My understanding is that a new collider being constructed at CERN, the Large Hadron Collider, may be able to prove some aspects of string theory -- or may not be able to because of the unbelievably high energy that might be required. The collider, which is being built, "straddles the Swiss and French borders on the outskirts of Geneva," according to CERN. Even if this device can't unlock secrets of string theory, other research at least hints at the underlying structure of our reality. I have only a fuzzy undersanding of this, but one line of research involves the convergence of basic forces. Electromagnatism and the "weak" force already have been shown to be united. Theorists hope to unite the other basic forces -- the strong force and gravity. Whether and how they intersect apparently will tell us a great deal about the nature of the universe. But don't ask me for details because I don't understand much more about it. Thanks, Joe
theories to explain it (string theory, dark energy, branes, etc) are themselves barely supported by experiment--if at all.