A team of theoretical physicists used Loop Quantum Gravity, string theory's biggest contender, and showed that the calculations are consistent with the idea that black holes have no insides, but that objects are stuck on their surface. BLACK HOLE: NOT BLACK, AND NOT A HOLE There's a lot in our universe we don't completely understand, such as dark matter and dark energy. Indeed, in the bizarre world of quantum physics, ideas are constantly shifting and changing regarding the true nature of the (somewhat mysterious) forces that govern our universe. This is what's happening now in the debate over what black holes really are. Renowned theoretical physcist Stephen Hawking has previously stated that, given enough time, black holes will evaporate. And now, a new calculation by a team of theoretical physicists supports the idea that black holes are not even holes at all—that they are flat, two-dimensional holograms projecting a three-dimensional illusion. Interestingly, this comes shortly