The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1950 the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi was discussing the possibility of intelligent alien life with his colleagues. If alien ...

Three thought experiments involving “demons” have haunted physics for centuries. What should we make of them today?

The other day, I was talking to a guy with a physics background. He said that he is very fond of the field of psychology, but expressed concern about the fact that, unlike physics, it is “a soft ...