Could 'counterfactuals' solve the biggest problems in physics?

<p>Most laws of physics tell us what <em>must</em> happen. Throw a ball in the air and it <em>will</em> come back down. But physicist <a href="https://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/person/chiara-marletto" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chiara Marletto</a>, a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, says that laws like this only tell us part of the story.</p><p>She believes that the rest lies in 'counterfactuals': things that&nbsp;<em>could</em> be.</p><p>In her new book, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/306/306121/the-science-of-can-and-can-t/9780241310946.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Science of Can and Can’t</em></a> (£20, Allen Lane), she explains how these counterfactual properties could solve many of science’s biggest outstanding problems.</p><p>Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.</p><ul><li><strong>Subscribe</strong> to the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em> on these services: <a href="https://www.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acast</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-focus-podcast/id1296673906?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/immediate-media-2/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sticher</a>, <a href="https://rss.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1296673906/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Overcast</a></li></ul><p><strong>Listen to more episodes of the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/prof-avi-loeb-on-what-oumuamua-tells-us-about-the-problem-with-modern-physics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prof Avi Loeb on what 'Oumuamua tells us about the problem with modern physics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/marcus-chown-do