Can someone please explain the String theory of the universe in elementary layman's terms?

Question

Also, what about the Gaia theory of the earth?
Also which reptile is most closely related evolutionarily to birds?

Answer 1

1. String theory : Think of a guitar string that has been tuned by stretching the string under tension across the guitar. Depending on how the string is plucked and how much tension is in the string, different musical notes will be created by the string. These musical notes could be said to be excitation modes of that guitar string under tension.
In a similar manner, in string theory, the elementary particles we observe in particle accelerators could be thought of as the "musical notes" or excitation modes of elementary strings.

2. Gaia Theory : The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis that proposes that living and nonliving parts of the earth are viewed as a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Named after the Greek earth goddess, this hypothesis postulates that all living things have a regulatory effect on the Earth's environment that promotes life overall.

3. The living reptile that is the closest to a bird is, according to molecular data, a crocodile.

Answer 2

there is no such thing per se, but rather string theory and the theory of everything. unifying gravity with the other known electromagnetic forces.

all is well until we try and marry quantum mecanics (sub atomic) and classical mechanics. then something goes horribly wrong with our equations. we don't just get a wrong answer, we get a completely nonsensical answer, and yet on their own, each theory stands up to whatever test we throw at it. how can this be?

put simply, it purports that instead of the 4 familiar spacetime dimensions we are familiar with, there are instead 10 or 11 (possibly 26 dimensions).

of course, we cannot ever see them, since we live in a 3-dimensional world, but that doesn't mean that they aren't there. trouble is, how do you prove their existence? the large hadron collider should shed some light on the elusive so-called 'god particle' (higgs) next near when it comes on line. if no evidence is found, then this spells trouble for the string theorists.

speaking of dimensions, these strings are incredibly tiny (planck length10−35 m). particles can be thought of as tiny vibrating strings. different vibrating frequencies giving rise to different particles, the building blocks of matter.

for an introduction, try brian greene's the elegant universe and his excellent books on the matter. they will take a couple of readings before much will sink in...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html

Answer 3

String theory - oversimplified:
There is only one type of elementary
'particle` , a "string" or "ring" of energy,
and the mode in which it is vibrating in
10 or 12 dimensions determines its
measurable properties.

The Gaia paradigm is not a theory.
It is a sort of general observation that the
earths processes seem to act to maintain
stability.