{
  "id": 3923651,
  "title": "‘Thinking about the edges of space-time can help build a better world’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/thinking-about-the-edges-of-space-time-can-help-build-a-better-world",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-28T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2585251-thinking-about-the-edges-of-space-time-can-help-build-a-better-world/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In his new book, The Edge of Space-Time, Richard Bizley explores the gap between the excitement of physics and the reality of working in the field. He notes that while science fiction often portrays physicists as big thinkers pondering the universe's wonders, the day-to-day life of a theoretical physicist is often filled with bureaucratic tasks and limited research opportunities. Bizley himself, a tenured professor at a major research institution, finds that much of his job involves dealing with administrative issues rather than engaging in groundbreaking research. The funding for certain types of research, such as quantum gravity, has dried up due to budget cuts in both the UK and the US. Bizley attributes this to the fact that scientists are often pressured to pursue questions that are agreeable to the physics community rather than those that delve into the fundamental nature of space-time and time. This shift in focus is driven by economic and social forces that determine which scientific questions can be funded. In the midst of his tenure, Bizley began working in US science policy, which made him realize that particle physics and cosmology were in trouble. Politicians no longer viewed the fundamental importance of these fields in relation to the capitalist economy or the military. The cultural arguments for understanding the universe did not resonate with the public, who were more concerned with pressing issues like climate change and economic inequality. Bizley believes that the cuts to science budgets are not just a political problem, but a larger issue that could lead to the loss of knowledge and expertise as experienced researchers leave the field. He argues that physicists have a unique viewpoint on the universe that is crucial for a healthy democracy. Just as poetry offers a different perspective on the world, physics provides a viewpoint that has fascinated humans for millennia. Bizley suggests that spending time with the strange and challenging aspects of physics can help individuals develop critical thinking skills necessary to address pressing political issues like genocides, climate change, and discrimination.",
  "summary": "Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, New Scientist columnist and author of the September read for the New Scientist Book Club, The Edge of Space-Time, on why the big questions in physics matter so much",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}