to form their stars all at once, but there are exceptions. JWST just observed how "second formations" happen. → Read More

Starts With A Bang podcast #89 – The active threat of the Sun

Here on Earth, the Sun is our primary source of light, heat, and energy. But it also poses a grave threat to human civilization. → Read More

The Sun isn't a typical star in the Universe

Most of us have heard that the Sun is an ordinary, typical, unremarkable star. But science shows we're actually anything but average. → Read More

Ask Ethan: Is the Universe’s expansion accelerating or not?

Yes, dark energy is real. Yes, distant galaxies recede faster and faster as time goes on. But nthe expansion rate isn't accelerating at all. → Read More

How has the Universe changed since last year?

In the grand scheme of the cosmic story, a single year isn't all that significant. But over time, the annual changes really add up! → Read More

Ask Ethan: Can hidden variables save quantum physics?

There could be variables beyond the ones we've identified and know how to measure. But they can't get rid of quantum weirdness. → Read More

10 quantum myths that need to be busted

The very word "quantum" makes people's imaginations run wild. But chances are you've fallen for at least one of these myths. → Read More

The surprising quantum reason why the Sun shines

Despite the Sun's high core temperatures, particle's can't quite overcome their mutual electric repulsion. Good thing for quantum physics! → Read More

What is the true nature of our quantum reality?

For nearly a century, physicists have argued over how to interpret quantum physics. But reality exists independent of any interpretation. → Read More

What was the biggest explosion in the Universe?

Ever since the Big Bang, cataclysmic events have released enormous amounts of energy. Here's the greatest one ever witnessed. → Read More