2015•Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesRequires access
The origins of the universe: why is there something rather than nothing?
Steve Paulson, David Z. Albert, Jim Holt, Neil Turok
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Abstract
Perhaps the greatest mystery is why the universe exists in the first place. How is it possible for something to emerge from nothing, or has a universe in some form always existed? This question of origins-both of the universe as a whole and of the fundamental laws of physics-raises profound scientific, philosophical, and religious questions, culminating in the most basic existential question of all: Why are we here? Discussion of this and related questions is presented in this paper.