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Year of physics

Nature 433, 257-259 (20 January 2005) | doi:10.1038/433257a; Published online 19 January 2005

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endgame A theory of everything?

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In his later years, Einstein sought a unified theory that would extend general relativity and provide an alternative to quantum theory. There is now talk of a 'theory of everything' (although Einstein himself never used the phrase). Fifty years after his death, how close are we to such a theory?

I have learned from the history of physics that the most spectacular developments usually come when the existing theoretical insights create conflict, when observed phenomena seem to defy logic. This happened when Max Planck investigated a problem in the statistical features of radiation — which led to the foundation of quantum mechanics.

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