Check out this story about a surfer named Garrett Lisi, who recently stunned the physics community by offering a new “theory of everything” that explains how the universe works. The fact that a surfer is gaining respect from the physics community is pretty cool. Even cooler, though, is the fact that Garrett is not a professional physicist (neither was Albert Einstein) – he contemplates the physical model of the universe as a hobby – yet his theory has grabbed everyone’s attention.

Lisi’s idea is based on an extraordinarily complicated geometric shape called E8, an eight-dimensional shape with 248 points – a pattern he thinks may describe the underlying geometry of the universe itself. The myriad of different particles and forces we perceive would then stem from this shape’s weirdly symmetric geometry.

I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we did find the key that unlocks the universe. What would matter anymore? Would we all still have to go to work?

Recent storms off the east coast of Australia literally whipped up freakish amounts of sea foam that ultimately made its way to shore north of Sydney.

Scientists explain that the foam is created by impurities in the ocean, such as salts, chemicals, dead plants, decomposed fish and excretions from seaweed. All are churned up together by powerful currents which cause the water to form bubbles. These bubbles stick to each other as they are carried below the surface by the current towards the shore. As a wave starts to form on the surface, the motion of the water causes the bubbles to swirl upwards and, massed together, they become foam.

Here’s a link to the story.