top of page
Explorations in Science and AI
How string theory lost its strings
String theory was once hailed as the “theory of everything” — a unified model of nature built on tiny vibrating strings. But after decades of expansion, the field has evolved beyond its namesake, embracing branes, dualities, and abstract geometry. Some physicists now wonder: is it time to rename the theory entirely?
How string theory lost its strings
String theory was once hailed as the “theory of everything” — a unified model of nature built on tiny vibrating strings. But after decades of expansion, the field has evolved beyond its namesake, embracing branes, dualities, and abstract geometry. Some physicists now wonder: is it time to rename the theory entirely?
Colin Hunter
Jul 3, 2025
Ethan Siegel
Apr 15, 2025
FirstPrinciples
Apr 1, 2025
Matt von Hippel
Mar 27, 2025
Colin Hunter
Feb 20, 2025
How string theory lost its strings
String theory was once hailed as the “theory of everything” — a unified model of nature built on tiny vibrating strings. But after decades of expansion, the field has evolved beyond its namesake, embracing branes, dualities, and abstract geometry. Some physicists now wonder: is it time to rename the theory entirely?
Colin Hunter
Matt von Hippel
Latest Articles
Automated conjecturing: How machines are exploring mathematical structure
Before a theorem can be proved, someone has to decide what is worth proving. For decades, the formation of a conjecture remained largely outside the reach of machines. In Automated Conjecturing with TxGraffiti, Randy Davila explores how that boundary has shifted.
FirstPrinciples
3 days ago
Lab Notes: Teaching models to reason a little better
A recent recap of work at FirstPrinciples, from fine-tuning and RLVR to ensembles and 122B-scale models. We’re beginning to clarify what improves scientific reasoning, and these are our notes.
FirstPrinciples
Apr 7
Yang-Hui He Joins FirstPrinciples’ Scientific Advisory Board
Mathematical physicist Yang-Hui He joins FirstPrinciples' Scientific Advisory Board to help guide further development of Theo, the AI Physicist.
FirstPrinciples
Mar 11
FirstPrinciples Appoints Victor Galitski as Inaugural Member of Scientific Advisory Board
FirstPrinciples announces the appointment of Victor Galitski as the inaugural member of its Scientific Advisory Board to provide guidance on technical direction and alignment of the AI Physicist with modern scientific standards.
FirstPrinciples
Feb 5
FirstPrinciples Launches Fellowship Program for Researchers in AI and Physics
FirstPrinciples today announced the launch of the FirstPrinciples Fellowship Program for PhD or postdoctoral researchers in machine learning and physics who will work to build the core modules of the AI Physicist system and to help establish new standards for open scientific infrastructure.
FirstPrinciples
Jan 30
FirstPrinciples launches Theo Collaborators Program to evaluate the AI Physicist’s scientific reasoning capabilities
FirstPrinciples announces the launch of the Theo Collaborators Program, a selective research collaboration designed to bring expert physicists into direct engagement with Theo, the AI Physicist.
FirstPrinciples
Jan 28
Between tools and theory: Reflections from the Machine Learning and the Physical Sciences workshop, NeurIPS 2025
A reflection on ML4PS 2025, where researchers in physics and machine learning grappled with the role AI should play in scientific discovery, and what it would take to move from process acceleration toward deeper scientific insight.
FirstPrinciples
Jan 28
John Templeton Foundation Partners with FirstPrinciples to Advance AI-Driven Discovery in Fundamental Physics
FirstPrinciples announced today a philanthropic grant from the John Templeton Foundation, marking early institutional support for the AI Physicist.
FirstPrinciples
Jan 5
The AI Physicist reaches its first autonomy milestone (ahead of schedule)
The team at FirstPrinciples has reached the AI Physicist’s first autonomy milestone ahead of schedule, assembling the early loops of a system that will guide its own scientific reasoning from research to hypothesis and beyond.
FirstPrinciples
Dec 9, 2025
Become a contributor for the Hub
Share your thought-provoking content with our community of curious minds.
bottom of page