The story has been told many times. At the beginning of the 20th century, physics seemed essentially solved. One or two puzzling phenomena like the photoelectric effect and concerns over black body radiation had scientists scratching their heads but a general feeling prevailed that solving these issues would be dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
In the event, these seemingly minor problems required an entire revolution for the laws of physics. And the result — quantum theory and relativity — have become cornerstones of modern science and provided the intellectual bedrock for our 21st century world.
That raises an interesting question for young researchers looking for potential revolutions of the future. For them, the question is: what are the most interesting unsolved problems in science today?
