PHYSICS

Hole-y Bedroom 🧑‍🚀

Remember that escape room you did that one time, in that shopping centre, with a couple of friends for that one birthday; the time you just felt like you would never get out? Imagine that, but so much worse (and much denser). Black holes are some of the most mind-bending objects in the discovered universe. However, despite their name, they are not holes at all, but regions of space where gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape, so you would have no chance in that escape room!

So, could you have one in a space the size of your bedroom?

They form when massive stars collapse under their own gravity at the end of their life cycle. This results in a point called a singularity: a point of infinite density, surrounded by an event horizon, i.e., the point of no return. Here’s where it gets strange: mass and volume don’t behave in ways that we are familiar with. You can have something incredibly massive squeezed into an unimaginably small space. In theory, if you compressed the Earth into the size of a marble (don’t try that at home), it would become a black hole. So technically, yes—a black hole could fit in your bedroom, just not without turning everything around it into cosmic spaghetti.

💡 Things to consider

• Size: Usually, society associates heavy objects with large size—like a lorry versus a tennis ball. Black holes flip that idea entirely. They show us that mass doesn’t need volume to have a huge effect. This forces us to rethink how gravity really works: it’s not about size, but about how concentrated mass is in space. What other assumptions in physics might rely too heavily on everyday intuition? (Hint: The weighing scales in your kitchen don’t measure weight!)

  

  …or should we?

• How would you like your infinity?: The dictionary defines it as “a number greater than any assignable quantity or countable number.” But can something be truly infinite in a physical universe? Or is infinity just a limitation of our current models of the universe?

  

  Infinity got us like…

• Where exactly?: Due to the very nature of black holes, we cannot physically observe a black hole (otherwise light would be escaping), so how can we be so sure that they exist? Science often relies on indirect evidence. We can observe the effects of black holes: stars orbiting invisible objects, gravitational lensing, and X-rays from matter heating up before crossing the event horizon. This invites a broader question: what kind of evidence do we trust, and why?

🔎 Find out more

• Read about NASA finding a “record-breaking” black hole here

• Watch this video to find out more about the cosmological horizon here

• Listen to this podcast hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson to find out more about Edwin Hubble here

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🧪 The Lab Accident That Saved 500 Million Lives: Did you know the discovery of penicillin was an accidental stroke of luck — but its real magic was in scaling it up? In this video, Derek Thompson explores how transformative breakthroughs depend less on invention and more on implementation, from WWII-era penicillin to modern-day COVID vaccines through Operation Warp Speed. Great if you’re into Science and the History of Science.

• 🧠 Cognitive Warfare: Ever heard of wars fought entirely within our minds, no bullets required? This article explains how nations are using digital misinformation to manipulate perceptions, spark panic, or even cause real-world harm without traditional combat. Learn why it remains a massive legal blind spot if you’re into Law, Politics, or Psychology.

• 📱 The Attention Economy: Ever wonder why social media is so addictive? This insightful piece explains how platforms like Instagram and TikTok make billions by harvesting our attention — and selling it to advertisers through sophisticated algorithms that shape our thoughts and behaviours. Great if you’re interested in Sociology or Media Studies.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• Wednesday 30th July

  • Homerton College Cambridge Veterinary Medicine Subject Focus Session

  • Keble College Oxford - Admissions Tests Webinar

• Thursday 31st July

  • Keble College Oxford - Interviews Webinar

  • University of Reading - Archaeology Taster Day

• Friday 1st August

  • University of Warwick - Webinar on Data Science Related Courses

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