January 14, 2026
Strings attached, brains tangled
The string theory hype machine will never die
Brain wiring! Dark energy! Fans hype, skeptics say: show the experiment
TLDR: New hype links string theory to brain wiring and dark energy, but commenters clash: some demand real experiments, others say the math is already solving testable problems. The debate matters because it shapes public trust in science—are we seeing progress or just glossy press releases?
String theory’s hype machine is revving again, with press releases claiming it cracks natural networks and even explains brain wiring, while Quanta touts a new five-dimensional model that supposedly brings dark energy into the fold. Critics like Peter Woit call it “ridiculous hype,” and YouTube physicist Sabine Hossenfelder is reportedly cheering from the sidelines. The comments lit up like a collider: rbanffy dropped the mic with “All it needs is an experiment that can test it,” capturing the lab-coat crowd’s biggest gripe—no proof, just pretty math.
Then the plot twist: bonzini insists the brain paper isn’t even string theory, but string-theory math repurposed to make testable predictions—cue the “don’t hate the toolbox” meme. Meanwhile, mkw5053 fires back that Woit’s just being a “hater,” arguing that if string theory sucked, it wouldn’t be powering breakthroughs elsewhere. isolli invokes Roger Penrose’s classic side-eye at fashionable physics, and someone drops a “five-dimensional universe” joke that had half the thread picturing Marvel multiverses. vikas123456789 blames the hype on TV physicist Michio Kaku, spawning a mini-meme of “Thanks, Kaku.” Verdict: the community is split between demanding experiments, defending the math, and roasting the hype—with maximum drama and minimum chill.
Key Points
- •The post cites RPI and Northeastern press releases linking research in natural networks and brain architecture to string theory.
- •Scientific American published an article asking whether string theory explains the wiring of the brain, tied to a paper available on arXiv.
- •Quanta Magazine reported that string theory can now describe a universe with dark energy, involving a five-dimensional string vacuum and a new paper.
- •The author states they have documented string theory-related media hype for over two decades and argues it has harmed public understanding.
- •String theorist Manki Kim is quoted describing the field as rapidly contracting, reflecting challenges within string theory as presented by the article.