String theory

Strings are loops in a ten dimensional space (mathematical universe). String theory seeks to include all of the interactions of subatomic particles and the postulated existence of dark matter and dark energy as the properties and interactions of strings. It does all sound improbable but the theory has been around since the 190's and has been worked on by dozens of very clever mathematicians. Whether the predictions of string theory have any basis in fact, is another matter.

Evidence

No one has ever detected a string, or anything even vaguely like one, but one of the predictions of string theory is that all subatomic particles are paired with heavy unobserved partners that comprise a massive 70% of the matter in the universe (dark matter). Maybe: it will be interesting to see whether the people who will operate the new high energy hadron collider find any of them. If they don't, then string theory may go the way of the dinosaurs, and we will have to think of another reason to explain why galaxies rotate as they do.

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