What Is Our Universe Expanding Into?

One question for Paul Sutter, a theoretical cosmologist at Stony Brook University. Plus: the top science news this week—smart T-rex, tractor beams, and more. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( Newsletter brought to you by: January 17, 2023   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—plus this week’s One Question with astrophysicist [Paul Sutter]( and related Nautilus stories [READ NAUTILUS](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   Theropod Dinosaurs Had Primate-Like Numbers of Telencephalic Neurons]( T-Rex could have been an even more magnificent predator than previously thought. [Journal of Comparative Neurology→](   Finding Peas in the Early Universe with JWST]( One of the “green pea” galaxies scientists spotted could be the most chemically primitive galaxy known to date. [The Astrophysical Journal Letters→](   [The Other Benefit of Electric Vehicles]( The EV revolution is heralding another benefit that’s often overlooked—cleaner air and healthier people. [PNAS→](   [Researchers Create an Optical Tractor Beam that Pulls Macroscopic Objects]( “It might have the potential for one day manipulating vehicles or aircraft on Mars.” [Optics Express→](   [Webb Confirms Its First Exoplanet]( It’s not quite clear yet what the exoplanet’s atmosphere is like, but its size is almost identical to Earth’s. [The European Space Agency→](   [Brutality of Prehistoric Life Revealed by Europe’s Bog Bodies]( “People have always been inclined to interpret most of these as ritual sacrifices—that people were deliberately killed as offerings for higher powers.” [CNN→](   [Hubble Finds Hungry Black Hole Twisting Captured Star Into Donut Shape]( Some of the things that happen in space—like suns getting smeared—sound too outlandish to be real. [NASA Goddard→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [Live a Healthier, Longer Life Through Science and Technology]( The road to a longer, healthier life starts inside. And that’s what [InsideTracker]( is all about. Founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometric data, InsideTracker is an ultra-personalized performance platform like no other. InsideTracker uses its patented algorithm to analyze your body’s data and offer [science-backed recommendations]( for positive diet and lifestyle changes. Plus, use your HSA, HRA, and FSA to buy any plan for tax-free savings. For a limited time, [get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store]( when you sign up. Get a crystal clear picture of what’s going on inside your body with InsideTracker. [Grab Your Discount](   [ONE QUESTION]( [What Is Our Universe Expanding Into?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Paul Sutter](, author of “The Remarkable Emptiness of Existence,” an [article in]([Nautilus]( this month. Sutter is a theoretical cosmologist at Stony Brook University, where he studies, among other things, cosmic voids.   That’s a great question. The answer, though, is that it’s not a great question. It’s a little tricky, so let me walk you through it. Yes, our universe is expanding. Our universe has no center and no edge. The Big Bang didn’t happen in one location in space. The Big Bang happened everywhere in the cosmos simultaneously. The Big Bang was not a point in space. It was a point in time. It exists in all of our paths. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [COMMUNICATION]( [The Trouble With “The Big Bang”]( A rash of recent articles illustrates a longstanding confusion over the famous term. BY SABINE HOSSENFELDER [Continue reading →]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [The Idea of Entropy Has Led Us Astray]( Let’s stop hustling as if the world is running toward disorder. BY AARON HIRSH [Continue reading →]( [PHYSICS]( [The Strange Similarity of Neuron and Galaxy Networks]( Your life’s memories could, in principle, be stored in the universe’s structure. BY FRANCO VAZZA & ALBERTO FELETTI [Continue reading →]( [PHYSICS]( [Let’s Rethink Space]( Does space exist without objects, or is it made by them? BY GEORGE MUSSER [Continue reading →](   [Great News for People Who Love Getting Emails]( Let [Harper’s Magazine]( make your inbox more interesting. The Harper’s Weekly Review satirizes the relentless absurdity of the news, while From the Archive contextualizes current events with articles from our 172-year archive. Get the rush of a new email notification—and a little bit of Harper’s style and wit—by signing up now. [Sign Up Now](   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [The Earth’s Great Forgetting]( Discover how science ripples into our personal lives, including the juxtaposition of the earth’s past and one scientist’s struggles to understand her brother’s mental illness. Inside [Issue 47 of Nautilus](, you’ll also learn what organoids can tell us about how the brain works, the mysterious vanishing of 11 billion crabs, and how to stop worrying and embrace uncertainty. [Read these intriguing stories]( and more in Nautilus’ Issue 47 print edition. [Get Nautilus in Print](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2022 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from nautil.us. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe](.