Like contemporary physics, fiction seems to work with ever more microscopic units of observation; in the process, strange things happen.

A primary question facing contemporary physics is how to reconcile the two great theories of the last century: quantum mechanics and relativity.

It then turns to questions raised by important topics in contemporary physics:

Energy and beauty are deeply linked in contemporary physics.

Condensed matter physics is by far the largest field of contemporary physics.

The answers appear not to be present in contemporary physics, chemistry, or biology.

Our audience might not be any larger than that for, say, contemporary physics.

Or maybe the new approaches being developed by contemporary physics will finally prevail, giving us the ultimate explanation of the cosmos.

But we take exception to much of Horgan's characterization of contemporary physics.

I knew the idea had been around for thousands of years, and certain speculations in contemporary physics seemed to allow for the possibility, at least.