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A survey of researchers has canvassed opinion on the 'grand challenges' to be faced in physics research — asking what might become achievable if more collaborative efforts are supported.
Particle physicists are strict about signals — five standard deviations is what's required. But discoveries may also emerge gradually from confusing effects that are initially of much lower significance.
One hundred and fifty years ago, James Clerk Maxwell presented a set of equations that describes virtually any manifestation of electromagnetism. Is it possible to find similarly compact descriptions — and is the search even worthwhile — in every branch of physics ?