Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea Extra: The one thing you need to know about electricity
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Nov 25, 2025 Science writer Marcus Chown, known for his accessible explanations of complex topics, dives into the core concept behind his latest book. He highlights the power of a single idea to unlock understanding in science. Discussing gravity's universal yet weak nature, he contrasts it with the mysteries of dark matter. Chown also reveals the strength of the electric force, illustrating its effects with thought experiments and real-world examples. He explains why matter feels solid despite atomic emptiness and addresses greenhouse gases' roles in climate change.
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Gravity Is Universal And Weak
- Gravity is a universal attractive force between all chunks of matter and is always attractive.
- Its weakness compared with the electric force makes it dominant only when huge amounts of mass accumulate.
Gravity Wins At Large Scales
- Gravity becomes dominant at large scales because its effects always add, while electric charges cancel.
- Objects above ~300 km round out into spheres because gravity crushes irregularities into the smallest volume.
Gravity Sits Outside The Standard Model
- The Standard Model of particle physics explains three forces but omits gravity entirely.
- Cosmology uses gravity but relies on unknowns (dark matter/energy) outside particle physics' framework.
