I. It’s Not a Teddy Bear One Christmas long ago, when I was a young boy, Santa delivered a small robot dog to me. It stood but an inch off the ground and coolly stared out at the world from behind a night-black visor. Through the eyes of a child it was made from some undiscovered metal alloy rather than cheap silver plastic. It had been transported from a far-flung future rather than mass-produced in a place without labour laws. ...Read more

I. One Small Step For Science What is theoretical physics? Broadly, it uses mathematics to understand and predict our universe. Sadly, for a great number of people that’s a scary thing. And I understand why: As you look deeper, it doesn’t take long for a handful of equations to become so complicated that they may as well be written in a language of forgotten runes describing some ancient ritual. At this level it can seem completely removed from our lives. ...Read more