Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#1

Post by kinj28 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 5:48 PM UTC

Imagine a magic wand that gives you perfectly accurate answers—no ambiguity, no debate—to any three unanswered questions about reality.

My picks: 1. How did life originate from non-life? 2. What truly exists at the center of the Earth? 3. What (if anything) is the next evolutionary step beyond humans?

What would you ask, and what made you choose those three?

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#2

Post by PaulHoule » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 5:56 PM UTC

God might struggle to prove Collatz is or not true!

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#3

Post by borderprepper » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC

[dead]

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#4

Post by zahrevsky » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:04 PM UTC

Obviously, the first one would be “What are the best two questions for me to ask?”

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#5

Post by bejmainpaul » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:06 PM UTC

1. Who at the core control the world? i strongly believe there's not more than 200 people that control all the assets, economies, and countries, directly or indirectly.

2. was big bang actually a thing?

3. How does the life if exists look like in other galaxies?

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#6

Post by tingling168 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 8:24 PM UTC

[dead]

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#7

Post by AnimalMuppet » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 8:32 PM UTC

1. Are black holes really a singularity, or does the mass inside have non-zero size?

2. Is quantum mechanics the fundamental physical reality, or is there something behind it?

3. Does P = NP?

Re: Ask HN: You get 3 answers to any unknowns in the universe. What do you ask?

#8

Post by gus_massa » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC

1. It's interesting, but you need a PhD in Chemistry and another PhD in Biology to understand the answer. There are probably like 10 non trivial steps from single molecules with 10 atoms to the RNA world, and we don't know any of them. If you would be happy to be sure that my hand waving is correct, you can ask it to be sure.

2. It is quite boring. A chunk of (liquid?) iron. I guess my metallurgy knowledge is too low to find the details interesting. I suggest to find another question.

3. It would be really nice to know that we would not nuke ourselves. Fingers crossed.