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Can Scientific Belief Go Too Far?

October 29, 2014 • Can scientists have too much faith, insisting that an idea is right despite contrary evidence? Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says yes, which could pay off in the end — or be a colossal waste of time.

The Challenge Of Betting On A Scientific Idea

A view of the Large Hadron Collider in its tunnel at CERN in Switzerland. Martial Trezzini/AP hide caption

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Martial Trezzini/AP

The Challenge Of Betting On A Scientific Idea

September 3, 2014 • In taking sides for or against a theory, scientists place their faith on an idea. Commentator Marcelo Gleiser asks what happens when the idea can't be tested or validated. Is it still science?

Are Physicists Ready To Give Up The Chase For SUSY?

The Large Hadron Collider's ATLAS detector under construction in 2005. ATLAS is one of the tools physicists are using to try and understand how the universe works. Maximilien Brice/CERN hide caption

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Maximilien Brice/CERN

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Are Physicists Ready To Give Up The Chase For SUSY?

April 26, 2014 • It's been four decades since the idea of supersymmetry was proposed as a better way to explain the universe. The problem is, says commentator Marcelo Gleiser, that we haven't been able to prove it.

Imperfection Makes The Universe Beautiful

High-energy physics in action: an image of an event in CERN's CMS detector during the search for the Higgs boson. CERN hide caption

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CERN

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Imperfection Makes The Universe Beautiful

August 21, 2013 • It's time to reconsider the grand quest for "unification" in modern physics, says commentator Marcelo Gleiser. Our unrelenting search for symmetry and perfection in the natural world leaves us blind to data that seems to depict an imperfect and asymmetric Universe.

The Universe of Particles exhibition at CERN in 2011. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

When Is A Theory Wrong?

November 21, 2012 • Theories are the life-blood of science; but ruling them out may be harder than you think. And letting a cherished model fall on the trash heap of history is even harder, yet. Take "supersymmetry" from the world of particle physics, for example. When might we see its demise or its vindication?