🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 8 (from laksa171)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa008.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.space.com\/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html","crawl_time":1775831845,"first_indexed_time":1582287567,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,space!www,\/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html s443","src_root_hash":"7770394665477845008","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"How the universe could possibly have more dimensions | Space","meta_descriptions":["One little problem with string theory: It needs some extra dimensions."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize?\n(Image credit: Getty)\nString theory\nis a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything. \nAll the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be\nmore dimensions than the four we're used to\n.\nBut that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds.\nDimensional disaster\nIn string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons,\ngluons\n, gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string.\nEach vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart.\nBut for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough \"room\" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained.\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!\nIn other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally.\nCurrent versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now.\nHow can the\nstring theory's requirement for extra dimensions\npossibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe?\nCurled up and compact\nThankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion.\nBack in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe.\nBut then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the \"cylinder condition.\" This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism.\nIt looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics.\nIn retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring. \nStill, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in  Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters.\nThe many manifolds of string theory\nIf an\nextra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small\n, we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times.\nAnd those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live.\nWith further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory.\nThere's around 10^200,000.\nIt turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up.\nThat's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics.\nSo only one manifold can give rise to the\nworld as we experience it\n. But which one?\nUnfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe.\nThe response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many.\nAnd that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape.\nEinstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic)\nImages: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe\nWhat's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery?\nPaul M. Sutter\n is an astrophysicist at\nSUNY\nStony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of\nAsk a Spaceman\nand\nSpace Radio\n, and author of\nYour Place in the Universe\n.\nLearn more by listening to the episode\n\"Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)\"\non the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on \niTunes\n and on the Web at \nhttp:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\n. Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using #AskASpaceman or by following Paul\n@PaulMattSutter\nand\nfacebook.com\/PaulMattSutter\n.\nFollow us\non Twitter\n@Spacedotcom\nand on\nFacebook\n.\nShare your thoughts\n0\n0\n0\n0\nJoin the community\nJoin the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers.\nAlready have an account?\nLog in\nLog In\nForgotten your password?\nReset it\nNot got an account?\nRegister\nMy Details\nUpdate your details below...\nKeep in the Know\nWould you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners?\nValidate Your Mobile No.\nWe have sent a code to\n. Please enter it below to verify your account.\nUpdate mobile number\nResend code\nUpdate Your Mobile No.\nYou may enter a new mobile number below. You will be sent a verification code to the phone number you provide.\nCancel\nembed-reactions.hint_heading\nembed-reactions.hint_subheading\nValidate Your Email Address\nWe have sent a code to\n. Please enter it below to verify your account.\nUpdate email address\nResend code\nUpdate Your Email Address\nYou may enter a new email address below. 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Enter that code below to reset your password.\nSet new password\nPlease enter your new password below.\nLeaderboard\nRank\nPlayer\nScore\nTime","attrs_markdown":"![](https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p\/?c1=2&c2=10055482&cv=4.4.0&cj=1)\n\n[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.space.com\/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html#main)\n\nOpen menu\n\n[![Space](https:\/\/www.space.com\/media\/img\/spc-logo-w.svg) Space](https:\/\/www.space.com\/)\n\n[Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter](https:\/\/www.space.com\/newsletter)\n\n[RSS](https:\/\/www.space.com\/feeds.xml)\n\nSign in\n\n- View Profile\n- Sign out\n\nSearch\n\n- [Space Exploration](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration)\n  - [Launches & Spacecraft](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/launches-spacecraft)\n    - [Private spaceflight](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/private-spaceflight)\n    - [Human spaceflight](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/human-spaceflight)\n    - [SpaceX](https:\/\/www.space.com\/tag\/spacex)\n    - 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The galaxy occupies most of the image as a fuzzy blue-white oval with spiral features extending out clockwise. The light clouds are interspersed with small dark brown splotches in the same spiral pattern around the center, representing dust clouds. The galaxy’s center is a bright yellow glow. Overlaid on top of and surrounding the galaxy are several criss-crossing, faint tendrils of stars that represent satellite dwarf galaxies and star clusters that have been stretched out into long thin lines. The tendrils have various lengths and widths, though all are arcs rather than complete circles. The background is black.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RUWT2sj9SoA9QNeJdUZ5F5.jpg) Stars Dozens of hidden star streams found in the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/dozens-of-hidden-star-streams-found-in-the-outskirts-of-our-milky-way-galaxy \"Dozens of hidden star streams found in the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy\")\n\n[![Navy pilots have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAdiX7kzBW4nBQvvojz9BD.jpg) Search for Life Disclosure day: If ET made contact, how would we handle the news?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/search-for-life\/disclosure-day-if-et-made-contact-how-would-we-handle-the-news \"Disclosure day: If ET made contact, how would we handle the news?\")\n\n[![A blue ball is illustrated in the middle of lots of swirling dust and there are bright green loops protruding from the ball, representing the magnetic field. There\\&\\#039;s a blue line protruding from each of the ball\\&\\#039;s poles.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KVtWTFYukb9knRQzb94iMJ.png) Stars Pulsars to the extreme: Spinning dead stars found blasting radio signals from the 'edge of their magnetic reach'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/pulsars-to-the-extreme-spinning-dead-stars-found-blasting-radio-signals-from-the-edge-of-their-magnetic-reach \"Pulsars to the extreme: Spinning dead stars found blasting radio signals from the 'edge of their magnetic reach'\")\n\n[![How cold is space beyond the Milky Way ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4MLyNZ66GSMUp7z49Q8k3K.jpg) Astronomy How cold is space? Physics behind the temperature of the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/how-cold-is-space \"How cold is space? Physics behind the temperature of the universe \")\n\n[![The SETI Institute\\&\\#039;s Allen Telescope Array in Northern California searches for radio signals that could have been generated by intelligent alien life.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zjDgGzk64iR5Wu9fbZebEh.jpg) Search for Life Where are all the aliens? Maybe they just don't want to talk to us](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/search-for-life\/where-are-all-the-aliens-maybe-they-just-dont-want-to-talk-to-us \"Where are all the aliens? Maybe they just don't want to talk to us\")\n\n[![A bunch of black circles over hazy tendrils and swirls in space is illustrated here.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XsaWoUNwD2os4gADQgB6gd.png) Black Holes Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang \"Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang\")\n\n[![An illustration of all the solar system planets arranged in an arc around the sun](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UJwHjMcfZ9YW7kp5a9gTYi.jpg) Astronomy What is below Earth, since space is present in every direction?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/what-is-below-earth-since-space-is-present-in-every-direction \"What is below Earth, since space is present in every direction?\")\n\n[![An illustration shows dark matter powering the heart of a spiral galaxy](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/69kRCSZKQ5H5nddwqCTGR3.png) Dark Universe Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/could-the-milky-way-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-actually-be-a-clump-of-dark-matter \"Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?\")\n\n[![Pink structures looks like dots all across the image. There\\&\\#039;s a boxout that shows a magnified view of one section. One small portion of that magnification represents 10 million light-years. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ZQyHA4S4kaqxqpH4soe5z4.jpg) Astronomy Astronomers unveil largest 3D universe map of its kind, illuminating 'hidden' cosmic structures](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/astronomers-unveil-largest-3d-map-yet-of-hydrogen-light-in-the-early-universe-illuminating-hidden-cosmic-structures \"Astronomers unveil largest 3D universe map of its kind, illuminating 'hidden' cosmic structures\")\n\n[![A speculative illustration of tiny primordial black holes. Have physicists just seen one explode?](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2zwJQfcoh55WtPyoSDqgc5.jpg) Black Holes Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An 'impossible' particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/did-astronomers-see-a-black-hole-explode-an-impossible-particle-that-hit-earth-in-2023-may-tell-us \"Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An 'impossible' particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us\")\n\n[![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) Dark Universe How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe \"How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe\")\n\n[![A black circle in the center of the illustration surrounded by swirling glowing patterns spiraling outward from it. The left side is colored red while the right side is colored purple.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JjhmXS8mFkbE5qXSnb8ggA.png) Black Holes Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/could-our-universe-exist-because-black-holes-ate-up-all-the-antimatter \"Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?\")\n\n[![An illustration shows a quark racing through thye primordial soup or quark-gluon plasma that filled the early universe, creating a wave](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5NaWmr9jCdrYw7DAdw3fj3.png) Particle Physics Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/science\/particle-physics\/large-hadron-collider-reveals-primordial-soup-of-the-early-universe-was-surprisingly-soupy \"Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy\")\n\n[![An illustration of a pulsar lurking in Galactic Center close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A\\*](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YR4dCMwPVVT2GNEvv6LHqb.png) Stars The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/the-milky-way-may-be-hiding-a-big-secret-at-its-heart-an-extremely-magnetic-dead-star \"The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star\")\n\nTrending\n\n- [Artemis 2 LIVE: Moon mission updates](https:\/\/www.space.com\/news\/live\/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-10-2026#mrfhud=true)\n- [Top picks of Artemis 2 merch](https:\/\/www.space.com\/technology\/nasa-artemis-2-gifts-we-love-top-picks-for-aspiring-astronauts)\n- [Night sky tonight\\!](https:\/\/www.space.com\/what-to-see-night-sky-april-2026-maps)\n- [Aurora Forecast](https:\/\/www.space.com\/live\/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-april-10-12)\n- [Space Calendar](https:\/\/www.space.com\/32286-space-calendar.html)\n- [Live 4K Sen video from space\\!](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/earth\/live-4k-video-from-space-see-earth-from-the-iss-with-sharp-eyed-sen-cameras)\n- [Best Drones](https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-drones)\n- [Lego Star Wars deals](https:\/\/www.space.com\/lego-star-wars-deals)\n- [Next Full Moon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/16830-full-moon-calendar.html)\n- [Best Telescopes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html)\n- [Solar System Planets](https:\/\/www.space.com\/16080-solar-system-planets.html)\n- [Best Star Projectors](https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-star-projectors)\n- [Best Binoculars](https:\/\/www.space.com\/26021-best-binoculars.html)\n\n1. [Astronomy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy)\n\n![Expert Voices](https:\/\/www.space.com\/media\/img\/partners\/expert-voices-banner.jpg)\n\n# How the universe could possibly have more dimensions\n[News](https:\/\/www.space.com\/news)\n\nBy [Paul Sutter](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/paul-sutter)\n\npublished\n\nFebruary 21, 2020\n\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Here’s how it works](https:\/\/www.space.com\/41418-about-us.html#section-affiliate-advertising-disclosure).\n\nClick for next article\n\n![Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize?](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/SjNiqpMzDKNDqC6dnASRDd.jpg)\n\nCould the universe have more dimensions than we realize? (Image credit: Getty)\n\nShare\n\n- Copy link\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html)\n- [X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=How+the+universe+could+possibly+have+more+dimensions&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html)\n- [Whatsapp](whatsapp:\/\/send?text=How+the+universe+could+possibly+have+more+dimensions+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html?fwa)\n- [Reddit](https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html&title=How+the+universe+could+possibly+have+more+dimensions)\n- [Pinterest](https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FSjNiqpMzDKNDqC6dnASRDd.jpg)\n- [Flipboard](https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?title=How+the+universe+could+possibly+have+more+dimensions&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fmore-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html)\n- [Email](mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https:\/\/www.space.com\/more-universe-dimensions-for-string-theory.html)\n\nShare this article\n\nJoin the conversation\n\n[Follow us](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=space.com)\n\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n\nNewsletter\n\nGet the Space.com Newsletter\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\n***\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nYou are now subscribed\n\nYour newsletter sign-up was successful\n\n***\nWant to add more newsletters?\n\n![Daily Newsletter](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vfpcxVDrtfCysGSjzYjeSg.png)\n\nDelivered daily\n\nDaily Newsletter\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\nSubscribe +\n\n![Watch This Space](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tjzmFi262iKuxrcCtSghKg.jpg)\n\nOnce a month\n\nWatch This Space\n\nSign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.\n\nSubscribe +\n\n![Night Sky This Week](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qsHaEcQ6H695rhBoNZdK5g.jpg)\n\nOnce a week\n\nNight Sky This Week\n\nDiscover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us\\!\n\nSubscribe +\n\n![Strange New Words](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Mk2LrCm68RFHzQhNyQaH2Y.jpg)\n\nTwice a month\n\nStrange New Words\n\nSpace.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans\\!\n\nSubscribe +\n\n***\nAn account already exists for this email address, please log in.\n\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n\n[String theory](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17594-string-theory.html) is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything.\n\nAll the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be [more dimensions than the four we're used to](https:\/\/www.space.com\/39928-wrinkle-in-time-tesseract-space-travel.html).\n\nBut that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds.\n\nYou may like\n\n- [![A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There\\&\\#039;s a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/SmcBfLjCAEkg9NziAM9CuH.png) How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/how-fast-is-the-universe-actually-expanding-ripples-in-spacetime-could-finally-solve-hubble-tension)\n- [![A series of blue and red and green and orange analog clocks all superimposed on each other](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wECuuHE7jxzT73orWxpY5.jpg) Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not](https:\/\/www.space.com\/science\/particle-physics\/is-time-a-fundamental-part-of-reality-a-quiet-revolution-in-physics-suggests-not)\n- [![An illustration of matter pouring into a black hole, crossing an Einstein-Rosen bridge and emerging in another region of the universe](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/QiqgvSVLR8GjPCQ4fEyjHa.png) Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/wormholes-may-not-exist-weve-found-they-reveal-something-deeper-about-time-and-the-universe)\n\n**Related:** [**Alternatives to the Big Bang Theory explained (infographic)**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/24781-big-bang-theory-alternatives-infographic.html)\n\n[Click here for more Space.com videos...](https:\/\/videos.space.com\/m\/jMcp2B0n\/all-quantum-gravity-theories-suck-heres-why?list=9wzCTV4g)\n\n## Dimensional disaster\nIn string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons, [gluons](https:\/\/www.space.com\/gluons-carriers-strong-force-explained), gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string.\n\nEach vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart.\n\nYouTube ![YouTube](https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/gX2ARIyHrT4\/maxresdefault.jpg)\n\n[Watch On](https:\/\/youtu.be\/gX2ARIyHrT4)\n\nBut for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough \"room\" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained.\n\nGet the Space.com Newsletter\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nIn other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally.\n\nCurrent versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now.\n\nHow can the [string theory's requirement for extra dimensions](https:\/\/www.space.com\/string-theory-started-off-wrong.html) possibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe?\n\nWhat to read next\n\n- [![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe)\n- [![(Main) the galaxy Centaurus A as seen by the the MPG\/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile (Inset) The velocities of galaxies in groups versus distance](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5EaSWNDJ6VF5oFzJM74YJL.png) How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/how-fast-is-the-universe-expanding-astronomers-may-be-one-step-closer-to-resolving-hubble-trouble)\n- [![The galaxy Messier 33 according to competing models of the universe (left) with a dark matter halo (right) without a bubble of this mysterious \\&quot;stuff.\\&quot;](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ug3qTXVQFJFGSaFGH9hnzh.png) Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/does-dark-matter-actually-exist-new-theory-says-it-could-be-gravity-behaving-strangely)\n## Curled up and compact\nThankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion.\n\nBack in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe.\n\nBut then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the \"cylinder condition.\" This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism.\n\nYouTube ![YouTube](https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/63GoTXe3Bjw\/maxresdefault.jpg)\n\n[Watch On](https:\/\/youtu.be\/63GoTXe3Bjw)\n\nIt looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics.\n\nIn retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring.\n\nStill, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters.\n\n## The many manifolds of string theory\nIf an [extra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small](https:\/\/www.space.com\/41947-gravitational-waves-reveal-no-extra-dimensions.html), we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times.\n\nAnd those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live.\n\nWith further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory.\n\nThere's around 10^200,000.\n\nIt turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up.\n\nThat's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics.\n\nSo only one manifold can give rise to the [world as we experience it](https:\/\/www.space.com\/38538-a-new-theory-explains-why-the-universe-is-three-dimensional.html). But which one?\n\nUnfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe.\n\nThe response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many.\n\nAnd that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape.\n\n- [Einstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/28738-einstein-theory-of-relativity-explained-infgraphic.html)\n- [Images: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/13219-photos-big-bang-early-universe-history.html)\n- [What's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/25804-big-bang-cosmology-discoveries-next-steps.html)\n\n[*Paul M. Sutter*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/) *is an astrophysicist at* [*SUNY*](http:\/\/astronomy.osu.edu\/) *Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of* [*Ask a Spaceman*](http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\/) *and* [*Space Radio*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/shows\/spaceradio)*, and author of* [*Your Place in the Universe*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/book)*.*\n\nLearn more by listening to the episode [\"Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)\"](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/shows\/askaspaceman-archive\/2019\/12\/3\/aas117-is-string-theory-worth-it-part3) on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on [iTunes](https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ask-a-spaceman!\/id958825741?mt=8&at=1001lnRX&ct=space-us-1098123721513994484) and on the Web at [http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com](http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\/). Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit\\_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged\\_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using \\#AskASpaceman or by following Paul [@PaulMattSutter](http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/paulmattsutter) and [facebook.com\/PaulMattSutter](http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paulmattsutter).\n\n*Follow us* *on Twitter* [*@Spacedotcom*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/spacedotcom) *and on* [*Facebook*](http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Spacecom\/17610706465)*.*\n\n[![OFFER: Save at least 56% with our latest magazine deal\\!](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/q3a5dBfzVBgge9ZhWyBrrj-200-80.jpg.webp)](https:\/\/myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io\/c\/221109\/583111\/9620?subId1=space-us-1425734427956555681&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w)\n\n[**OFFER: Save at least 56% with our latest magazine deal\\!**](https:\/\/myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io\/c\/221109\/583111\/9620?subId1=space-us-6292388552266100013&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w)\n\n[All About Space magazine](https:\/\/myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io\/c\/221109\/583111\/9620?subId1=space-us-2465813471401714128&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w) takes you on an awe-inspiring journey through our solar system and beyond, from the amazing technology and spacecraft that enables humanity to venture into orbit, to the complexities of space science.\n\n[View Deal](https:\/\/myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io\/c\/221109\/583111\/9620?subId1=space-us-1425734427956555681&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w)\n\n**Share your thoughts**\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\nRandom QuizPlay a Random Quiz\n\nFilter by Category\n\nJoin the community\n\nJoin the Space.com Family! 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You will be sent a verification code to the address you provide.\n\nCreate a Username\n\nThis will be publicly viewable so make it something you like\\!\n\nReset your password\n\nEnter your email address below. If it is registered with us, we will email you a code that will allow you to reset your password.\n\nCheck your inbox\n\nIf your email address was found in our system, you should receive an email in the next few minutes containing a code. Enter that code below to reset your password.\n\nSet new password\n\nPlease enter your new password below.\n\nLeaderboard\n\n| Rank | Player | Score | Time |\n|---|---|---|---|\n\nLog In or Register\n\nMore Quizzes\n\nLog Out\n\n![Paul Sutter](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7b82ETmxFckHcwPUQsysgS.jpg)\n\n[Paul Sutter](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/paul-sutter)\n\nSocial Links Navigation\n\nSpace.com Contributor\n\n[*Paul M. Sutter*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/) *is a cosmologist at Johns Hopkins University, host of* [*Ask a Spaceman*](http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\/)*, and author of* [*How to Die in Space*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/book)*.*\n\nRead more\n\n[![A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There\\&\\#039;s a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/SmcBfLjCAEkg9NziAM9CuH.png) Astronomy How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/how-fast-is-the-universe-actually-expanding-ripples-in-spacetime-could-finally-solve-hubble-tension \"How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'\")\n\n[![A series of blue and red and green and orange analog clocks all superimposed on each other](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wECuuHE7jxzT73orWxpY5.jpg) Particle Physics Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not](https:\/\/www.space.com\/science\/particle-physics\/is-time-a-fundamental-part-of-reality-a-quiet-revolution-in-physics-suggests-not \"Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not\")\n\n[![An illustration of matter pouring into a black hole, crossing an Einstein-Rosen bridge and emerging in another region of the universe](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/QiqgvSVLR8GjPCQ4fEyjHa.png) Astronomy Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/wormholes-may-not-exist-weve-found-they-reveal-something-deeper-about-time-and-the-universe \"Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe\")\n\n[![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) Dark Universe How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe \"How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe\")\n\n[![(Main) the galaxy Centaurus A as seen by the the MPG\/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile (Inset) The velocities of galaxies in groups versus distance](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5EaSWNDJ6VF5oFzJM74YJL.png) Astronomy How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/how-fast-is-the-universe-expanding-astronomers-may-be-one-step-closer-to-resolving-hubble-trouble \"How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'\")\n\n[![The galaxy Messier 33 according to competing models of the universe (left) with a dark matter halo (right) without a bubble of this mysterious \\&quot;stuff.\\&quot;](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ug3qTXVQFJFGSaFGH9hnzh.png) Dark Universe Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/does-dark-matter-actually-exist-new-theory-says-it-could-be-gravity-behaving-strangely \"Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely\")\n\nLatest in Astronomy\n\n[![A bunch of black circles over hazy tendrils and swirls in space is illustrated here.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XsaWoUNwD2os4gADQgB6gd.png) Black Holes Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang \"Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang\")\n\n[![A rocky asteroid is pictured against the black of space.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Z2TSAhicQWnsasFVXob7wS.jpg) Asteroids A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/asteroids\/a-house-size-asteroid-is-heading-toward-earth-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-know \"A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know\")\n\n[![A nighttime view of Earth, based on images from Earth-monitoring satellites. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wiB3BuUoLGqDJKkWekSBAA.jpg) Earth Light pollution has brightened Earth by 16% since 2014, satellites find](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/earth\/light-pollution-has-brightened-earth-by-16-percent-since-2014-satellites-find \"Light pollution has brightened Earth by 16% since 2014, satellites find\")\n\n[![On the left, an illustration of a bright object in space. On the right, the same object looks significantly dimmer.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kFcEm4JYdtA6HHoq6AxBp.png) Black Holes Galaxy starves its supermassive black hole, loses 95% of its brightness](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/galaxy-starves-its-supermassive-black-hole-loses-95-percent-of-its-brightness \"Galaxy starves its supermassive black hole, loses 95% of its brightness\")\n\n[![graphic showing comet maps streaking toward the sun. the background of the image shows a star filled sky.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wjJpgKvEPJFRnRFvrPJeWS.jpg) Comets Watch Comet MAPS get destroyed by cataclysmic fragmentation near the sun](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/comets\/watch-comet-maps-destroyed-in-cataclysmic-fragmentation-near-the-sun \"Watch Comet MAPS get destroyed by cataclysmic fragmentation near the sun\")\n\n[![People hold signs outside on a sunny day in protest of NASA budget cuts, July 20, 2025.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LRPke5wosXcT3F76si4jUM.jpg) Astronomy Deja vu: Trump proposes cutting NASA science funding by 47% again](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/deja-vu-trump-proposes-cutting-nasa-science-funding-by-47-percent-again \"Deja vu: Trump proposes cutting NASA science funding by 47% again\")\n\nLatest in News\n\n[![A photo of the crescent moon taken from a spacecraft, with the crescent Earth visible above the lunar horizon, hanging in the blackness of space.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/etaomD3efUECP9KDmfZWuM.jpg) Human Spaceflight Artemis 2 spies a crescent Earth above the moon's horizon \\| Space photo of the day for April 10, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/human-spaceflight\/artemis-2-spies-a-crescent-earth-above-the-moons-horizon-space-photo-of-the-day-for-april-10-2026 \"Artemis 2 spies a crescent Earth above the moon's horizon | Space photo of the day for April 10, 2026\")\n\n[![laptop graphic showing the landing of an orion space capsule with red and white striped parachutes, it is heading for the ocean, during artemis 1 mission. A similar scene will play out today April 10 with return of Artemis 2.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nfD8V6nVadE82fpSTLbo7Y.jpg) Artemis Watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts return to Earth live online today (April 10)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/watch-nasa-artemis-2-astronauts-return-to-earth-live-online-today-april-10 \"Watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts return to Earth live online today (April 10)\")\n\n[![During its high-speed return to Earth from lunar distance, the thermal protection system of Orion\\&\\#039;s crew module must endure blistering temperatures to keep crew members safe. Measuring 16.5 feet (5 meters) in diameter, Orion\\&\\#039;s heat shield is the largest of its kind developed for missions carrying astronauts.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/AUZkT6GeHkt4nipnDGaqwC.jpg) Artemis Today is splashdown day for Artemis 2 moon astronauts — What to expect at each stage of reentry & landing (timeline)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-splashdown-what-to-expect-reentry-landing-timeline \"Today is splashdown day for Artemis 2 moon astronauts — What to expect at each stage of reentry & landing (timeline)\")\n\n[![A bunch of black circles over hazy tendrils and swirls in space is illustrated here.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XsaWoUNwD2os4gADQgB6gd.png) Black Holes Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang \"Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang\")\n\n[![On Dec. 11, 2022, NASA\\&\\#039;s Orion spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean with the USS Portland seen in the distance after a 25.5-day flight to lunar orbit and back.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yBxaWPUVoFgYCb9KKHnQtB.jpg) Artemis Where will NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission land today?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/nasas-artemis-2-moon-mission-is-coming-home-today-where-will-it-land \"Where will NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission land today?\")\n\n[![A rocky asteroid is pictured against the black of space.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Z2TSAhicQWnsasFVXob7wS.jpg) Asteroids A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/asteroids\/a-house-size-asteroid-is-heading-toward-earth-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-know \"A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know\")\n\nMORE FROM SPACE...\n\n1. [![A bunch of black circles over hazy tendrils and swirls in space is illustrated here.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XsaWoUNwD2os4gADQgB6gd.png)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang \"Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang\")\n   \n   1\n   \n   [Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang)\n2. 2\n   \n   [Watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts return to Earth live online today (April 10)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/watch-nasa-artemis-2-astronauts-return-to-earth-live-online-today-april-10)\n3. 3\n   \n   [Where will NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission land today?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/nasas-artemis-2-moon-mission-is-coming-home-today-where-will-it-land)\n4. 4\n   \n   [What time is NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission landing today? Full schedule](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-landing-what-time)\n5. 5\n   \n   [Artemis 2 moon astronauts splash down today — What to expect at each stage of reentry & landing (timeline)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-splashdown-what-to-expect-reentry-landing-timeline)\n\nSpace is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.\n\nClose\n\nPlease login or signup to comment\n\nPlease wait...\n\nLogin\n\nSign Up","attrs_readable_markdown":"![Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize?](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/SjNiqpMzDKNDqC6dnASRDd.jpg)\n\nCould the universe have more dimensions than we realize? (Image credit: Getty)\n\n[String theory](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17594-string-theory.html) is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything.\n\nAll the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be [more dimensions than the four we're used to](https:\/\/www.space.com\/39928-wrinkle-in-time-tesseract-space-travel.html).\n\nBut that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds.\n\n## Dimensional disaster\nIn string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons, [gluons](https:\/\/www.space.com\/gluons-carriers-strong-force-explained), gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string.\n\nEach vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart.\n\nBut for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough \"room\" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained.\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\nIn other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally.\n\nCurrent versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now.\n\nHow can the [string theory's requirement for extra dimensions](https:\/\/www.space.com\/string-theory-started-off-wrong.html) possibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe?\n\n## Curled up and compact\nThankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion.\n\nBack in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe.\n\nBut then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the \"cylinder condition.\" This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism.\n\nIt looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics.\n\nIn retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring.\n\nStill, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters.\n\n## The many manifolds of string theory\nIf an [extra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small](https:\/\/www.space.com\/41947-gravitational-waves-reveal-no-extra-dimensions.html), we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times.\n\nAnd those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live.\n\nWith further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory.\n\nThere's around 10^200,000.\n\nIt turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up.\n\nThat's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics.\n\nSo only one manifold can give rise to the [world as we experience it](https:\/\/www.space.com\/38538-a-new-theory-explains-why-the-universe-is-three-dimensional.html). But which one?\n\nUnfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe.\n\nThe response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many.\n\nAnd that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape.\n\n- [Einstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/28738-einstein-theory-of-relativity-explained-infgraphic.html)\n- [Images: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe](https:\/\/www.space.com\/13219-photos-big-bang-early-universe-history.html)\n- [What's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/25804-big-bang-cosmology-discoveries-next-steps.html)\n\n[*Paul M. Sutter*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/) *is an astrophysicist at* [*SUNY*](http:\/\/astronomy.osu.edu\/) *Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of* [*Ask a Spaceman*](http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\/) *and* [*Space Radio*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/shows\/spaceradio)*, and author of* [*Your Place in the Universe*](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/book)*.*\n\nLearn more by listening to the episode [\"Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)\"](http:\/\/www.pmsutter.com\/shows\/askaspaceman-archive\/2019\/12\/3\/aas117-is-string-theory-worth-it-part3) on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on [iTunes](https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ask-a-spaceman!\/id958825741?mt=8&at=1001lnRX&ct=space-us-1098123721513994484) and on the Web at [http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com](http:\/\/www.askaspaceman.com\/). Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit\\_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged\\_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using \\#AskASpaceman or by following Paul [@PaulMattSutter](http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/paulmattsutter) and [facebook.com\/PaulMattSutter](http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paulmattsutter).\n\n*Follow us* *on Twitter* [*@Spacedotcom*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/spacedotcom) *and on* [*Facebook*](http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Spacecom\/17610706465)*.*\n\n**Share your thoughts**\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\nJoin the community\n\nJoin the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers.\n\nAlready have an account? 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Meta Title	How the universe could possibly have more dimensions \| Space
Meta Description	One little problem with string theory: It needs some extra dimensions.
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Boilerpipe Text	Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize? (Image credit: Getty) String theory is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything. All the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be more dimensions than the four we're used to . But that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds. Dimensional disaster In string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons, gluons , gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string. Each vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart. But for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough "room" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained. Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! In other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally. Current versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now. How can the string theory's requirement for extra dimensions possibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe? Curled up and compact Thankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion. Back in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe. But then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the "cylinder condition." This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism. It looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics. In retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring. Still, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters. The many manifolds of string theory If an extra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small , we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times. And those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live. With further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory. There's around 10^200,000. It turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up. That's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics. So only one manifold can give rise to the world as we experience it . But which one? Unfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe. The response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many. And that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape. Einstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic) Images: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe What's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery? Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio , and author of Your Place in the Universe . Learn more by listening to the episode "Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)" on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on iTunes and on the Web at http://www.askaspaceman.com . Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using #AskASpaceman or by following Paul @PaulMattSutter and facebook.com/PaulMattSutter . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Share your thoughts 0 0 0 0 Join the community Join the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers. Already have an account? Log in Log In Forgotten your password? Reset it Not got an account? Register My Details Update your details below... Keep in the Know Would you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners? 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The left side is colored red while the right side is colored purple.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JjhmXS8mFkbE5qXSnb8ggA.png) Black Holes Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/could-our-universe-exist-because-black-holes-ate-up-all-the-antimatter "Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?") [![An illustration shows a quark racing through thye primordial soup or quark-gluon plasma that filled the early universe, creating a wave](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5NaWmr9jCdrYw7DAdw3fj3.png) Particle Physics Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy](https://www.space.com/science/particle-physics/large-hadron-collider-reveals-primordial-soup-of-the-early-universe-was-surprisingly-soupy "Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy") [![An illustration of a pulsar lurking in Galactic Center close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A\](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YR4dCMwPVVT2GNEvv6LHqb.png) Stars The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star](https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/the-milky-way-may-be-hiding-a-big-secret-at-its-heart-an-extremely-magnetic-dead-star "The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star") Trending - [Artemis 2 LIVE: Moon mission updates](https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-10-2026#mrfhud=true) - [Top picks of Artemis 2 merch](https://www.space.com/technology/nasa-artemis-2-gifts-we-love-top-picks-for-aspiring-astronauts) - [Night sky tonight\!](https://www.space.com/what-to-see-night-sky-april-2026-maps) - [Aurora Forecast](https://www.space.com/live/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-april-10-12) - [Space Calendar](https://www.space.com/32286-space-calendar.html) - [Live 4K Sen video from space\!](https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/live-4k-video-from-space-see-earth-from-the-iss-with-sharp-eyed-sen-cameras) - [Best Drones](https://www.space.com/best-drones) - [Lego Star Wars deals](https://www.space.com/lego-star-wars-deals) - [Next Full Moon](https://www.space.com/16830-full-moon-calendar.html) - [Best Telescopes](https://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html) - [Solar System Planets](https://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html) - [Best Star Projectors](https://www.space.com/best-star-projectors) - [Best Binoculars](https://www.space.com/26021-best-binoculars.html) 1. [Astronomy](https://www.space.com/astronomy) ![Expert Voices](https://www.space.com/media/img/partners/expert-voices-banner.jpg) # How the universe could possibly have more dimensions [News](https://www.space.com/news) By [Paul Sutter](https://www.space.com/author/paul-sutter) published February 21, 2020 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Here’s how it works](https://www.space.com/41418-about-us.html#section-affiliate-advertising-disclosure). Click for next article ![Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize?](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SjNiqpMzDKNDqC6dnASRDd.jpg) Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize? 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Subscribe + ![Night Sky This Week](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qsHaEcQ6H695rhBoNZdK5g.jpg) Once a week Night Sky This Week Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us\! Subscribe + ![Strange New Words](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mk2LrCm68RFHzQhNyQaH2Y.jpg) Twice a month Strange New Words Space.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans\! Subscribe + * An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter [String theory](https://www.space.com/17594-string-theory.html) is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything. All the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be [more dimensions than the four we're used to](https://www.space.com/39928-wrinkle-in-time-tesseract-space-travel.html). But that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds. You may like - [![A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There\&\#039;s a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SmcBfLjCAEkg9NziAM9CuH.png) How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/how-fast-is-the-universe-actually-expanding-ripples-in-spacetime-could-finally-solve-hubble-tension) - [![A series of blue and red and green and orange analog clocks all superimposed on each other](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wECuuHE7jxzT73orWxpY5.jpg) Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not](https://www.space.com/science/particle-physics/is-time-a-fundamental-part-of-reality-a-quiet-revolution-in-physics-suggests-not) - [![An illustration of matter pouring into a black hole, crossing an Einstein-Rosen bridge and emerging in another region of the universe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QiqgvSVLR8GjPCQ4fEyjHa.png) Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe](https://www.space.com/astronomy/wormholes-may-not-exist-weve-found-they-reveal-something-deeper-about-time-and-the-universe) Related: [Alternatives to the Big Bang Theory explained (infographic)*](https://www.space.com/24781-big-bang-theory-alternatives-infographic.html) [Click here for more Space.com videos...](https://videos.space.com/m/jMcp2B0n/all-quantum-gravity-theories-suck-heres-why?list=9wzCTV4g) ## Dimensional disaster In string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons, [gluons](https://www.space.com/gluons-carriers-strong-force-explained), gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string. Each vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart. YouTube ![YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gX2ARIyHrT4/maxresdefault.jpg) [Watch On](https://youtu.be/gX2ARIyHrT4) But for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough "room" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained. Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\! By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. In other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally. Current versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now. How can the [string theory's requirement for extra dimensions](https://www.space.com/string-theory-started-off-wrong.html) possibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe? What to read next - [![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe) - [![(Main) the galaxy Centaurus A as seen by the the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile (Inset) The velocities of galaxies in groups versus distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5EaSWNDJ6VF5oFzJM74YJL.png) How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/how-fast-is-the-universe-expanding-astronomers-may-be-one-step-closer-to-resolving-hubble-trouble) - [![The galaxy Messier 33 according to competing models of the universe (left) with a dark matter halo (right) without a bubble of this mysterious \"stuff.\"](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ug3qTXVQFJFGSaFGH9hnzh.png) Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/does-dark-matter-actually-exist-new-theory-says-it-could-be-gravity-behaving-strangely) ## Curled up and compact Thankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion. Back in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe. But then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the "cylinder condition." This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism. YouTube ![YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/63GoTXe3Bjw/maxresdefault.jpg) [Watch On](https://youtu.be/63GoTXe3Bjw) It looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics. In retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring. Still, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters. ## The many manifolds of string theory If an [extra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small](https://www.space.com/41947-gravitational-waves-reveal-no-extra-dimensions.html), we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times. And those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live. With further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory. There's around 10^200,000. It turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up. That's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics. So only one manifold can give rise to the [world as we experience it](https://www.space.com/38538-a-new-theory-explains-why-the-universe-is-three-dimensional.html). But which one? Unfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe. The response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many. And that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape. - [Einstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic)](https://www.space.com/28738-einstein-theory-of-relativity-explained-infgraphic.html) - [Images: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe](https://www.space.com/13219-photos-big-bang-early-universe-history.html) - [What's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery?](https://www.space.com/25804-big-bang-cosmology-discoveries-next-steps.html) [Paul M. Sutter](http://www.pmsutter.com/) is an astrophysicist at* [SUNY](http://astronomy.osu.edu/) Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of [Ask a Spaceman](http://www.askaspaceman.com/) and [Space Radio](http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/spaceradio), and author of [Your Place in the Universe](http://www.pmsutter.com/book). Learn more by listening to the episode ["Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)"](http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/askaspaceman-archive/2019/12/3/aas117-is-string-theory-worth-it-part3) on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-spaceman!/id958825741?mt=8&at=1001lnRX&ct=space-us-1098123721513994484) and on the Web at [http://www.askaspaceman.com](http://www.askaspaceman.com/). Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit\_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged\_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using \#AskASpaceman or by following Paul [@PaulMattSutter](http://www.twitter.com/paulmattsutter) and [facebook.com/PaulMattSutter](http://www.facebook.com/paulmattsutter). Follow us on Twitter [@Spacedotcom](http://twitter.com/spacedotcom) and on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spacecom/17610706465). 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Leaderboard \| Rank \| Player \| Score \| Time \| \|---\|---\|---\|---\| Log In or Register More Quizzes Log Out ![Paul Sutter](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7b82ETmxFckHcwPUQsysgS.jpg) [Paul Sutter](https://www.space.com/author/paul-sutter) Social Links Navigation Space.com Contributor [Paul M. Sutter](http://www.pmsutter.com/) is a cosmologist at Johns Hopkins University, host of [Ask a Spaceman](http://www.askaspaceman.com/), and author of [How to Die in Space](http://www.pmsutter.com/book). Read more [![A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There\&\#039;s a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SmcBfLjCAEkg9NziAM9CuH.png) Astronomy How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/how-fast-is-the-universe-actually-expanding-ripples-in-spacetime-could-finally-solve-hubble-tension "How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'") [![A series of blue and red and green and orange analog clocks all superimposed on each other](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wECuuHE7jxzT73orWxpY5.jpg) Particle Physics Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not](https://www.space.com/science/particle-physics/is-time-a-fundamental-part-of-reality-a-quiet-revolution-in-physics-suggests-not "Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not") [![An illustration of matter pouring into a black hole, crossing an Einstein-Rosen bridge and emerging in another region of the universe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QiqgvSVLR8GjPCQ4fEyjHa.png) Astronomy Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe](https://www.space.com/astronomy/wormholes-may-not-exist-weve-found-they-reveal-something-deeper-about-time-and-the-universe "Wormholes may not exist – we've found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe") [![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) Dark Universe How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe "How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe") [![(Main) the galaxy Centaurus A as seen by the the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile (Inset) The velocities of galaxies in groups versus distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5EaSWNDJ6VF5oFzJM74YJL.png) Astronomy How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/how-fast-is-the-universe-expanding-astronomers-may-be-one-step-closer-to-resolving-hubble-trouble "How fast is the universe expanding? Astronomers may be one step closer to resolving 'Hubble trouble'") [![The galaxy Messier 33 according to competing models of the universe (left) with a dark matter halo (right) without a bubble of this mysterious \"stuff.\"](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ug3qTXVQFJFGSaFGH9hnzh.png) Dark Universe Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/does-dark-matter-actually-exist-new-theory-says-it-could-be-gravity-behaving-strangely "Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely") Latest in Astronomy [![A bunch of black circles over hazy tendrils and swirls in space is illustrated here.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XsaWoUNwD2os4gADQgB6gd.png) Black Holes Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/ripples-in-spacetime-may-have-revealed-1st-evidence-of-tiny-black-holes-born-in-the-big-bang "Ripples in spacetime may have revealed 1st evidence of tiny black holes born in the Big Bang") [![A rocky asteroid is pictured against the black of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z2TSAhicQWnsasFVXob7wS.jpg) Asteroids A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know](https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/a-house-size-asteroid-is-heading-toward-earth-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-know "A house-size asteroid is heading toward Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know") [![A nighttime view of Earth, based on images from Earth-monitoring satellites. ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wiB3BuUoLGqDJKkWekSBAA.jpg) Earth Light pollution has brightened Earth by 16% since 2014, satellites find](https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/light-pollution-has-brightened-earth-by-16-percent-since-2014-satellites-find "Light pollution has brightened Earth by 16% since 2014, satellites find") [![On the left, an illustration of a bright object in space. On the right, the same object looks significantly dimmer.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kFcEm4JYdtA6HHoq6AxBp.png) Black Holes Galaxy starves its supermassive black hole, loses 95% of its brightness](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/galaxy-starves-its-supermassive-black-hole-loses-95-percent-of-its-brightness "Galaxy starves its supermassive black hole, loses 95% of its brightness") [![graphic showing comet maps streaking toward the sun. the background of the image shows a star filled sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wjJpgKvEPJFRnRFvrPJeWS.jpg) Comets Watch Comet MAPS get destroyed by cataclysmic fragmentation near the sun](https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/watch-comet-maps-destroyed-in-cataclysmic-fragmentation-near-the-sun "Watch Comet MAPS get destroyed by cataclysmic fragmentation near the sun") [![People hold signs outside on a sunny day in protest of NASA budget cuts, July 20, 2025.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LRPke5wosXcT3F76si4jUM.jpg) Astronomy Deja vu: Trump proposes cutting NASA science funding by 47% again](https://www.space.com/astronomy/deja-vu-trump-proposes-cutting-nasa-science-funding-by-47-percent-again "Deja vu: Trump proposes cutting NASA science funding by 47% again") Latest in News [![A photo of the crescent moon taken from a spacecraft, with the crescent Earth visible above the lunar horizon, hanging in the blackness of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/etaomD3efUECP9KDmfZWuM.jpg) Human Spaceflight Artemis 2 spies a crescent Earth above the moon's horizon \\| Space photo of the day for April 10, 2026](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/artemis-2-spies-a-crescent-earth-above-the-moons-horizon-space-photo-of-the-day-for-april-10-2026 "Artemis 2 spies a crescent Earth above the moon's horizon \| Space photo of the day for April 10, 2026") [![laptop graphic showing the landing of an orion space capsule with red and white striped parachutes, it is heading for the ocean, during artemis 1 mission. 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Full schedule](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-landing-what-time) 5. 5 [Artemis 2 moon astronauts splash down today — What to expect at each stage of reentry & landing (timeline)](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-splashdown-what-to-expect-reentry-landing-timeline) Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. [Visit our corporate site](https://futureplc.com/). 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Readable Markdown	![Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize?](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SjNiqpMzDKNDqC6dnASRDd.jpg) Could the universe have more dimensions than we realize? (Image credit: Getty) [String theory](https://www.space.com/17594-string-theory.html) is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything. All the forces, all the particles, all the constants, all the things under a single theoretical roof, where everything that we see is the result of tiny, vibrating strings. Theorists have been working on the idea since the 1960s, and one of the first things they realized is that for the theory to work, there have to be [more dimensions than the four we're used to](https://www.space.com/39928-wrinkle-in-time-tesseract-space-travel.html). But that idea isn't as crazy as it sounds. ## Dimensional disaster In string theory, little loops of vibrating stringiness (in the theory, they are the fundamental object of reality) manifest as the different particles (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.) and as the force-carriers of nature (photons, [gluons](https://www.space.com/gluons-carriers-strong-force-explained), gravitons, etc.). The way they do this is through their vibrations. Each string is so tiny that it appears to us as nothing more than a point-like particle, but each string can vibrate with different modes, the same way you can get different notes out of a guitar string. Each vibration mode is thought to relate to a different kind of particle. So all the strings vibrating one way look like electrons, all the strings vibrating another way look like photons, and so on. What we see as particle collisions are, in the string theory view, a bunch of strings merging together and splitting apart. But for the math to work, there have to be more than four dimensions in our universe. This is because our usual space-time doesn't give the strings enough "room" to vibrate in all the ways they need to in order to fully express themselves as all the varieties of particles in the world. They're just too constrained. Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\! In other words, the strings don't just wiggle, they wiggle hyperdimensionally. Current versions of string theory require 10 dimensions total, while an even more hypothetical über-string theory known as M-theory requires 11. But when we look around the universe, we only ever see the usual three spatial dimensions plus the dimension of time. We're pretty sure that if the universe had more than four dimensions, we would've noticed by now. How can the [string theory's requirement for extra dimensions](https://www.space.com/string-theory-started-off-wrong.html) possibly be reconciled with our everyday experiences in the universe? ## Curled up and compact Thankfully, string theorists were able to point to a historical antecedent for this seemingly radical notion. Back in 1919, shortly after Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, the mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza was playing around with the equations, just for fun. And he found something especially interesting when he added a fifth dimension to the equations — nothing happened. The equations of relativity don't really care about the number of dimensions; it's something you have to add in to make the theory applicable to our universe. But then Kaluza added a special twist to that fifth dimension, making it wrap around itself in what he called the "cylinder condition." This requirement made something new pop out: Kaluza recovered the usual equations of general relativity in the usual four dimensions, plus a new equation that replicated the expressions of electromagnetism. It looked like adding dimensions could potentially unify physics. In retrospect, this was a bit of a red herring. Still, a couple of decades later another physicist, Oskar Klein, tried to give Kaluza's idea an interpretation in terms of quantum mechanics. He found that if this fifth dimension existed and was responsible in some way for electromagnetism, that dimension had to be scrunched down, wrapping back around itself (just like in Kaluza’s original idea), but way smaller, down to a bare 10^-35 meters. ## The many manifolds of string theory If an [extra dimension (or dimensions) is really that small](https://www.space.com/41947-gravitational-waves-reveal-no-extra-dimensions.html), we wouldn't have noticed by now. It's so small that we couldn't possibly hope to directly probe it with our high-energy experiments. And if those dimensions are wrapped up on themselves, then every time you move around in four-dimensional space, you're really circumnavigating those extra dimensions billions upon billions of times. And those are the dimensions where the strings of string theory live. With further mathematical insight, it was found that the extra six spatial dimensions needed in string theory have to be wrapped up in a particular set of configurations, known as Calabi-Yao manifolds after two prominent physicists. But there isn't one unique manifold that's allowed by sting theory. There's around 10^200,000. It turns out that when you need six dimensions to curl up on themselves, and give them almost any possible way to do it, it … adds up. That's a lot of different ways to wrap those extra dimensions in on themselves. And each possible configuration will affect the ways the strings inside them vibrate. Since the ways that strings vibrate determine how they behave up here in the macroscopic world, each choice of manifold leads to a distinct universe with its own set of physics. So only one manifold can give rise to the [world as we experience it](https://www.space.com/38538-a-new-theory-explains-why-the-universe-is-three-dimensional.html). But which one? Unfortunately, string theory can't give us an answer, at least not yet. The trouble is that string theory isn't done — we only have various approximation methods that we hope get close to the real thing, but right now we have no idea how right we are. So we have no mathematical technology for following the chain, from specific manifold to specific string vibration to the physics of the universe. The response from string theorists is something called the Landscape, a multiverse of all possible universes predicted by the various manifolds, with our universe as just one point among many. And that's where string theory sits today, somewhere on the Landscape. - [Einstein's theory of relativity explained (infographic)](https://www.space.com/28738-einstein-theory-of-relativity-explained-infgraphic.html) - [Images: Peering back to the Big Bang & early universe](https://www.space.com/13219-photos-big-bang-early-universe-history.html) - [What's next for cosmology after landmark gravitational wave discovery?](https://www.space.com/25804-big-bang-cosmology-discoveries-next-steps.html) [Paul M. Sutter](http://www.pmsutter.com/) is an astrophysicist at [SUNY](http://astronomy.osu.edu/) Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of [Ask a Spaceman](http://www.askaspaceman.com/) and [Space Radio](http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/spaceradio), and author of [Your Place in the Universe](http://www.pmsutter.com/book). Learn more by listening to the episode ["Is string theory worth it? (Part 3: Dimension is destiny)"](http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/askaspaceman-archive/2019/12/3/aas117-is-string-theory-worth-it-part3) on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-spaceman!/id958825741?mt=8&at=1001lnRX&ct=space-us-1098123721513994484) and on the Web at [http://www.askaspaceman.com](http://www.askaspaceman.com/). Thanks to John C., Zachary H., @edit\_room, Matthew Y., Christopher L., Krizna W., Sayan P., Neha S., Zachary H., Joyce S., Mauricio M., @shrenicshah, Panos T., Dhruv R., Maria A., Ter B., oiSnowy, Evan T., Dan M., Jon T., @twblanchard, Aurie, Christopher M., @unplugged\_wire, Giacomo S., Gully F. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using \#AskASpaceman or by following Paul [@PaulMattSutter](http://www.twitter.com/paulmattsutter) and [facebook.com/PaulMattSutter](http://www.facebook.com/paulmattsutter). Follow us on Twitter [@Spacedotcom](http://twitter.com/spacedotcom) and on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spacecom/17610706465). Share your thoughts 0 0 0 0 Join the community Join the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers. Already have an account? Log in My Details Update your details below... Keep in the Know Would you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners? Validate Your Mobile No. We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. Update Your Mobile No. You may enter a new mobile number below. You will be sent a verification code to the phone number you provide. embed-reactions.hint\_heading embed-reactions.hint\_subheading Validate Your Email Address We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. Update Your Email Address You may enter a new email address below. 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