A renowned physicist, a world-class science communicator, a futurologist, and a best-selling author- these are only a few laureates Dr Michio Kaku has under his belt. Apart from being a full-time physics researcher, Dr Kaku has co-founded the modern string theory, laying the groundwork for this revolutionary field. His exceptional work and contributions to science truly stand as a testament to the boundless capabilities of the human mind.
Born to Japanese immigrants on 24th January 1947 in San Jose, California, Dr Kaku has dedicated his life to revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos. His early passion for science led him to create a betatron (cyclic particle accelerator) in High school. He was largely inspired by his non-fictional hero, Albert Einstein who passed away when Kaku was eight years old. ‘I realized, I needed to immerse myself in advanced mathematics and learn theoretical physics. So that is what I did.’ His research, his theories, and his life embody a tribute to arguably one of the smartest men to ever set foot on Earth- a mission to fulfil the ancient dream of unification, a herculean task achieved by no man.
In his book, The God Equation, Michio Kaku beautifully articulates his understanding of the universe around us. (I would highly recommend this book to both beginners and aficionados alike- Dr Kaku’s unparalleled storytelling, without missing out on crucial explanations is truly a joyride) He delves into the importance of four fundamental forces that govern all known laws of modern physics; the strong and weak nuclear forces, the gravitational force, and the electromagnetic force. According to the standard model of particle physics, these forces are mediated by fields that result from the exchange of gauge bosons.
To someone devoid of a high school degree, creating an inch-long equation unifying these four entities may seem somewhat simple. According to Dr Kaku, this equation- should it exist- would be humanity’s ‘last salvation’, after our universe dies in the upcoming billion years. From Newton to Maxwell, and onwards to Feynman, numerous scientists would marvel at the beauty of this speculative equation- a piece of text that holds the answer to every question ever posed in the realm of physics.
Physics is not the friendliest discipline of science, but rather a cutthroat community of egoistic physicists, each with different beliefs, from quantum to Yang-Mills, especially when it comes to unification. Suffice to say, unless a theory is widely accepted, it cannot become a ‘theory of everything’.
Dr Michio Kaku’s ongoing research in the field of string theory which deals with one-dimensional ‘strings’, has encouraged an entire generation to pursue theoretical physics in hopes of one day conquering physics’ holy grail.
His favourite quote is a line by Dorothy Parker, ‘Curiosity is a cure for boredom. There is no cure for curiosity.’
