Expert Voices Paul Sutter

Paul Sutter received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. After spending three years at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, he is now a visiting scholar at the Ohio State University's Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics. Sutter is the host of several podcasts and YouTube series, consults for TV and film productions, and frequently makes public appearances discussing physics and astronomy topics and the role science plays in society.

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Was gravity stronger in the early universe?

Stronger gravity in the early universe may solve a cosmological conundrum

By Paul Sutter published

The inflationary epoch that caused our universe to rapidly expand in its earliest moments may be connected to the modern era of dark energy.

An artist's depiction of the Big Bang.

5 failed alternatives to the Big Bang theory and why they didn't work

By Paul Sutter published

Over the decades, the Big Bang theory has taken on some pretty heavy challengers. Let's explore those alternatives and why they didn't work.

Dark matter is invisible to scientists' current instruments.

Is the origin of dark matter gravity itself?

By Paul Sutter published

Did the graviton, the quantum mechanical force carrier of gravity, flood the cosmos with dark matter before normal matter even had a chance to get started?

An artist's depiction of a wormhole.

We can build a real, traversable wormhole … if the universe has extra dimensions

By Paul Sutter published

It may be possible to build a real, traversable wormhole, but only if our universe has extra dimensions, a team of physicists has found.

If the universe has a twin and on that twin time runs backward, then scientists could explain dark matter.

Our universe may have a twin that runs backward in time

By Paul Sutter published

A mirror universe that runs backward in time sprouted up before the Big Bang.

The fine-structure constant is a seemingly random number with no units or dimensions, which has cropped up in many places in physics, and seems to control one of the most fundamental interactions in the universe.

Life as we know it would not exist without this highly unusual number

By Paul Sutter published

The fine-structure constant is a seemingly random number with no units or dimensions, which has cropped up in so many places in physics, and seems to control one of the most fundamental interactions in the universe.

A false-color image highlights different materials on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres.

Strange dwarf planet Ceres may have formed at the icy edges of the solar system

By Paul Sutter published

Ceres is the most dominant member of the asteroid belt but it doesn't look like the other asteroids.

An artist's depiction of a black hole. Inside the thin orange ring is about twice the size of the black hole's event horizon.

What black holes can teach us about traffic jams

By Paul Sutter published

If you've ever been stuck in a nightmare traffic jam, you know that "black hole from which you can never escape" captures the feeling well.

Globular cluster NGC 6380 as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mysterious globular clusters could unlock the secrets of galaxy formation

By Paul Sutter published

Globular clusters are like astronomical coelacanths — mysterious living fossils. These densely packed collections of ancient stars may hold the ultimate secrets to the formation of galaxies.

Countless galaxies in the universe imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Is there anything beyond the universe?

By Paul Sutter published

What's beyond the known limits? What lies outside the boundary of the universe? The answer is — well, it's complicated.

General relativity describes gravity as the warping of space-time. According to quantum mechanics, the forces of nature come in tiny, discrete chunks known as quanta. Gravity is a force, so is space-time itself quantized?

Loop quantum gravity: Does space-time come in tiny chunks?

By Paul Sutter published

Quantum mechanics tells us that the forces of nature come in discrete, tiny chunks. Gravity, the bending of space-time, is a force. So is space-time quantized as well?

Artist's illustration of a black hole.

What happens at the center of a black hole?

By Paul Sutter published

At the center of a black hole, matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point, and all conceptions of time and space completely break down.

Our demonstrably spherical Earth.

How to debate a flat-Earther

By Paul Sutter published

Some people around the world believe our planet is flat. Here's the (surprising) truth about debating them.

This abstract illustration depicts a bubble-like multiverse.

The Higgs boson could have kept our universe from collapsing

By Paul Sutter published

The Higgs boson particle could have kept our universe from collapsing within a larger multiverse, physicists say.

An artist's depiction of the first identified interstellar object to visit our solar system, 'Oumuamua.

Will we ever know the true nature of 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar visitor?

By Paul Sutter published

Astronomers have proposed lots of ideas to explain 'Oumuamua's odd characteristics, and we're unlikely ever to find out which one is correct.

In this illustration, a neutrino interacts with Antarctic ice, shedding a muon in the process. As that muon moves at ultrafast speed, it leaves a telltale trail of blue light, known as Cherenkov radiation.

The mystery deepens: Ghostly neutrinos and fast radio bursts don't come from the same place

By Paul Sutter published

Knowing if high-energy neutrinos and FRBs came from the same place on the sky would help explain the origins of both. But alas, they do not.

Image of the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field, which captures galaxies beyond counting.

Do we live in a simulation? The problem with this mind-bending hypothesis.

By Paul Sutter published

Does the simulation hypothesis offer a compelling argument, or is it just interesting food for thought? Let's find out.

Artist's illustration of potentially habitable exoplanet Proxima b, which orbits the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.

What really makes a planet habitable? Our assumptions may be wrong

By Paul Sutter published

How common are ice-covered planets like Hoth from "Star Wars," and might they be capable of hosting life? As usual, the answer is, it depends.

In this illustration, a neutrino interacts with Antarctic ice, shedding a muon in the process. As that muon moves at ultrafast speed, it leaves a telltale trail of blue light, known as Cherenkov radiation.

Astronomers propose building a neutrino telescope — out of the Pacific Ocean

By Paul Sutter published

The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment would turn a massive swath of the Pacific Ocean into nature's own neutrino detector.

This illustration shows the diamond rain on Neptune.

Yes, there is really 'diamond rain' on Uranus and Neptune

By Paul Sutter published

Hiding beneath the outer layers of some planets, there may be something spectacular: a constant rain of diamonds.