The microscopic world described by quantum theory seems a strange, confusing place – but some physicists argue it's just us who are uncertain
SNATCH a toy from the tiniest of infants, and the reaction is likely to disappoint you. Most seem to conclude that the object has simply ceased to exist. This rapidly changes. Within the first year or so, playing peekaboo also becomes fun. As babies, we soon grasp that stuff persists unchanged even when we are not looking at it.
Granted, at that age we know nothing of quantum theory. In the standard telling, this most well-tested of physical theories – fount of the computers, lasers and cellphones that our adult souls delight in – informs us that reality's basic building blocks take on a very different, nebulous form when no one is looking. Electrons, quarks ...
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