Against the backdrop of dramatic human events, natural phenomena appear to flow according to harmonious and unchanging laws. The motion of the planets and that of the atoms always unfold in the same way, without perceptible variations, reflecting what Heisenberg described as the frightening coherence of nature. Current science grasps the fundamental laws of the universe, based on Einstein’s gravitational and quantum theories, and no phenomenon appears to be in patent contradiction with them. With the recent discovery of gravitational waves, the theoretical framework appears complete: we have unveiled the world’s algorithm. But fundamental questions remain. Why does our universe follow mathematical laws, rather than fall into endless chaos? And why precisely do these laws apply, and not others? Can we still increase our knowledge by building increasingly powerful telescopes and accelerators, or have we reached the limits of our resources? Do we live in the only possible universe, or are we just one experiment of nature among many?

Luca Amendola teaches Theoretical Physics at the University of Heidelberg and coordinated Euclid’s Theory Working Group until 2021.