An interview with Marcus Chown on books about cosmology. Splitting time from space, toppling Einstein's spacetime: Buzz about a quantum gravity theory that sends space and time back to their Newtonian roots. A review of Cracking the Einstein Code: Relativity and the Birth of Black Hole Physics by Fulvio Melia. Stephen Hawking, the master of time, space, and black holes, steps back into the spotlight to secure his scientific legacy, and to explain the greatest mystery in physics: the origin of the universe (and more). Black hole caught zapping galaxy into existence? New observations of galactic clusters have revealed a controversial phenomenon called “dark flow” which could be a sign of parallel universes (and more). Exploring the multiverse: Do quantum computers offer proof of parallel universes, and where does that leave philosophers? A review of In Search of the Multiverse by John Gribbin. If we live in a multiverse, it's reasonable to ask how many other distinguishable universes we may share it with — now physicists have an answer. Why does the universe look the way it does? Sean Carroll investigates. Will physicists destroy the world?: Lloyd Lueptow on the Large Hadron Collider and the threats of catastrophe (and a response by Lawrence Krauss). Without destroying the Earth, the LHC might help humans explore the cosmos. Let’s Get Metaphysical: George Dvorsky on the LHC and how our ongoing existence could appear increasingly absurd. Here are seven questions that keep physicists up at night.
