Quantum Gravity

TWO PHYSICISTS ARE CLAIMING TO HAVE moved closer to a unified theory of gravity.

- By Caroline Delbert

Scientists have long tried to mesh gravity with the standard model of physics by trying to describe gravity in a way that aligns with the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces. The key, according to the duo, lies in what’s called a gauge.

In physics, gauge theory helps scientists take all the measurable things they know and align them in order to find commonalities or definitions. Using an old expression, we can define a duck as something that walks and quacks like a duck. Once something is a duck, many other properties—like its color or size—can’t change its nature.