It might sound like something from science fiction, but the holographic principle might help us answer the biggest problem in modern physics.

Over the last few decades physicists have been developing a curious idea. Perhaps the world we inhabit is a hologram, lacking a crucial feature of the world as we perceive it: the third dimension.

This collection of articles looks at one of the biggest problems in modern physics and at research that aims to solve it.

Is the Universe digital, just like the world of computers? Discuss!

Physicists have discovered evidence that our Universe might be a giant hologram.

In 2004 Stephen Hawking famously conceded that black holes do not devour all information when they swallow matter — seemingly resolving the black hole information paradox that had perplexed physicists for decades. But some argue that the paradox remains open and we must abandon our simple picture of spacetime to unravel it.

It's been nearly 18 months since the Large Hadron Collider at CERN started up and scientists are eagerly awaiting their first glimpse into the cosmic mysteries it was designed to explore. But when can we realistically expect the first ground-breaking discoveries to come through? Last week, John Ellis, outgoing leader of the theory division at CERN, addressed an audience of physicists at the University of Cambridge to update them on the current state of play. Plus went along and also managed to catch Ellis for a quick interview.