What is the Doomsday Argument?
The Copernican Principle asserts that humans are not special, that we should expect to find ourselves in an ordinary place or position. But if humanity continues for billions of years, we today would...
View ArticleWhat Happens in the Far Far Future?
Our universe has existed for about 14 billion years. Looking backwards, that’s about 1 followed by 10 zeros. Looking forwards, into the far far future, cosmologists can forecast what will happen in...
View ArticleWhat is the Far Far Future of the Universe?
When we speak about the future of the universe, we mean when our sun burns out, when galaxies collide, when everything flies apart and ultimately evaporates. Do the untold billions and trillions of...
View ArticleWill the Universe Ever End?
What does it mean to ask about the end of the universe? Can the universe even have an end? What would end? In the far, far future, what happens to stars, galaxies, and black holes? What about mass and...
View ArticleWhat is the Far Far Future of Humans in the Universe?
Consider humanity’s astounding progress in science during the past three hundred years. Now take a deep breath and project forward three billion years. Assuming humans survive, can we even conceive of...
View ArticleThe Physics of Eternity
‘Eternity’—time that goes on and on and does not end—used to be the province of philosophy, even theology, with no real evidence. But now cosmologists are using astounding observations and new...
View ArticleWill the Universe Ever End?
In the far, far future, what happens to planets, stars, galaxies, black holes? What’s the ‘Big Rip’ and the ‘Big Crunch’? And if ‘multiple universes’ exist, if one universe ends, do others begin? The...
View ArticleWhat is the Doomsday Argument?
Have we underestimated the risks of global catastrophe and human extinction? There is an odd argument that claims to justify end-of-the-world worries with raw statistics. The post What is the Doomsday...
View ArticleLong Evolution of the Universe
We know that the very early universe was a cauldron of immensely hot plasma gas that seemed uniform and undifferentiated, the paragon of simplicity. And yet, over time, galaxies, stars, planets...
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