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The origins of the universe: why is there something rather than nothing?
Author(s) -
Paulson Steve,
Albert David,
Holt Jim,
Turok Neil
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.12859
Subject(s) - nothing , epistemology , universe , existentialism , philosophy , theoretical physics , physics , astronomy
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.