michael_nielsen

What's something that strikes you as very unusual that very smart people are working on?

Example: the constructor theory of @DavidDeutschOxf , Chiara Marletto, & Simon Benjamin.

Example: the de-extinction work by people like @stewartbrand, Ryan Phelan, Ben Novak et al

Good examples from past: cryptocurrencies in the 80s & 90s (Chaum, Finney et al); or dinosaur-meteor extinction (Alvarez's) even earlier

Doesn't need to be right, just very unusual and not obviously, unequivocally false.

Another nice example: David Glanzman and others' work on the idea that long-term memories may not be stored in synapses.

Another good example from the past: Julian Jaynes' outrageous-but-stimulating theory of consciousness.

Homotopy type theory, especially by people who believe ZFC is inconsistent.