Big news from the annals of science last week. A British newspaper reports that the mysteries of the universe may have been solved by a hedge-fund economist who left academia 20 years ago. Eric Weinstein’s theory – he calls it geometric unity – posits a 14-dimensional “observerse”, which contains our work-a-day, four-dimensional, space-time universe.
Weinstein presented his big idea to the prestigious Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford University last week and can count several high-profile academics among his supporters.
So, what do you make of geometric unity? If won’t be long, surely, until that question is casually thrown your way at a dinner party.
Don’t panic; just read on.
• Weinstein's theory is the latest in a long line of what physicists call a Theory of Everything. Turn to A Brief History of Time – the 1988 book that made Stephen Hawking the world's most famous scientist – to learn more. A Theory of Everything, says Hawking, must reconcile the two great theories that underpin our understanding of the physical world: Einstein's Theory of Relativity and quantum mechanics.
• But you knew that anyway, right? And, of course, you'll know most of what's contained in The Quantum Universe by Brian Cox, the D:REAM keyboard player turned physicist pin-up. But before you take on geometric unity, it can't hurt to brush up on your understanding of quantum physics: a world of subatomic particles wherein one object can be in two places at the same time, and (some say) an infinitude of parallel universes exist. You can see how this Theory of Everything stuff becomes tricky, right?
• With your head wrapped around all that, you're ready to refresh your knowledge of other recent attempts to solve the Big Question. See New Theories of Everything by the Cambridge cosmologist John D Barrow, for a survey that includes the theory that the universe is a computer simulation and that we – our hopes, dreams and everything around us – are nothing more than digital information being shuttled around inside it.
Still, if that’s true, you’ve got to wonder who is using the computer.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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