Unravelling nature's elementary building blocks - challenges of big science

Abstract

Presented at the Einstein Symposium, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, June 4, 2005 Unprecedented international efforts have resulted into amazing insights in the world of subatomic particles and the forces that control their dynamical behavior. This required large and delicate constructions to obtain experimental information, as well as advanced and ingenious mathematical methods to formulate our theories. Yet there is still a vast unknown territory. We do not know how to describe the way matter interacts with gravity at the very tiniest distance scales. At present we can only speculate about nature’s deepest secrets.