A recent article in Popular Mechanics states that “Scientists Catch Virtual Particles Hopping In and Out of Existence. The quantum effect known as vacuum birefringence was predicted in the 1930s, but this is the first observational evidence of the phenomenon in action. Quantum electrodynamics (QED) describes the relationships between particles of light, or photons, and electrically charged particles such as electrons and protons. The theories of QED suggest that the universe is full of ‘virtual particles’, which are not really particles at all. They are fluctuations in quantum fields that have most of the same properties as particles, except they appear and vanish all the time. Scientists predicted the existence of virtual particles some 80 years ago, but we have never had experimental evidence of this process until now.” All of which raises the question, is quantum physics actually magic, or physics? ISIS is now executing people for witchcraft, so maybe they know something. Or maybe we just don’t understand what it is we are seeing.

So now we have some particles
Appearing in some articles
That seem to vanish then to reappear
Those chopped off heads are tragic
But to ISIS guys real magic
Is the quantum world we really have to fear
If existence is uncertain
We’ll be bringing down the curtain
On the rational and scientific world
Take us back to Zeus, Apollo
And the world will gladly follow
Fearing Thor and ducking thunderbolts he’s hurled